I have been longing for these Kathaler Bichi (jackfruit seeds) for so many years, literally! I don’t like jackfruit that much, even though it is the national fruit of Bangladesh, because it has a really strong sweet and distinct aroma that not everyone can like it. But yes, I do like the unripe jackfruit and mature jackfruit seeds, because it is a very good source of protein and you can make lots of varieties of meal with these two versions of jackfruit.

It is hard to get Bangladeshi jackfruit in Denmark, but we are lucky to get some Bangladeshi fruits along with jack fruits this year. So not only we enjoyed the fruit but also saves some seeds to make some delicious meals out of it. Today I will make some spreads or bhorrta with some simple ingredients, like onion, dried red chili, salt and Bangladeshi mustard oil!

First thing first is to peel the paper like outer skin of the seed. The seeds usually stay inside each jackfruit cell, so the seed is taken out, it does not look like as it is shown in the photo above. We wash them first with water and then air dry them so they become ready for the next process.

After peeling the outer skin, the seeds weighed total 147g. For this amount, I took a medium sized white onion and half a tea spoon of salt.

Now its time to boil the seeds. I took such an amount of water, so it covers the seed but also while the seeds get boiled, water get evaporated too. In this way, I don’t need to strain water.

Meanwhile, I added some mustard oil in a pan, and fried dried red chili with stems on. I removed the stems after frying.

Then I sliced onion thin and smashed with bit of lemon. Lemon aids in removing the pungent taste of onion. Also I smashed the fried chilies with some salt.

The jackfruit seeds got boiled (to be honest, I burned them a little!) so I roasted them in the same pan with some mustard oil. This way it will get more flavorful.

After roasting the seeds, I let them cooled down to room temparature. Then in a grinder (or better, blender), I blended the seeds until the get smooth textured. Then I hand mashed the seed paste, onion, chili and salt with some mustard oil and kneed everything until it get spread like consistency.

To be honest, it could look better but the taste was wonderful. You should try this very unique recipe someday!

Recipe: Jackfruit seed spread – 4 Servings Prepping and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 150g Jackfruit seed- dried and peeled Spice and Condiments: 1 medium white Onion 1/4 tbs fine Salt 20ml Bangladeshi Mustard Oil Dried Chili – as desired

Instruction: 1. Peel the paper like outer skin and boil them until soft. 2. Warm some mustard oil in a fry-pan, roast dried chili with their stalk on until they change color. Take them out of pan and keep separately. 3. Slice onion and mash them with some lemon juice. 4. When fried chili are cooled down, mash and crumble them with a 1/4 tsp of salt. 5. Now add boiled seeds in the same pan and roast until fragrant. After cooling the seeds down, blend them in grinder until smooth. Take the seed paste and mash with onions, chili and salt, until well combined. Check salt and add more if needed. Your Jack fruit Bhorrta is ready. Garnish with mustard oil and serve with warm rice!