This scorching summer, when the rise in temperature is breaking all records, it is important to stay hydrated in order to sustain, stay healthy and keep going. Tropical season brings along tropical fruits and vegetables, which are not only nutritious but also taste delicious. One of the most popular tropical fruits is jackfruit (kathhal), which is popularly known as ‘the jack of all fruits'. Loaded with nutrients like riboflavin, magnesium antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals, this not-so-eye-pleasing fruit offers a plethora of health benefits like improving immunity, promoting cardiovascular health, regulating blood pressure, improving digestion, strengthening bones and more. Chefs and healthy eaters all around the world have been consistently trying hard to bring both health and taste together. And this time, they have come up with something astonishingly interesting.
Yes, they have experimented with jackfruit this time. Let's look at few of their delightful innovations:
1.Jackfruit Lassi
A huge delightful glass of chilled creamy, frothy lassi can make anyone's day. Right? Let's ditch the glass of regular lassi and give it an all-new tasteful makeover.
Ingredients:
1.Ripe Jackfruit.
2. Some freshly churned curd
3.Sugar
4.A handful of dry fruits
5.Saffron flakes
6..Dried rose petals
7.Ice Cubes
Method of Preparation:
1. Take a ripe jackfruit, peel it off and take out its seeds.
2. Chop the fruit into small pieces.
3. Now, blend it in a blender or a mixer to make a fine paste.
4. Take 1 cup of curd in a bowl, add some sugar to it (you can add honey as well) and whisk it thoroughly.
5. Now, decorate it by garnishing the chopped dry fruits of your choice.
6.Add ice cubes and serve it chilled.
(Also Read: 7 Reasons To Include Jackfruit In Your Diet)
2.Jackfruit Pina Colada
A soulful sip of a dulcified cocktail can make you forget about all your stress and tiredness in this searing climate. Let's see how amazing this innovative concoction of jackfruit, rum, coconut milk and pineapple juice takes you to the heaven of flavours.
Ingredients:
1.Coconut Milk (Full Cream)
2.Sugar (Preferably palm or brown)
3.Rum
4.Pineapple juice
5.Cubed Jackfruit
6.Ice
Method of Preparation:
1.Put all the ingredients together in a blender and blend until it gets a smooth texture.
2.Now, put the paste it in a martini glass and style it up with some finely cut pineapple and jackfruit pulp slices.
3.Jackfruit Smoothie
Jackfruit Smoothie - doesn't it sound interesting? Packed with the goodness of both yoghurt and jackfruit, it acts as a perfect go-to option for the ones seeking for a healthy drink.
Ingredients:
1.Freshly ripened jackfruit
2.Yogurt
3.Sugar or honey
4.Ice cubes
Method of Preparation:
1. Put in all the ingredients together in a mixer or a blender and blend it thoroughly until it turns smooth.
*You can use flavoured yogurt as well, as it will give your smoothie a distinctly exotic taste.
(Also Read: Numerous Ways To Cook With Jackfruit)
4.Jackfruit Shake
Summer is the season of our beloved icy cold shakes. People of every age love sipping on some healthful concoction of milk and fruits.
Let's try out this amazingly innovative recipe of tropical jackfruit shake, which is not only a delight to the taste palate but is equally delightful for health as well.
Ingredients:
1.Fully ripened jackfruit
2.Full cream milk
3.Sweetener
Method Of Preparation:
1.Peel of the Jackfruit and remove its seeds.
2.Take some full cream milk (preferably full cream milk because it will make the shake thick in texture). You can either use the regular full cream milk or you can use coconut milk as well.
3.Put it in a mixer/blender along with the jackfruit pulp and the sweetener of your choice. You can use sugar/honey/powdered jaggery.
4.Blend till smooth.
5.Add some ice cubes.
6.Make it insta-worthy by garnishing it with some thin jackfruit slices and pistachio on the top and serve it chilled.
5.Jackfruit Mojito
The outburst of infused subtle flavours on your taste buds will refresh your soul and will help in cooling down your body as well.
Let's beat the heat by trying out this distinctly flavoured, effervescent drink.
Ingredients:
1.Fresh ripened jackfruit chunks
2.Mint leaves
3.Lemon
4.White Rum (Use only if preparing a cocktail)
5.Sugar
6.Soda
7.Ice cubes
Method of Preparation:
Firstly, we'll prepare some jackfruit syrup-
1.Take a freshly ripened jackfruit, extract its pulp, removing the seeds.
2.Now, take a pan, put 1 cup of sugar in 11/2 cup of water. Stir it consistently.
3.Bring it to a boil.
4.Add the extracted jackfruit pulp to the mixture.
5.Cook it for a few minutes, until the mixture attains a thick consistency.
6.Keep it aside and leave it to cool.
7.Your jackfruit syrup is ready to be used now.
Let's make some mojito now:
1.Take a tall glass, add the finely cut lemon slices, ripened jackfruit chunks and some fresh mint leaves.
2,Jumble it up in order to infuse the flavours.
3.Add Ice cubes up to the brim.
4.Now, put in some soda over it.
5.Adorn it with some fresh jackfruit slices and your joyous mojito is ready.
(Also Read: 6 Benefits Of Jackfruit Seeds)
6.Jackfruit Wine
You must have heard about Chakkappazham or chakka if you have ever been to Kerala. This Kerala-originated full bodied drink is not only easy to prepare but tastes heavenly as well.
Ingredients:
1.Jackfruit Pulp
2.Sugar
3.Water
4.Yeast
Method of preparation:
1.Take a sauce pan, put 500 grams of sugar in 1 and a half liter of water. Bring it to boil and make a syrup out of it.
2.Prepare the yeast solution by dissolving half spoon of yeast in half cup of water.
3.Now, mix the jackfruit pulp, yeast solution and sugar syrup.
4.Put it in a porous jar.
5.Cover it up tight with a muslin cloth and put it out in the sun to ferment.
6.After 2 weeks, check for both taste and texture.
7.And your wine is ready.
If you want to add more flavours to your wine, then you may try keeping it out in the sun for one more month.
Defeat the heat by quenching your thirst by both functional and aesthetically pleasing jackfruit drinks and stay hydrated.