Ube Purple Yam and Chipotle Naan with Spinach Jackfruit Seed Curry

Purple yam or Ube aka 'Filipino yam' thanks to its popularity in Filipino desserts is one of those hard-to-resist produce when I come across it at the Asian stores. They are perfect as oven-baked or pan-cooked "Fries".

Since I am not fond of desserts much, Ube got incorporated into a savory dish again this time.

Chipotle in adobo sauce has a wonderful smokiness with  just the right amount of heat balanced by the vinegar and sugar in the sauce. I love to add it into many unconventional dishes. Simply grind a can of chipotle in its adobo sauce - seeds and all - into a fine paste and keep it handy in the fridge.

Cooked and mashed Ube purple yams added that touch of mild sweetness and lovely lilac color to the inside of the naan. Chipotle brought in some mild heat and ruddy shade to the outsides.

I also added some dried fenugreek leaves (methi) and minced garlic to make this a flavor-packed naan.

Naan dough started the same a usual - all purpose flour with yeast - but, I decided to add a touch of coconut flour and flax meal... and simply mix in the mashed ube and chipotle paste, salt to taste, fenugreek leaves, if using.

This time, I served it with a simple saag made with spinach and jackfruit seeds, flavored with garlic, ginger, chilies, and tomatoes.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked mashed purple yams
½ cup coconut flour
¼ cup flax meal
2 Tablespoon chipotle paste
2 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon salt (less if preferred)
2 Tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
2 Tablespoon olive oil
½ cup warm milk
4 teaspoon active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour

Preparation

1. Sprinkle the yeast in warm water and allow to bloom for a bit
2. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients, using only 2 of the 3 cups of all purpose flour, and stir well
3. Scald the milk, then combine it with the wet ingredients including chipotle paste and mashed ube, as well as the yeast mixture
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and knead to a smooth elastic dough, adding water or flour as needed to get the right soft consistency; coconut flour being high in fiber content might soak up more water, so add water accordingly
5. Ball it up and place it in bowl coated with oil, turn and coat the dough with oil, cover and set in a warm place to rise and double in volume
6. Divide the risen dough evenly into 12 balls
7. Roll each ball to quarter inch thick, fold in half once to form a semi-circle, fold in half again to a rounded triangle, and roll again to ¼ inch thick naan
8. Cook in a very hot cast-iron skillet, brush one side with water and place that side down on the hot skillet; wait till bubbles develop on the top surface
9. Flip and cook the other side till done and optionally brush with ghee if preferred

Jackfruit Seed, Rhubarb, Radish Greens Koottu

When the perennial rhubarb comes up every spring, I feel an urge to use it in as many dishes as I can. So, when I get past the usual rhubarb scones, rhubarb-strawberry cobbler, rhubarb chutney/relish, rhubarb sambar, I check the garden for what else can be paired with rhubarb for a wholesome dish.

The last of the radish greens were waiting in the garden. Fresh jackfruit seeds and fresh coconut were handy. And so this Jackfruit seed + rhubarb + radish greens koottu popped into existence.

Ingredients
¼ cup finely diced fresh coconut
1 Serrano or Jalapeño chili (or a milder variety if preferred)

½ yellow onion, diced finely
½ cup cooked jackfruit seeds
½ cup diced rhubarb
radish greens (about 2 cups chopped and loosely packed)
½ cup yellow split moong dal
3 to 4 cups water
½ tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

For tempering: 1 Tbsp gingelly oil / sesame oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds


Preparation

1. Combine the green chili and coconut and grind to a fine paste
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and wait till they pop; add the onions, turmeric, and a pinch of salt, sauté for a few minutes
3. Add the rhubarb, radish greens, jackfruit seeds, and moong dal, 3 cups water, cover and simmer on medium low heat till moong dal is cooked; (check as add more water as needed)
4. Off heat stir in the coconut-chili paste and serve warm with hot basmati rice or roti  or naan

Jackfruit Seed Hummus

Recently, and rather unexpectedly, I found a huge 10+ pound Jackfruit on my kitchen counter.

Rather than speculate on whether it is still raw and green, in which case I can savor the green jackfruit delicacies, or ripe and ready, in which case I can relish the sweet flesh and make jam, I decided to cut it open. More precisely, have it cut open by the handy sous-chef, the other adult in the household.

The jackfruit we were beholding seemed a giant next to a large avocado. Amid discussions of how many avocados will it take to make a jackfruit that size vs. how many avocados will it take to weigh the same as that jackfruit, I thought a picture of their relative sizes was in order.

Right from the first bit of it I had probably when I was 5-ish, I've loved jackfruit - everything about it: the heady aroma, the way it hangs in the tree, the size it can get up to, the hard thorny-looking exterior, the precious yellow flesh covering the seed, and not the least of all, the meaty chestnut-like seeds! Yes, the jackfruit seeds are amazingly tasty when cooked especially in savory dishes, like my mom's specialty Chakka Kottai Molagoottal.

Having sung the virtues of Jackfruit a few years ago, I'll try to refrain from waxing eloquent on it again.

Ignoring the pleas of Please don't hurt the porcupine egg from the youngest, the jackfruit was cut into chunks. The earnest task of extracting the best edible parts had just begun.

With meticulous work, the juicy ripe yellow fruit sections/bulbs/pods were cut out discarding the fibrous innards. And then, the jackfruit seeds inside this flesh was pried out, again with practised ease (on my part) and much joy.

I remember spreading newspapers on the floor and, as a family, doing the exact same extraction procedure when I was young. Each jackfruit season. When, of course, there were fruit vendors who had already done the hard work and were lined up at the market to sell just the clean yellow flesh for a nominal price. I think my mom relished in making us work for it. And I thank her for it - now.

After making a small batch of Chakka Varatti, and some Elai Adai, it was time to focus on the seeds.

The seeds were pressure cooked till they were just done, not mushy. The harder greyish outer skin were  removed from the seeds as needed. One batch got dutifully frozen. Another batch created a new combination for Koottu that sort of came together that day as I was gathering a few things from the garden.

The last batch got made into hummus. Well, chutney/dip, if hummus purists feel strongly about it. But, hummus it shall remain for me. One of the best hummus born in my kitchen.

Jackfruit Seed Hummus

1 Tbsp Tahini
12 cooked jackfruit seeds
½ Tbsp sambal oelek
1 tsp red wine vinegar
 2 Tbsp olive oil
2 to 3 Tbsp water
1 small garlic clove, squeezed through a garlic press

Combine all the ingredients in  a food processor and blend to a paste.