Langka

With a couple of kilos of ripe langka in the deep freeze, the question was what to do with it… We had enjoyed langka fresh, frozen and eaten plain, frozen and served with some brandy, cooked into banana turon, and in the past, preserved in a simple sugar syrup for future use in halo-halo’s, but I had never baked with langka (jackfruit)… I searched the internet and found a langka empanaditas recipe that looked interesting (though I was almost certain that the amount of dough mentioned was insufficient for the filling) and remembered that I once did a pie crust triangle or turnover with a filling of santol jam, so I thought I would experiment… Here are the results… flaky, buttery pie crust triangles filled with a delicious, pungent and tasty langka filling…they were very good eating!
To make the filling, I took about 2.5-3.0 cups worth of frozen langka pieces (no seeds) and blitzed them in a food processor until finely chopped, not mashed. This should yield about 1.5 cups or little more after blitzing. Do this while the fruit is frozen, you are less likely to overblitz it then. If you are blitzing fresh langka, do it in short blasts to make sure you don’t overblitz. You can also chop it up finely if you like. Set this aside. Next in a heavy saucepan, add two cans of condensed milk and 7 eggyolks and whisk or stir over medium heat until quite thick. I added ½ fresh vanilla bean (throw the entire half bean in pod and seeds). After 2-3 minutes, remove the bean and scrape out the seeds and add the seeds to the mixture. When the mixture has thickened, say 12+ minutes of stirring, add the blitzed langka and about a tablespoon of butter and mix until well blended. If the mixture looks to liquidy, cook a few minutes more before removing from the flame and setting it aside. The mixture will set or seize up a little and look like a custard. Taste this now and you will get a preview of this delicious dessert…I had at least 4 spoons of the mixture, and that’s before the langka had a chance to really let some flavor loose…
Next make some pie dough, but a little wetter than usual. In a large bowl, add 6 cups of all purpose flour (I like to leave mine in the fridge or freezer for 15 minutes at least to ensure it is cold), add 1 cup of cold cubed butter and ¾ cup of vegetable shortening (such as Crisco), also cold, 2 teaspoons of table salt and “cut” with two knives until the butter and shortening are blended into the flour in very small pieces. Add about 10 tablespoons of cold water and mash with a fork until the dough starts to come together. Form the dough into 3 or 4 large balls and flatten and wrap these in some plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before rolling it out. Next, out the dough until thin. If the dough is too cold, it will be flaky and difficult to work with. Wait a minute or two for it to warm a little. Then, cut the dough into shapes (round is classic for empanadita shape, but I find square is more efficient cutting and easier for me to work with) put a little spoonful of the langka filling in the center and seal the turnover and brush with an egg wash and bake in a 375 degree oven until just golden brown, about 18 minutes. When you remove the turnovers from the oven, brush with unsalted butter and sprinkle with caster sugar. These were REALLY good warm and straight out of the oven. But they got better a few hours later or even the next day when the langka had a chance to really work its wonders… perfect for a Pinoy inspired afternoon tea…
And if you find yourself with too much filling despite the tons of pie crust you made, do what I did and make some mini langka/jackfruit pies! Just be careful not to overstuff with the filling, it can be overpowering! These mini-pies also turned out fantastic and anyone who loves langka would be in heaven. I have to point out that some folks have a real dislike or aversion to langka precisely because of its strong flavor and pungent smell, but unlike durian of which I am not a fan, I do love langka. The turnovers were nice and firm and when i put two pieces into clear cellophane bags and added a ribbon, they made terrific giveaways for a dinner I was going to that evening!

Jackfruit salad

Ingredients:
8-ounces cans of boiled young jackfruit
8 medium shelled deveined shrimp
1/4 pound of lean pork
2 cloves of garlic crushed and minced
pinch of black pepper
1/3 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of fish sauceoil to stir fry
1/2 cup of chopped green onion or shallot
1 teaspoon of chopped polygonum; if you cannot find it then use coriander instead
1 teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds
toasted sesame seed rice crackers (can be substituted with non-flavored corn tortilla chips )For bamboo shoot salad use:
2 8-ounces can of boiled bamboo shoots

Preparations:

