Idichakka Kanava Thoran

Tender Jackfruit cooked with squids, coconut and mild spices- a traditional taste from the state of Kerala
Jack fruit- Locally known as 'Chakka' is a widely familiar staple food in the state of Kerala. Every single household has more than one tree in their courtyard , which uses for its fruits, leaves and even trunks for various purposes. It's grown in thee tropical regions and yields mostly on summer months. a matured tree can produce more than 200 fruits per year it is the largest fruit which can weigh upto 50kgs. The large fruit which has a thorny outer covering and hundreds of fleshy flowers with seeds inside with a hard centre stem, has been used as a vegetable when it is raw and as a fruit when it ripens. it has been used widely in many Asian cuisines in different ways.
I remember in my home there were more than 10 Jackfruit trees in our backyards. every one was differ from other in the taste and quality. Broadly Jackfruit has been classified into two, One is Varikka- hard flesh, and other one is Koozha- soft flesh. The Varikka is good for ripening and has a solid flesh when it ripens. But the Koozha is very soft and liquidy when it ripens and we children likes the Varikka jack. The every part of this fruit has used . The raw petals were used to make boiled tempered jack, the seeds were used for stir fries, the outer skin and stem were cut and given as a cattle feed, the leaf were folded and used a spoon to have the rice gruel, the tree trunk were cut and used for making door frames and furniture etc etc. It was a common man's food once and now a days it is considered as a super food with lots of nutritional values.