Phanas Ambode

Last couple of weekends I am cooking Konkan style food. Remember my friend Mridula she is a konkani and when ever I make anything Konkani I recollect all the gossiping we did in the office bus. Her stunts of opening a box of very strong smelling jackfruit appe in the bus and trying to stuff my mouth with it. Promise I was embarassed to the bone.

It was on one of those days after our driving classes, we hopped on to the office bus. During that one month we would start from home at 6.30 am attend driving classes, have a shared cup of coffee and then take the bus to work. It was too early for breakfast so we would reach office and have breakfast together and go our ways to our desks. We were quite inseparable before and after work and in the bus. I credit Mridula for it. I am not the kind who becomes very close instantly. I take time, but Mridula was different she became very close to me. I found it surprising. Now after she has found a great friend in her husband yours truly is rarely remembered! Yet am happy for her. 

So this weekend when I was enjoying some luscious jackfruit flesh I smiled and put away just 2 pieces for another day with plans to recreate the smelly stuff that got our fellow bus men and women sniffing and me all crimson. You cannot hide the jackfruit smell. There is proof.

Jackfruit is the mutilated copy of the original word Chakka in Malayalam. In Marathi it is Phanas.

Ingredients

2 pieces jackfruit flesh

3/4 cup Semolina

1 tablespoon jaggery

handful cilantro

a big pinch of salt

Oil or ghee for frying

Puree the jackfruit fesh in a chutney jar along with jaggery. Remove puree in a bowl. Mix in the semolina, salt and cilantro. Mix well with hand to even out lumps if any. You should be able to drop small balls of the batter into hot oil or ghee for frying. If needed add more semolina or a just a bit of water to adjust the consistency. It is important that the batter is not very thin else the rava will bubble up in the frying medium and will not hold the lump together.

Heat the Oil or ghee then reduce it to medium heat. Drop little balls into it and fry till caramelized. Enjoy the Phanas Ambode.

Alternatively you can also make appe in the appe pan.

The smell will attract one and all. They guess it right too. I told you, it's not possible to hide a jackfruit.

Well I also like people who are like a jackfruit, spiky on the outside and luscious on the inside :) I think I'm like that ;) I also wish at times I was born in Chakka land, my choice would be Allepey.