Drain the jackfruit in the can, wash with cold water, thin slice. Squeeze out all the water and set aside. Clean the shrimp and split in half lengthwise. Julienne cut the pork.
In a medium sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of oil sauteù chopped onion, garlic, then add shrimp, pork, salt, sugar and pepper. Stir fry the mixture until it is cooked, add the jackfruit and toss well. Season to taste. Add polygonum and sesame seeds. Toss it again.
To serve the salad, put the salad on a plate, sprinkle on more sesame seeds and herbs. Arrange sesame seeds rice crackers around the plate. Guests should try to use the crackers to scoop up the salad.
You can prepare this dish with canned bamboo shoots. All you have to do is substitute jackfruit with bamboo shoots, but cut bamboo shoots in thin strips.
Rinse bamboo shoot with cold water then drain well.
In this case you can use the same recipe and make 2 kinds of salads.

Raw Jackfruit (Kathal) Pickle

Ingredients:500 gms. jackfruit chunks, cleaned and deseeded1/2 cup salt1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup oil1 cup white vinegar6-8 flakes garlic, peeled and cleaned3 tsp. red chilli powder2 tsp. crushed mustard seeds1/2 tsp. crushed cumin seeds1 tsp. ginger powderCrushed together:2 cardamoms2 cloves1" stick cinnamon
Method:
Apply salt to jackfruit chunks, sun dry for 2-3 days.
Heat oil, add garlic flakes, stir.
Add jackfruit, stir fry till tender.
Add all other ingredients, except vinegar. Mix well.
Add vinegar, mix, keep cover in sun for 7-8 days.
Store in clean, sterilized airtight glass jars.
Making time: 30 minutes Drying and maturing time 3 days and 7 days.Makes: 3/4 litre jar full of pickleShelflife: 3 months

jackfruit curry

Ingredients:
1/2 kg pork
1 kg green jack fruit unpeeled(or 425 grams canned jackfruit)
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly crushed garlic
1 teaspoon freshly crushed ginger
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
3-5 carri poulet leaves(alternatively use kaffir lime or bay leaves)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
250 grams canned finely crushed tomatoes
4 tablespoons curry powder

Method:
Cut pork into 3 cm (1 inch cubes).
Oil both sides of the blade of a large and sharp kitchen knife.
Cut the green jack fruit into quarters. Cut the quarters into halves. Peel the jack fruit pieces and cut into 2.5 cm cubes (1 inch cubes). Drop into a bowl of cold water to prevent the jack fruit pieces from browning.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil to simmering point. Put in the pork pieces. Cook and stir at intervals until the pork pieces are cooked to a golden brown colour.
Add the crushed garlic and ginger, chopped thyme leaves, chopped onions and 250 grams canned finely crushed tomatoes.
Mix well and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce is well blended with the pork pieces.
Do not overcook and add a little hot water if necessary to prevent burning.
Add the jack fruit pieces. Mix well and add the curry powder, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, carri poulet leaves and 1 cup hot water. Mix well, cover and simmer until jack fruit pieces are cooked and tender. You may need to add some more hot water and simmer again if the jack fruit is not cooked and tender, or if you wish to adjust the sauce consistency.
Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remainder of the chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice and tomato / chilli chutney

Ice kacang with jack fruit as a topping picture

Dishes and preparations

Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. It can be eaten unripe (young) or ripe, and cooked or uncooked. The seeds can also be used in certain recipes.
Unripe (young) jackfruits are also eaten whole, cooked as a vegetable. Young jackfruit has a mild flavour and distinctive texture. The cuisines of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Vietnam use cooked young jackfruit. In many cultures, jackfruit is boiled and used in curries as a food staple.

