Summer is the season when jackfruit is found in most parts of the country. Also known as Kathal, both raw or green and ripe or yellow jackfruit is consumed through regional recipes across India. In Maharashtra, raw jackfruit is made into curry and chips, while ripe jackfruit is used to make a sweet, steamed, idli-like dish called Phanasache Sandan. Here’s everything you should know about this dish.
In Marathi and Konkani, jackfruit is known as Phanas or Fanas. That is how Phanasache Sandan gets its name. In fact, popular in both Maharashtra and Goa, Phanasache Sandan is known as Sandan in Maharashtra and North Konkan regions and as Dhondas in South Konkan and Goa regions. Prepared with mashed ripe jackfruit, rice flour, coconut, jaggery, cardamom and ghee, Phanasache Sandan is eaten as both a breakfast as well as an evening snack.
Making this dish at home is very easy. All you need to do is get ripe jackfruit bulbs and mash them using a sieve or grater, depending on the texture of the jackfruit. The pulp is then mixed with rice flour, freshly grated coconut, jaggery and some dry fruits to make a batter. Traditionally, the batter is then placed in banana leavesand then steamed to make Phanasache Sandan. However, nowadays, it is much easier to use idli makers, idli moulds and even cake moulds to make this delicious Maharashtrian dish.
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To make the Phanasache Sandan more fluffy, many people also add baking soda to the batter. You can also skip it if you so want. Eaten usually as a breakfast or snack, in many parts of Maharashtra and Goa, the dish is also eaten as a sweet dish. Light and summery, this can easily be the sweet dish you can indulge in during this summer. Here’s the Phanasache Sandan recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups jackfruit pulp
1.5 cups rice flour
1 cup coconut, grated
½ cup jaggery, grated
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cardamom powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp ghee
1 tbsp cashews, chopped
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Method:
1. Heat one teaspoon ghee in a pan and add the rice flour.
2. Roast the rice flour just until it starts to change colour, then remove into a bowl.
3. Use a sieve or grater to get the ripe jackfruit pulp out into the same bowl.
4. Now add the coconut, jaggery, salt, cardamom powder and cashews into the bowl.
5. Mix well to make a thick batter, then add baking soda and mix again.
6. Heat water in a steamer and grease some idli moulds.
7. Distribute the Phanasache Sandan batter into the moulds and steam them for 10 minutes.
8. Check the Phanasache Sandan by inserting a toothpick and remove from the steamer.
9. Let the Phanasache Sandan cool down, then brush the remaining ghee on top before serving.
