Friday, July 15, 2011

Kathal bij-er Chop (Jackfruit seed's chop)


There are two types of dishes. One that you grow up eating and two that you know exists but never get a chance to taste. This Kathal bij-er bora is one such dish that I have heard from everyone and almost at every occasion. Come summer, every time you mention jack fruit, people will inevitably ask you whether you have made chops with jackfruit seeds or how delicious it tastes.. Though this was one of my dida’s famous recipes but for some unknown reason I never got a chance to taste it when she was with us. And even more unusually Maa never made this at home. So this summer when I saw the seeds being sold in the market I decided to try this. In my family I am known as a jackfruit lover. I love this fruit in each and every form. Raw jackfruit curry is one of my favourite and simply love to relish on the sweet nutty taste of jackfruit seeds too.

In Bangalore we never got to see the seeds in the market. The fewer seeds that I got from the ripe fruits eating all by myself were not enough to make anything other than adding them to charchari.  So this time I was quite ecstatic to see the huge quantity I brought home. I wanted to make many a things with this, the beautifuuly nutty smoky seeds that dida used to roast on the slow embers of wood fire.  Or the pra0wn and jackfruit seeds curry I just watched on the Television…But this chop topped my to do list. Then again I don’t have the recipe. So a quick call was made to my Masimoni (maternal aunt). She is a great cook and has learnt a lot of dishes from Dida, and surprise surprise she was making that same dish when I called her. Summer is the time to savor.

I was quite excited to have finally got the chance to cook this myself so another quick call later Baba was invited for tea too. It was a little tricky but quite easy to cook if you have a good non-stick pan. Baba and hubby liked it thoroughly and the deep fry lover lil monster of mine loved it (no wonder!!!) too. but I wasn’t pleased as I was unsure how it fared on the authenticity scale. Its really difficult to grade a recipe unless you know how the real taste should be. So this weekend when Masimoni was here I made it again, and I got the best compliment ever when she said’ you made it better than me’.

If you ask me,  Yes I will again make this next summer coz  it tastes real real good. What floored me was the wonderful aroma of the boiled jackfruit seeds mingled with all the pounded spices.  And the fact that it is made with something that we generally throw away makes it extra special. If you want just give it a try and I can promise you wont be disappointed. This goes perfectly well with evening tea.

Before I get into the recipe let me tell you that this could be baked as well. For all you calorie counters that’s an easy yet yummy treat. and this treat is healthy too. this is what I just found
"The seeds would give you around 135 kcal/ 100 gms. It is a rich source of complex carbohydrate, dietary fiber, vitamins like vitamin A, C and certain B vitamins, and minerals like calcium, zinc, and phosphorous. They contain lignans, isoflavones, saponins, that are called phytonutrients and their health benefits are wide-ranging from anti-cancer to antihypertensive, anti-ageing, antioxidant, anti-ulcer, etc. Jackfruit seed powder has the ability to relieve discomfort due to indigestion." Source
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Kathal Bij-er Chop
(makes 15 pieces)

Ingredients:
Jackfruit seeds: 500 gms (approx. 2 cups)
Potatoes: 2 big or 3 medium; (the ides is to add almost the same quantity of potato as seeds)
Onion: 2 medium
Ginger: 2” piece
Garlic: 6-7 fat cloves
Fennel seeds: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 11/2 tbsp
Green cardamoms: 4 no.s
Dry red chillies: 6-7 or as per your taste
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Roasted peanuts: ¼ cup
Salt
Sugar
For the coating:
Cornflour: 2 tbsp/ 1 egg
Breadcrumbs

Oil for deep frying

Method:
Remove the outer white tough skin from the seeds. Wash it thoroughly under running water. Boil these with the potatoes and little salt. The seeds should become soft.

Mash the seeds and the potatoes while still warm. There should not be any lumps.

Peel and cut the onion, garlic and ginger in chunks. Place these with the seeds, cardamoms and dry red chillis in a mixer and pulse for a cuple of seconds. Or alternatively just roughly pound the spices in a mortar and pestle. The ground spices should be very coarse.

Mix the spices with the mashed seeds. Add sugar and salt to balance the taste. Mix n the turmeric.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan and fry this mixture on very low flame. Continuously stir the mixture to avoid sticking and burning at the bottom. After 5-6 minutes the mixture would be dry and will leave the sides of the pan. Keep on cooking for another 3-4 minutes or till you see oil oozing out from the mixture. Mix in the crushed roasted peanuts, Switch off and cover. Let it cool completely.

In the mean time prepare the batter by making a smooth but thin batter with cornflour and 1/3 cup water. Add a pinch of salt to it.

Once the prepared seeds are soft, take a handful of the mixture and shape them as you wish. The usual shape is like flattened rounds or balls.

Once you finish the whole mixture, heat the oil.  Once the oil is hot decrease the flame.

Dip the chops in cornflour batter; roll them in breadcrumbs and fry on low flame till golden on both sides. Take out with a slotted spatula.

Serve hot with salad and sauce.

A Homemaker’s Note:
The chops could be freezed after shaping and coating.  Use a covered container to store them.

These could be made and freezed for a week.

You can also add fresh grated coconuts to this mixture. 


Savory sunday. 

Events:


Tags:
Jackfruit, jack fruit seed. kathal, enchor, kanthal bij, kathal beej, jackfruit seed snacks, bengali jackfruit recipe, bangali kanthal bijer bora, bara, bada, vada, authentic bengali recipe, traditional bengali snakcs with jack fruit seed, very old bengali recipe, eastern indian recipes, cutlets made with jack fruit seeds, chop, seeds cake, savory cake, deep fried bengali snack, bengali chop recipe, alur chop, alu kathal bichir chop, 


49 comments:

  1. This looks very delicious....I am also a jackfruit lover....will try this when I get jackfruit seeds...next time...bookmarked.