Jackfruit chips
Kathal Subzee: Spicy vegetable with raw jackfruit from Uttar Pradesh or Punjab, India.
Chakka Pradaman: Jackfruit pudding from Kerala, India.
Enchorer Torkari: Curry made from unripe jackfruit from West Bengal, India.
Guzo Suke: Dry spicy dish of raw jackfruit from Mangalore, India.
Ghariyo: Jackfruit sweet dish from Mangalore, India.
Jackfuit Pappad: Jackfruit Pappad as a snack from Mangalore, India.
Chakka Varatti: Jackfruit Jam from Kerala, India.
Chakka Vattal: Jackfruit Chips from Kerala, India.
Panasa Koora: Traditional Jackfruit Curry from coastal Andhra, India.
Gudeg: traditional dish from Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia.
Lodeh: traditional Indonesian vegetable dish with coconut milk.
Gule Nangka: traditional Indonesia spicy curry Indonesia.
Gatti or Gidde in Tulu where ripe jackfruit is ground with rava to form thick paste which is put on a teak wood leaf and then cooked in steam.The gidde is ready.
An optional ingredient in Sayur asam (Indonesian clear soup; the name means tamarind vegetables)
Also ingredient in Indonesian traditional Minangkabau cuisine.
Jackfruit salad: Vietnamese dish with boiled young jackfruit.
Rice and curry in Sri Lanka
The seeds can also be eaten cooked or baked like beans. They taste similar to chestnuts.

Other preparations:
Jackfruit chips
Asian ice desserts (including Indonesian & Filipino)
Turon, a Filipino dessert made of banana and jackfruit wrapped in an eggroll wrapper
Sometimes an added ingredient for cassava cake
An optional ingredient in kolak (an Indonesian mung bean and coconut based dessert).
It is thought that jackfruit is the basis for the flavour of Juicy Fruit chewing gum.
Jackfruit candy

Double-Baked Jackfruit Dunking Biscuits

250ml whole, unblanchedalmonds
2 eggs
160ml sugar
500ml unsifted flour
5ml sodium bicarbonate
6 pieces of finelyminced jackfruit arils


Roast nuts at 180ºC for 10 minutes and leave to cool. Beat eggs and sugar, add all other ingredients, except the almonds .Mix the rather dry dough by hand; if dry material cannot be worked in, add another egg.Add almonds. Knead to distribute these well.Divide dough into three equal parts. Elongate and flatten to produce strips of 50 x 300mm. Place on a baking paper covered biscuit tray with 50mm gaps separating the strips.Bake at 150ºC for 50 minutes.Transfer "loaves" to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 12mm slices. Lay slices on their sides, on the used baking paper and bake for another 40 minutes at 150ºC.Finely cut dried fruit could be used in lieu of the jackfruit, but another egg may be required.This is a very crunchy biscuit, suited to revive the custom of dunking a biscuit in tea or coffee -or into a good port wine in an emergency!adapted from an Italian recipe

Jackfruit & Apple Pie

1 baked pastry pie crust
500ml frozen (?) jackfruit
125 ml dates
125ml sultanas
350ml can unsweetenedpie apples
enough apple juice to cover fruit
40ml arrowroot

Thaw out frozen jackfruit. Chop into small cubes. Chop up dates and sultanas. Place all fruit in saucepan and cover to about 50mm above fruit with apple juice.Bring to boil, then simmer until fruit is cooked and soft.Mix arrowroot with water and add to mixture. Stir until thickened. Pour into pie shell, cool, and then refrigerate. Serve with guanabana ice cream or custard.

Stuffed Jackfruit

125ml mashedpapaya pulp
30ml honey
grated coconut
de-seeded jackfruit arils

Mix papaya, honey and coconut and stuff into jackfruit arils.

Stuffed Jackfruit

125ml mashedpapaya pulp
30ml honey
grated coconut
de-seeded jackfruit arils

Mix papaya, honey and coconut and stuff into jackfruit arils.

Fried Jackfruit

1 small unripe, immature or mature jackfruit (2kg)
3ml cumin seeds
40ml vegetable oil 3 chopped onions 2 chopped, hot chilies (?)
2ml turmeric powder
40ml desiccated coconut
20ml lemon juice

Coat hands and knife with vegetable oil. Cut jackfruit across stem into four sections. Remove the internal parts of the stem, cut the "rags" and arils from the skin; arils and seeds are undeveloped in very immature fruit.Remove seeds. Chop rags and arils for later. Using a large skillet, fry cumin seeds in vegetable oil until brown. Add the onions and chilies (?) and fry until golden brown. Add turmeric and chopped jackfruit, fry until slightly golden tinge appears, check that it is tender. Add desiccated coconut and continue heating for two more minutes. Serve with rice, and a slice of lemon to squeeze over jackfruit. The dish may also be used cold as a salad.