Chakkai Adai/Jackfruit Pancake

There are so many traditional recipes which get lost. I started this blog with an attempt to preserve some of the age old recipes which have been handed down through generations.

After a very long time, I spent a few days with my grandmother. I was awed at the way she kept herself active and busy all day through, even at the age of 81. She loves to cook for her children and grandchildren. I admire the way she takes care of each and every member in the house, with utmost love and affection. During my stay with her, I asked her to prepare a few dishes, which she lovingly did. What is special about her cooking is the consistency, with which she dishes out. Anytime and every time, the taste would be the same: Delicious. In my opinion, that is one of the most important qualities of a good cook, isn’t it?

Jackfruit is a seasonal fruit, available during the summer months, from March to May. Jackfruit when unripe is used to prepare curries, gravies, chips and numerous other savoury items and when ripe, many desserts, like Chakka Varatti (Jam), Payasam (pudding), Elai Adai etc are prepared.
Today I am sharing the recipe of this delicious pancake prepared out of ripe jackfruit – I should say, an old and dying recipe, which I learnt from my grandmother. The pancake/dosai, were very soft and delicious with the aroma of jackfruit.

What you’ll need

1. Ripe Jackfruit Pieces – 2 Cups
2. Powdered Jaggery – 2 Cups
3. Par Boiled Rice/ Idly Rice – 3 Cups
4. Oil/Ghee – As required for preparing the adai

Method

1. Wash and rinse the rice well in 2 or 3 exchanges of water and soak it for 4 to 5 hours.
2. Wash and deseed the jackfruit pieces. Roughly chop them.
3. Grind the chopped jackfruit and set aside.
4. Grind the soaked rice. When the rice is coarsely ground, add the Jaggery and grind.
5. Now add the ground jackfruit and grind everything into a smooth paste, without adding too much water. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
6. Heat a tava, Pour a ladle full of batter and spread it lightly.
7. Drizzle oil/ghee, around pancake, and let it cook on low flame.
8. Carefully flip over, and cook the other side too, on low flame. Drizzle a tsp of oil or ghee.

That’s it, delicious chakkai adai is ready.

Note:
Flip over the pancakes very carefully, since they are very soft and break easily.
Also cook on very low flame.

Linking this to Just 4 Fun, Fruit Fiesta, Cook Eat Delicious Desserts, Kerala Kitchen hosted by Prathibha