Ponsa Patholi-Chakka Ada-Steamed Jackfruit dumplings!!

Ponsa Patholi[Konkani],Chakka Ada[Malayalam] or Steamed Jackfruit dumplings If you guys are wondering how I made Pansa patholi at this time of the year..relax folks,when Chakka varatti is available,you can make chakka ada all through the year!!

Chakka varatti is basically a kind of jackfruit preserve which is made when jackfruits are in season.Though it is of not much importance during chakka season,it is most wanted during the rest of the year!!Chakka varatti is made using ripe jackfruit,which is cooked first and then ground to a smooth paste and mixed with jaggery and cooked till it becomes a thick consistency,almost like a jam.

I remember making this at my aayi’s[granny] place in Nilambur,Kerala.Usually this process is done by a group of women,it helps when you are making huge quantities of the preserve.One group will cut the fruit into two,another will chop it into palm sized pieces,another group will sit with oiled hands and pluck each jackfruit bulbs and another will deseed it and keep it ready for the process.My contribution to this process was to sneak in and gobble up the Gharo[jackfruit bulbs].

Even though this is a post on Patholi made using chakka varatti,I can’t stop raving about the same..So here goes-Usually patholi is made using ripe jackfruit bulbs ground alongwith coconut,jaggery and rice.I have replaced the jackfruit&jaggery part with the chakka varatti.

Ponsa Patholi using Chakka varatti

Ingredients

Chakka Varatti* - about a cup and a half
Raw rice[soaked for an hour] – 1 cup
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Banana leaves* – 1 or 2

Method

Grind the raw rice without adding water till it resembles super fine rava.
Add the coconut and grind again.
Add the chakka varatti little by little and grind to a smooth paste.
Chop the banana leaves into rectangular pieces and spread the paste over it and seal the edges firmly.
Steam in a steamer or idli cooker for about 20 minutes.
Serve hot.

*I used Saras Chakka varatti which comes in 500gm packets,I used half of it to make this ada which yielded me exactly 6 adas.
*If you don’t have banana leaves,you can steam it in an idli cooker,pouring the chakka paste into idli moulds.
*Usually spices like cardamom,pounded dry ginger etc are added to make the Patholi even more flavorful,but since the chakka varatti had these flavors already,I omitted that.

For a detailed pictorial on how to make Chakka varatti check out Bharathy’s and Annita’s blogs.