Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Halasina Hannina Kadbu | Jackfruit Kadbu

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

This luscious jackfruit kadbu is made with jackfruit juice, coarse rice rava (akki nucchu), jaggery, and flavored with cardamom. The kadbu has the aroma and taste of jackfruit combined with the flavors of cardamom and banana leaf. This soft, moist, sweet kadbu tastes more delicious when paired with fresh ghee.

This wonderful fruit is seasonal and so are its delicious dishes. Varieties of dishes are made with both raw and ripe jackfruit. Being said that, for this kadbu ripe jackfruit is used. Like any other fruit, there are varieties in jackfruit too. For jackfruit kadbu, the soft jackfruit variety is used. This variety of jackfruit is soft like custard apple and does not require any knife or tool to cut. You can cut and open with your fingers. This variety is simply called as Halasu. And, the other one which is hard and requires knife to open is called Bakke.

I also wonder the tools and techniques used by our ancestors. See, how beautifully banana leaf is tuned into a cup and batter is poured in it and steamed to make a tasty musky dish. It is also notable that the kadbu made in banana leaf cup stays longer hours at room temperature than the kadbu made in metal cups or containers.

More on Jackfruit used in this recipe

This jackfruit tree has been giving juicy jackfruits since my grandparents’ era. Its thick saffron colour juice makes the kadbu even more appealing and appetizing. I have named this as Kesri (saffron) jackfruit. It is so delightful just to see its saffron pulp and juice. This thick creamy juice adds all the taste to this kadbu.

Prep time

3 hours

Cook time

1 hour

Cool off time

10 mins

Total time

4 hrs 10 mins

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Moderate

Servings

5 kotte

Ingredients

2.5 cups coarse rice rava (Rice semolina / Akki nucchu)
5 cups jackfruit juice
1 cup jaggery or as required
1 teaspoon salt or as required
5 cardamoms
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Cookware / Utensils

Steamer
Sieve or sifter with big holes
5 to 6 long pieces of banana leaf
Bowl(s)
Spoon
Mortar and pestle

Instructions

Roast rava and powder cardamom

Take 2.5 cups coarse rice rava (Rice semolina / Akki nucchu) in a thick pan.
Dry roast the rice rava till it turns hot on medium heat. No need to brown it. Keep stirring and switch off once it turns hot and aromatic. Let it cool.
Take 5 cardamoms, remove the seeds, rinse them and crush them to powder using mortar and pestle.

Make banana leaf kotte (cup)

Take 5 long and wide pieces of banana leaf. Clean them very well with water or with wet cloth. Keep the thread (banana leaf fiber) when you cut the banana leaf.
Now take each banana leaf sheet and pass them over low flame (one sheet at a time), moving them constantly, until they soften and pliable.
Then, take one banana leaf sheet and roll it to form a hollow cylinder.
Tie at one end with banana leaf fiber thread.
This way make all 5 kotte or cups.

Extract jackfruit juice

Take a sieve or sifter with big holes.
Take a large bowl or container and place the sieve on top of it. The bottom of the sieve should sit perfectly inside the bowl as shown in below image.
Cut open jackfruit with your fingers.
Now, take some pulp and place them on the sieve. If you prefer, you can remove the seeds before moving to next step.
Keep your hand (both palm and fingers) on the pulp. Moving your hand in circle, press them to remove the juice. While doing so seeds will come out automatically, if you have not removed already, and the juice will be stored in the bowl.
This way, make 5 cups of jackfruit juice.
There would be juice sticking to the bottom of the sieve. Remove and add that juice to the bowl.

Make kadbu batter

Now take the roasted rice rava in a large bowl and rinse it a couple of times or until it is clean.
Take some portion of rice rava in your palm and squeeze it to take out all the water. Add this squeezed rice rava to the jackfruit juice. This way squeeze the entire rice rava and add to the jackfruit juice.
Add 1 cup jaggery or as required, 1 teaspoon salt or as required, cardamom powder, and 1 teaspoon coconut oil.
Mix the batter well.

Make / Steam kadbu

Take a steamer and place a stand in it. Pour water to the height of the stand placed inside the steamer.
Place a plate on the stand and a piece of banana leaf on top of the plate. Heat the steamer on a low to medium heat.
Now take one banana leaf kotte or cup and place it in a container. Gently pour the kadbu batter with a spoon in the banana leaf kotte or cup. Fill batter only 3/4 of the cup.
Leave some space and tie at the other end of the kotte. A little space is left as kadbu will increase in size once cooked.
Place the kotte / cup in the steamer. This way pour the kadbu batter in all the cups and place them in the steamer.
Cover the steamer and steam jackfruit kadbu for about 45 minutes to 1 hour on high flame.
Switch off the heat once done. Wait for 10 minutes. Then take out each jackfruit kadbu.
Remove the banana leaf gently.
Serve the jackfruit kadbu hot or warm or at room temperature with fresh ghee. If you are a vegan you can eat jackfruit kadbu as-is.

