Chakka Varrati (Jackfruit Halwa) is an authentic and most popular kerala delicacy made from ripened jackfruit. Chakka is a malayalam word for jackfruit and Chakkavarati is a perserved pulp made out of jackfruit, jaggery and ghee. Generally the chakkavariety is made during jackfruit season and perserved for making chakka pradaman.
My mom-in-law used to make this with a whole jackfruit and it takes quite longer time to finish the jam. There are a slight variations to do this same recipe. Some of them saute the jackfruit in ghee till they are soft and tender and then add the jaggery syrup without making pulp. Few people, make a single string consistency of jaggery syrup and add the pulp. But all these tastes the same and the shelf life is same in any method. I learnt this recipe from my Mom-in-law and so, I am used to this method. Try this way of making Chakka Varatti and you will surely enjoy the dish. We can serve the chakka varati as other halwa. Just warm the chakka varati before serving. Authentic Chakka pradaman is made using this chakka varati only.
My mom-in-law used to make this with a whole jackfruit and it takes quite longer time to finish the jam. There are a slight variations to do this same recipe. Some of them saute the jackfruit in ghee till they are soft and tender and then add the jaggery syrup without making pulp. Few people, make a single string consistency of jaggery syrup and add the pulp. But all these tastes the same and the shelf life is same in any method. I learnt this recipe from my Mom-in-law and so, I am used to this method. Try this way of making Chakka Varatti and you will surely enjoy the dish. We can serve the chakka varati as other halwa. Just warm the chakka varati before serving. Authentic Chakka pradaman is made using this chakka varati only.
Preparation and Yield:
| Preparation time | 15 mins |
| Cooking Time | 1 hour |
| Yield | 200gm |
| Recipe Category | Sweet |
| Recipe Cuisine | South Indian |
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| Chakka Varatti Recipe | How to make Jackfruit Halwa |
Ingredients:
| Jack fruit Pieces | 10 big pieces / 3 cups of finely chopped jackfruit pieces |
| Grated Jaggery | 1 Cup* |
| Ghee | 1/4 Cup |
| Cardamom Powder | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Sukku Powder / Dry Ginger Powder | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Cashews | few |
*1 Cup = 250ml
Method:
- Deeseed the jackfruits and chop them finely and take it in a vessel
- Add little water and pressure cook the chopped jackfruit till they are nicely cooked. Allow 3-4 whistles. We can also saute the chopped jackfruit pices in ghee in a heavy bottomed pan till they are cooked and mushy. But that process will take more time than pressure cooking method. So, I prefer to pressure cook.
- Once the pressure is released from the cooker, we can strain any excess water and allow it to cool and then grind it to get a nice and smooth pulp. Measure the pulp. For 1 measure of pulp we need to add 1 measure of grated jaggery. I got a cup of pulp so, I took 1 cup of grated jaggery. Keep this pulp aside
- Heat a sauce pan and add the grated jaggery and add 1/4 cup of water and stir well till the jaggery gets nicely dissolved in water. Strain this jaggery juice to get rid of sand or dust particles.
- Heat a pan and add the strained jaggery juice and bring it to boil. Add the jackfruit pulp and mix well. Keep stirring till they are nicely incorporated and becomes thicker
- When the mixture becomes thicker, add ghee at regular intervals and keep stirring in low flame till all the ghee are nicely incorporated with the jackfruit and jaggery mixture. When the mixture started to roll like a ball without sticking to the sides of the pan, add the cardamom powder and sukku powder and mix well
- Finally add ghee roasted cashews and give a good mix. You can check the consistency of the chakka varatti by taking a small quantity of halwa in your wet hands and try to make a ball. If you are able to make a ball, then switch off the flame. Take the chakka varatti in a serving bowl
- You can preserve the chakka varatti by keeping in air-tight container. This has a longer shelf life. We can serve or use it as an when we need.
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| Chakka Varatti Recipe | How to make Jackfruit Halwa |