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  2. Wow wonderful snack..absolutely delicious.

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  3. so delicious. love the chops. great snack. i love the raw jackfruit curry as well. my uncle used to make it for me. he is a great cook. i miss the subzi .. wonder if i will get raw jackfruit here ...

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  4. Chop looks so crispy and inviting. Khete khub iche korche.

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  5. feel like eating this right now as the weather here is perfect for this

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  6. Echorer dalna or torkari is my all time fav.I could survive on this veg forever.my mom used to cook it like mangsho!here in US , we get canned jackfruit nowhere as close to the real one.but still that is the closest we can go to satisfy the craving.
    Lovely , yummy recipe by you as usual.I'll ask my mom back home to try this one out.
    Gorgeous photography. Those napkins are so beautiful.kotha theke kinecho pls bolo:)

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  7. As we get lots of jack fruit seeds in my hometown my SIL makes them often whenever we visit her. totally yummy.

    Event: Let's Cook – Subzis for Rotis

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  8. So tempting and yummy recipe... Nice way to use jackfruit seeds. will try it as soon as i get some...

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  9. Sayantani, konodin sunini about kanthal-er bij er chop, kintu dekhte etop sundar hoyeche, je kheye ichche korche, ei ekta fruit ami bhalobasi na ekdom, kintu seeds er tarkari bhalo lage, darun recipe, try korbo kono samay, bookmark kore rakhlam tomar didar signature dish

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  10. Wow...they look delicious and yummy :)

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  11. The chops looks so delicious and crispy,nice recipe.

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  12. Hey the chops look absolutely tempting....it has been ages since i had kathal!! I wish I was your neighbour:))

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  13. What a pretty pretty plate! The chops are tempting...

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  14. OMG!!this looks so tempting and delicious..nice clicks..

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  15. Jackfruit cutlets look delicious.

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  16. Wow! Looks so tempting, absolutely delicious.

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  17. Frankly I am loosing count of the dishes I have bookmarked from your blog. I have never eaten kathaler bij, my mum though makes echorer(raw jackfruit)chop. If I lay my hands on some of these seeds, I might give this recipe a try.

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  18. right time i got ths coz ve plenty of jackfruit seeds not knowing wht to do with...try it out

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  19. I love jackfruit, but never did anything with the seeds except boil them with salt and eat them hot. Thi looks delish!

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  20. @Divya, Reshmi, Suja, Amritha, thanks friends. if you get fresh jackfruit seeds, try this once. you would love it.

    @Deepa, Blr e thakle banie khaoatam.

    @not yet, Radhika, Guess these are common in Kerala as well.

    @Sarmistha, Enchorer tarkari amaro khub bhalo lage. chele mangsho bolei khay.
    samner kapor ta amar akta dress. pechoner napkin ta local craft fair theke kinechilam.

    @Vimitha, Padhu, thanks

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  21. @Indrani, try kore dekho bhalo lagbe.

    @Priyanka, KQ, Preeti, Hemalata, Tinathanks

    @Cooking foodie, Arthi, Pushpa, Mymonaah, thanks a bunch

    @Shilpidi, paka kanthal khele bij jomie rakhte paro. beshi somoy lagena ar akta besh notun jinish o hay.

    @Nisha, try this. you would love it.

    @Saee, try adding them in mixed vegetables. they taste delish!

    @Mina, yes very healthy snacks.

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  22. WOWW.. I love jack fruit seeds. The thought of cleaning them makes me go back :( But your chops are too good :D I have to try this :)

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  23. everytime I come to your blog and read ur new post .. it takes me back home to my mom's kitchen. This is yet another snack that I enjoyed but only at home. :)

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  24. Wow,amazing recipe,so new to me and looks so so delicous too! Lovely clicks!

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  25. Unique and interesting recipe. Chop looks crispy, crunchy, yummy and tempting.Perfect for snacks. Wonderful presentation.

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  26. Yum, these patties look perfect and crunchy! Will you believe that I had to look up what is a jackfruit?

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  27. looks wonderful.
    Thanks for dropping by and checking in. I have been swamped...

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  28. Wow! These chops looks absolutely delicious very tempting...

    Muskaan
    A2Z

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  29. thanks for stopping by and leaving a wonderful comment...

    happy to follow you...

    very nice recipes and space...and you are very talented.

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  30. Thank you for dropping by my blog otherwise I don't know when I would have discovered yours. You have got a wonderful space. I am very fond of bengali recipes.
    This is a unique recipe. Love jackfruit curry and I am sure that i will love these chops too.

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  31. WOW.. this is such a new recipe to me.. and i am also an absolute lover of jackfruit.. in all forms.. will sure try this one the next time i find the seeds..

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  32. This is really interesting, I've never come across this delicacy before. This year I saved two batches of seeds but there were so many leftovers, I had to finish those and just threw away the seeds finally

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  33. I have some jackfruit seeds :d I know what I am gonna try next :) Lovely and innovative

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  34. This looks so yummy sayantini....my apologies for late comment on this post ...I don't get jackfruit seeds here though I absolutely love it..will def try this some day

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  35. This looks so crispy and delicious. Absolutely love it.

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  36. Sayantani,
    Er sathe Cha hole besh garam -2 khete bhalo lagbe..kemon acho?..hugs and smiles

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  37. delicious innovative snacks looks wonderful

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  38. Absolutely tempting platter..Crisp & yummy.. Thnaks for sharing to my event dear..
    SIGNATURE RECIPES & A GIVEAWAY till july 31st 2011

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