Jack is back on track

Jackfruit is not just a jack of all trades but also a master of some, writes Deepa Natarajan Lobo about the most preferred mock meat

When Minoli De Silva, one of the top ten contestants of MasterChef Australia this year, made a Sri Lankan curry with raw jackfruit, she mentioned how fresh jackfruit is so delicious yet a rare find in Australia. She went on to prepare a lip-smacking curry with canned raw jackfruit that took Jock Zonfrillo, one of the judges, back on his honeymoon to Sri Lanka. Cut across to the United States, where in Los Angeles, a popular hangout named Jackfruit Cafe, serves dishes made from raw jackfruit to its customers. Well, it’s pretty clear that the humble chakka or kathal is creating ripples in the West. However, dotted with jackfruit trees all across its coastal regions and the Ghats, it is India which is the largest producer of jackfruit in the world. In fact, according to a report, India exported jackfruit worth USD 2.3 million to global countries from January 2020 to March 2021. Another report states that India exports jackfruit to over 75 countries!

All of this is raw, according to James Joseph, a jackfruit entrepreneur from Kerala who founded the award-winning company Jackfruit 365. “From Tripura to Trivandrum, jackfruit grows in abundance here. But it’s rarely cultivated as most of it comes from the backyards of people’s houses. While a big tree can produce over 300 jackfruits each season, a small one can produce 100,” he notes. James further explains that there are two forms of raw jackfruit — tender and mature. “The tender jackfruit is plucked before the seed is formed and its average weight is three kgs as opposed to the 15 kg mature raw jackfruit which is plucked two days before it completely ripens,” says James whose company makes flour out of jackfruit in its mature raw form.

Meaty morsel

So why is namma halasu finding itself on the menus of food trucks, fast-food joints and cafes all over the world? For starters, jackfruit is a superfood laden with nutrients and helps prevent the risk of many serious diseases. But with the market already saturated with superfoods of all shapes and sizes, a reason why raw jackfruit is reaching the plates of foodies everywhere is its texture, which has an uncanny resemblance to meat. With the rising number of vegans and vegetarians, raw jackfruit is one of the most popular and delicious mock meats in the world today. “Tender raw jackfruit is largely being used as a meat alternative across the world,” says James. While the centre and outer core of the vegetable are chunky, parts of it are highly fibrous and can be shredded easily too. “It absorbs spices quickly like meat, which is why it is called gach patha in Bengali, which translates to tree goat. In America, it’s a popular alternative to pulled pork, as it shreds pretty easily too,” he explains.

Jack in the pantry

Unlike its fruity counterpart, raw jackfruit has a neutral smell and a dull cream colour. “Once harvested, there is only a short time left for it to reach the market. If it isn’t formed properly or becomes even slightly ripe, it loses its taste and texture,” explains Keertida Phadke, who, along with Karan Bajaj founded Better, a Mumbai-based food company that has a range of products made from raw jackfruit without any preservatives.

Growing up in Coastal Maharashtra, raw jackfruit was a regular part of Keertida’s diet. “Though I trained to be a chef, I still find the process of procuring the right jackfruit so painful and tedious. Not to mention the cutting and cleaning of it which is also extremely laborious.”

For Karan, the co-founder of the company too, the journey has been extremely personal. “I gave up meat in 2018 after reading about how harmful animal agriculture is. I was exploring multiple mock meat options but the most popular option was just soya, which in my opinion is not only unhealthy but also not tasty,” he says. When he tasted a Bengali curry with chunky raw jackfruit pieces made by his cook, he was floored. “The more I read about it, the more I felt I had to do something. A bunch of companies in the US do similar work but all the jackfruit that they use is grown in India.” The duo’s aim now is to make jackfruit a pantry staple in all Indian households. “Why not jackfruit instead of paneer,” asks Karan.

Sustainable food fiesta

Shred it, chop it or cube it. It transforms itself into delectable biryanis, kebabs, pickles, papads, patties, curries, stir-fries, desserts and phew! The list is just endless. So it’s not a surprise why many chefs too are coming up with great ideas to incorporate this humble vegetable more and more into our diet. Praveen Shetty, Executive Chef of a luxury hotel in Bengaluru, is one of them. Hailing from the charming coastal city of Mangaluru, the chef made some great memories along the beaches of the Arabian Sea. “As a kid, I would often climb jackfruit trees and experience a sense of adventure and joy. I was mesmerised by the sweetness of the fruit and consuming it was a luxurious affair,” he recalls. “Raw jackfruit was made into a curry, which is known as Gujje Da Kajipu in Tulu, which I just loved. Even its seeds are delicious and bring back great memories.” “Raw jackfruit tastes really meaty, somewhat reminiscent of lamb, and is a vegetable that can be enjoyed both by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike,” he adds. Ask him for an easy tip to cut and clean it and he says the good old method of oiling your hands before getting down and dirty with it works!

Goodness of home

Homemakers and home cooks turn raw jackfruit into a range of lip-smacking dishes too. Usha Nair, a housewife in Bengaluru, grew up in Ernakulam, Kerala, amidst sprawling jackfruit trees. “Though we didn’t have a jackfruit tree at home, many of our neighbours and relatives did. So raw jackfruit was prepared regularly at home,” she recalls. Even today, she dishes out a variety of delicacies from raw jackfruit like chips, masala kozhambu, kebabs and thoran. “For thoran, we use young jackfruit and for bajjis, it needs to be slightly ripe. An important point is to slightly cook it first before preparing anything.” She adds, “I even make non-vegetarian dishes with it like a masala curry with prawns, green mangoes and drumsticks.”

Farmers’ delight

Unlike other crops, a jackfruit tree requires no care at all. It grows easily in backyards and is also used in spice plantations to give shade to spice crops, informs James. It is drought-hardy, which means it grows well even when there is no rain. “It’s very unfortunate that we produce so much jackfruit but approximately 75 per cent of it goes to waste. In Kerala itself, barely 25 per cent of it is consumed although the percentage has improved over the years,” laments James. “Since it grows in summer when there are no rains and fields go dry, it can be a farmers’ best friend and act as a shock absorber against the rising cases of farmers’ suicide.” It has been proven that mature raw jackfruit can help control sugar levels too. “If all the diabetics in India consumed one cup of mature raw jackfruit per day, we can use almost all of the jackfruit produced in India efficiently and there would be no need for insulin,” he sums up.