CHAKKAPAZHA ADAI (JACK FRUIT PANCAKE)

Jack fruit is one of my favorite fruits. Not necessarily everyone's! Some love its flavor some abhor it for the same reason. I remember how greedy I used to be as a kid - not wanting to part with the huge chunks of the fruit which my grandmother would so generously distribute among the servants. I would remind her I would be eating the next day and the next ... and  she would simply laugh it off and say there was plenty for me!

Even now I can't control my urge to buy jack fruit in the summer months whenever I chance upon good ones with my regular fruit vendor. I make Jack fruit halwa (Chakkavaratti) to be stored in the fridge for up to a year - my children and grand children simply love it. Otherwise I make Chakka curry or Chakkapazha adai or simply gorge on them as such, dipping them in honey at times.

Now here's the recipe for Chakkapazha adai - it's very easy to make. It can be made as soon as the batter is made - no need of fermenting.

Makes 6 adais.

Ingredients

1. Ripe jackfruit (coarsely chopped) - 1 cup
2. Raw rice - 3/4 cup
3. Idli rawa - 3/4 cup
4. Jaggery powder- 1 cup
5. Salt - a pinch
6. Oil / ghee for the adai

Method

1. Put the chopped jackfruit in a mixer and grind to a smooth paste.
2. Wash and soak idli rawa and raw rice separately for 2 -3 hours.
3. Grind them together in a mixer.
4. When half done, add powdered jaggery and grind to get a fine batter.
5. Add the jackfruit paste to it and blend together in the mixer.
6. Add a pinch of salt and mix well.
7. Add water if necessary - remember the batter should be thick.
8. Heat a tawa, spread oil all over.
9. Make a thick dosa (adai) with the batter and drizzle a tsp of ghee all around it.
10. Keep covered and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes.
11. Flip it and drizzle ghee / oil and cook the other side.
12. Remove when cooked on both sides - with brown patches.
13. Serve hot.

Tips

It would be wiser to use a non-stick tawa to ensure that the adais don't stick to the pan and break while flipping.