Jackfruit Curry: A Lesson On How To Make A Tasty Dish Without Any Oil And Masalas

Jackfruit grows in abundance in Tripura

Jackfruit is one of the most popular fruits of Tripura. It grows abundantly in the fertile soil of the state and is a part of the diet in the summer when trees groan under the weight of these massive fruits. When the jackfruit is unripe, both indigenous and non-indigenous people cut the pulp into small bite-sized pieces and cook it into different kinds of curries. The indigenous people, however, do not use any oil or masala in making the dish. We cook it using very simple ingredients and the end product turns out to be delicious.

This dish is called ‘thaipong awandru’ where thaipong means ‘jackfruit’ and ‘awandru’ refers to the powdered rice-based gravy. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Unripe pulp cut into bite-sized pieces

• Fermented fish

• Green chilies

• Onion

• Salt

• Rice soaked in water and ground to a paste

• Garlic

Procedure:

1. In a cooking pot, add 2 cups of water, and bring it to a boil.

2. Add onion, salt, fermented fish, and green chilies. Now close the lid and cook for 5 mins.

3. Add the jackfruit pieces to the boiling water and let it cook on simmer for 20-30 mins till the fruit is soft. Make sure there is enough water to cover the jackfruit in the pot.

4. Once the jackfruit is cooked, add the rice paste and stir well so there are no clumps. Cook for another 3 mins while stirring continuously.

5. Before shutting off the gas, add some freshly crushed garlic and close the lid. Finally the curry is ready! Serve with rice.

Thaipong awandru is ready!

Benefits of jackfruit: Jackfruit is traditionally used as a medicinal food due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, anticardiogenic, wound healing and hypoglycemic benefits. Local people also believe that the fruit treats baad beyara (joint, muscle pain).

The indigenous cuisine of Tripura doesn’t require oil or masalas. We simply cook using ingredients that can be found in our kitchen gardens. I hope whoever reads the article will try this recipe at home. All the best!

This article has been created as a part of the Adivasi Awaaz project, with the support of Misereor and Prayog Samaj Sevi Sanstha.