JACKFRUIT CAKE/JACKFRUIT IDLI /HALASINAHANNINA IDLI / PHANASAACHEY DHONAS (Steamed)(Eggless)

This is a traditional coastal karnataka recipe called phanasaachey dhonas(in konkani)but i would like to call them as cake as my mom referred to them as cake. My mom makes this kind of cake with the same recipe using bottle gourd/cucumber(it is called Taushaulli).She always served this as evening tea time snack. Remembering about this cake made me very nostalgic.Those childhood days...those carefree days....wish i could relive them......

Now, coming back to the dish- it is a healthy dish i must say because you just steam them. I have seen some people using just a tablespoon of sugar/jaggery & not making it overly sweet. Typically this cake is not overly sweet as the flavour of jackfruit or cucumber or bottle gourd should be stronger when tasted. But i love this with lots of jaggery or sugar added as i am sweet toothed & also the canned jackfruit which i used was not sweet enough.

The shelf life of this is it can be stored in the refrigerator for several days & tastes even more better with each passing day.So Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

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• Ripe Jackfruit pods-->1 cup(roughly 8 pieces)
• Rava/Semolina/sooji/cream of wheat-->1 cup
• Grated Coconut-->1/2 to 1 cup
• Jaggery/Sugar--> 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Cashews(chopped)-->7
• Cardamoms(powdered)-->4
• Salt-1/4 tsp
• Ghee

Method:

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1)Roast semolina in one teaspoons of ghee over moderate heat till a nice aroma emits. Keep stirring continuously, see to it that it does not burn & turn brown.

2)Grind the jackfruit pods along with grated coconut,cardamom into a paste.

3)Now combine together the ground paste with roasted semolina,jaggery, chopped cashews and salt.

4)Let this mixture rest for 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour.At this stage the semolina will expand and will absorb the water from the mixture.The consistency should be like idli batter.

5)Grease the cooker/steamer container and pour the mixture and steam this in the cooker/steamer for 10-20 minutes without the whistle/weight.

6)Allow it to cool.Now you should be able to cut it into rectangular pieces.

7)Serve this hot or cold with ghee/honey.

Notes:

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• Here i made use of canned ripe jackfruit,traditionally we use fresh ripe jackfruit.
• If you donot possess a cooker take a wide deep bottomed vessel,pour about an inch of water.Now keep a small vessel at the bottom submerged in the water and on top of this place the container with the semolina mixture.Now see to it that the water level should touch the base of the container with the mixture.Now close the wide deep bottomed vessel and steam cook the mixture for 10-20 minutes.
• You can also prepare this using idli stand, by pouring the mixture into the mold and steaming like idlis so we can refer them as jackfruit idli's.