Jackfruit Pickle
Kut-hal or Kat-hal or Kathal ka Aachar/Achar
Abha Gupta
Jack fruit pickle is a seasonal pickle, made from unripe, fresh Jack fruit. It should be kept in a fridge once ready, because it gets mouldy very easily.
It is extremely critical that the water moisture is completely dried off, in both the kathal and in the chopped mango, if using. If it is not, this moisture can make the pickle go ‘off’ quickly. Spices can be adjusted to taste.
Kathal, pronounced as kut-hull, is called Jackfruit in English, botanical name Artocarpus heterophyllusis. It is very similar to Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis It is said to originate from the North West and West India. The trees are large, reaching up to 25 meter in height, with shiny green leaves. It grows in parts of India where soil is never too dry and the climate is temperate. Fruits very in size, largest weighing up to 30 kilos or more. The unripe fruit has a green, spiky skin, with a fibrous, meat like texture, with a creamy colour. In Northern India, this unripe jackfruit is cooked as a vegetable, often called 'meat of vegetarians'.
In Western India/Bangladesh, it is mainly eaten when ripe, as a fruit. Ripe fruit has yellowish flesh and a rather foul smell, but it tastes delicious!
Ingredients
1 kg Jackfruit, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 cups Mustard oil
For Pickling
500 gm. weight of fried Jackfruit/Kuthal
3-4 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tbsp. turmeric powder huldi
2-3 tbsp. Kashmiri chilli powder. They are medium hot chillies. Use hotter chillies, if you want the pickle to be hot.
1 tbsp. nigella seeds/kalonji
3-4 tbsp. fennel seeds/saunf
2 tbsp. coriander/dhania seeds
1 tbsp. fenugreek/methi seeds
1 tbsp. black pepper corns
1 tbsp. carom/ajwain seeds
1/2 tsp, asafoetida/hing
2 tbsp. yellow mustard seeds/peeli sarson
250 gm. raw, green mango, washed, finely chopped and dried so no moisture remains
What to do if you cant get green mangoes? Will lemon or lime do?
1/4 cup vinegar (Malt or white or either is okay?)
1/2 cup mustard oil (optional)
1/2 tsp sodium benzoate (optional)
Instructions
Wash the jackfruit/kuthal.
Spread the prepared pieces out in a single layer on a large towel and dry in the sun, until almost all of the water/ moisture has been evaporated. If the sun is not available, dry under a fan or in an airing cupboard for 10-12 hours or longer. Keep aside.
Heat the mustard oil to smoking point. It is a pungent oil. To remove this pungency, mix a teaspoon of salt with just enough water to make a paste. Then add it to the hot oil. This can also be done by adding a few lemon/lime leaves to hot oil.
Fry the semi-dry jackfruit pieces in mustard oil, until golden brown. The Jackfruit will reduce in quantity to about half. Keep aside. Question; so kuthal reduce by half when dried in sun. Then half again when fried. So, is only 1/4th remains of the original amount?
Roast fennel, coriander and methi seeds in a pan on medium heat.
Once you can smell the aroma of these seeds rising, add carom/ajwain seeds and roast together for 2-3 minutes. Adding carom/ajwain last, prevents them from burning. Mustard seeds are not roasted
Take the pan off the heat and transfer seeds to a plate. Let the seeds cool for 10-15 minutes.
Grind the roasted seeds, along with unroasted mustard seeds, coarsely together.
Mix with all the other measured spices in a bowl.
Add the mixed spices and vinegar to the fried jackfruit/katha in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
At this point add the sodium benzoate, if using, and mix thoroughly. It acts as a preservative.
Transfer the pickle into a large glass bowl.
Cover loosely with muslin or a Stainless Steel Splatter Screen, allowing for any moisture to escape/evaporate.
Leave in a sunny and warm spot for 4-5 days. If needed, add the additional mustard oil once the pickle has softened.
Transfer to clean, sterilised jars, close lids and leave in the sun for a few more days.
Notes
It is important that all water is dried off the boiled jackfruit, otherwise it will go 'off' very quickly.
A pinch of Sodium Benzoate added to pickles acts as preservative and helps to keep them for longer without getting spoiled.
Also see Pickle and Chutney Selection.