Step by step guide

How to make Jackfruit Kadbu

Roast rava and powder cardamom

1. Take 2.5 cups coarse rice rava (Rice semolina / Akki nucchu) in a thick pan.

2. Dry roast the rice rava till it turns hot on medium heat. No need to brown it. Keep stirring and switch off once it turns hot and aromatic. Let it cool.

3. Take 5 cardamoms, remove the seeds, rinse them and crush them to powder using mortar and pestle. Cover and keep aside.

Make banana leaf kotte (cup)

4. Take 5 long and wide pieces of banana leaf. Clean them very well with water or with wet cloth. Keep the thread (banana leaf fiber) when you cut the banana leaf.

5. Now take each banana leaf sheet and pass them over low flame (one sheet at a time), moving them constantly, until they soften and pliable.

Observe that as soon as you pass banana leaf over a flame it starts changing the colour and will become shinier. Move the leaf constantly and quickly and do not burn.

6. Then, take one banana leaf sheet and roll it to form a hollow cylinder.

7. Tie at one end with banana leaf fiber thread.

8. This way make all 5 kotte or cups.

You can also make and keep a few additional cups handy, if you have more banana leaves.

Extract jackfruit juice

9. Take a sieve or sifter with big holes.

The below image also shows olden style sieve that was used to make jackfruit juice. Now, it is kept as an antique piece, so I go with stainless steel sieve.

10. Take a large bowl or container and place the sieve on top of it. The bottom of the sieve should sit perfectly inside the bowl as shown in below image.

11. Cut open jackfruit with your fingers.

12. Close up of the juicy jackfruit pulp.

13. Now, take some pulp and place them on the sieve. If you prefer, you can remove the seeds before moving to next step.

14. Keep your hand (both palm and fingers) on the pulp. Moving your hand in circle, press them to remove the juice. While doing so seeds will come out automatically, if you have not removed already, and the juice will be stored in the bowl.

15. This way, make 5 cups of jackfruit juice.

You can keep and use the leftover pulp fibrous byproduct (pomace / in havyaka language it is Gunju) to make jackfruit tellevu. Also, Sun dry the seeds to make many delicious dishes.

16. There would be juice sticking to the bottom of the sieve. Remove and add that juice to the bowl.

Make kadbu batter

17. Now take the roasted rice rava in a large bowl and rinse it a couple of times or until it is clean.

18. Take some portion of rice rava in your palm and squeeze it to take out all the water. Add this squeezed rice rava to the jackfruit juice. This way squeeze the entire rice rava and add to the jackfruit juice.

19. Add 1 cup jaggery or as required, 1 teaspoon salt or as required, cardamom powder, and 1 teaspoon coconut oil.

20. Mix the batter well.

Make / Steam kadbu

21. Take a steamer and place a stand in it. Pour water to the height of the stand placed inside the steamer.

22. Place a plate on the stand and a piece of banana leaf on top of the plate. Heat the steamer on a low to medium heat.

23. Now take one banana leaf kotte or cup and place it in a container. Gently pour the kadbu batter with a spoon in the banana leaf kotte or cup. Fill batter only 3/4 of the cup.

24. Leave some space and tie at the other end of the kotte. A little space is left as kadbu will increase in size once cooked.

25. Place the kotte / cup in the steamer. This way pour the kadbu batter in all the cups and place them in the steamer.

26. Cover the steamer and steam jackfruit kadbu for about 45 minutes to 1 hour on high flame.

Steaming time depends on the type of steamer, and the intensity of the flame applied. See notes.

27. Switch off the heat once done. Wait for 10 minutes. Then take out each jackfruit kadbu.

28. Remove the banana leaf gently.

29. Serve the jackfruit kadbu hot or warm or at room temperature with fresh ghee. If you are a vegan you can eat jackfruit kadbu as-is.

Notes

Banana leaf kotte or cup: Depending on the size of the banana leaf, you can make 5 or more cups. For this recipe minimum 5 cups are required. You can make 1 or 2 more cups, but not less than 5. Do not pour too much batter in a single cup. If you make too thick kadbu, it will be uncooked at the center. So take banana leaf that is wider to make long cups. Cup length should be more than its width.
Kadbu batter: Use coarse rice rava (rice semolina) for better kadbu texture. If the jackfruit juice is too thin then add extra 1/4 cup rice rava. Depending on the quality of the rice rava and the jackfruit juice used, you need to adjust the proportion to get the right consistency of the batter.
Steaming time: Jackfruit juice takes time to cook well. Steaming time depends on the type of the steamer used and the heat applied. It also depends on how thick the kadbu is. I.e. steaming time is longer if you have poured all the batter in 2 to 3 cups. Kadbu will cook faster if you have made 5 to 6 cups for this recipe. Check after 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your steamer type, if cooked switch off the heat. If not, steam again.