The beauty as the calendar flips is that there is a new variety of fruit in the market. Just as we mourn the ending of the mango season, the roadside stalls and fruit shops come alive in purple colours. Mounds of jamun or black plum, or naaval pazham as it is known here, in wicker baskets, find a spot. This sweet and tart fruit is seasonal and makes an appearance only for a few weeks, but manages to steal hearts and fill our stomachs. The juicy, fleshy fruit is a powerhouse of nutrients and is considered health-friendly. While you may grab a handful and pop in while you multitask, CE brings some flavourful recipes using jamun from chefs and home chefs.
Jamun Strips (by Anishya M, homechef)
Ingredients
Fresh ripe jamun: 500 g
Optional: Black salt, chaat masala, or a pinch of dry mango powder for seasoning.
Method
Wash the jamuns thoroughly.
Deseed each fruit. Slice in half or squeeze gently to remove the seed.
Scoop or flatten the pulp slightly to create small thin discs (you can also pulse in a mixer for 1-2 seconds to make a pulp paste, then spread).
Spread the pulp thinly on a parchment paper or steel plate.
Sun-dry for 2-3 days, or until crisp, flipping halfway.
Once dried and firm, cut into chip shapes if needed.
Optional: Sprinkle black salt or chaat masala for tanginess.
Jamun Yogurt Bark (by Sarika Gupta, cookbook author)
Ingredients
Fresh curd: 1.5 cups
Jamun: 300 g
Sugar: 3 tbsp
Ginger: ½ inch piece (5 g)
Mint leaves: 15
Salt: 1 pinch
Method
Pour curd in the cheesecloth lined soup strainer. Place it in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Peel and mash ginger.
Set aside 6-7 jamuns for garnishing. Trim the remaining jamuns and remove the flesh from the seeds.
Put pitted jamuns in a grinder jar along with sugar, ginger, and salt.
Grind to a smooth paste. Add mint leaves and blitz again.
Remove the strained yogurt in a bowl. It will be around half a cup after draining. Whisk till light and smooth.
Whisk in the jamun pulp. Taste and adjust the sweetness as per personal preference.
Line a flat and large container with parchment paper. Lightly grease the paper with ghee.
Spread the mixture evenly on the paper. Tap gently.
Cut 6-7 jamuns in halves lengthwise. Press the jamun halves on the top of the yoghurt mixture.
Cover with lid and freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight.
At the time of serving, remove the yogurt bark. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.
Jamun Slushie (by Lavanya G, homemaker)
Ingredients
Jamun (seedless): 10-12
Nimbu paani ice cubes (ice cubes made with lemon juice, water, salt, and sugar): 8-10
Method
Grind the jamun fruits until it liquidises.
Mix the jamun juice and the ice cubes in a bowl.
Add the mixture to the blender and mix it for a few seconds till it achieves the slushy consistency. Serve cold.
Mango Sabja Seed Pudding with Jamun Reduction (by Sarika Gupta, cookbook author)
Ingredients
Grated coconut: 1 cup
Water: 1 cup
Sabja (Basil) seeds: 25 g (2.5 tbsp)
Mango pulp:1 cup
Jamun: 200 g
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Salt: 1 pinch
Method
Grind grated coconut with ½ cup of water.
Extract first coconut milk with the help of a cheesecloth. Grind the residue with ½ cup of water.
Extract second coconut milk similarly.
Mix the first and second coconut milk. Stir in sabja seeds and refrigerate it in a covered container for 2-3 hours or until the seeds swell up completely.
Mix in mango pulp. Use a premium variety of mango. Refrigerate.
Separate the flesh from the seeds. Finely grind jamun flesh and sugar together.
Reduce the fruit pulp in a wide nonstick saucepan. Remove when the mixture is thick. Cool completely. Serve cold.
Minty Jamun Cooler (By Sarika Gupta, cookbook author)
Ingredients
Jamun: 500 g
Sugar: ½ cup
Mint leaves: a handful
Ginger: ½ inch piece (5 g)
Lemon: 1
Green chilli: 1
Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
Roasted cumin seed powder: ½ tsp
Kala namak: ½ tsp
Cold water: 750 ml
Optional: Lemon, salt, chilli powder, and roasted cumin seeds to garnish the rim of the glasses
Method
Trim both ends and cut jamuns to remove the flesh from the seeds. Peel and smash ginger.
Put the pitted jamuns in a grinder jar. Add sugar (or jaggery), ginger, kala namak (black salt), red chilli powder and roasted cumin seed powder. Grind on pulse mode.
Add mint leaves and blitz. The pureé should be slightly coarse.
Remove in a large bowl. Add chilled water (or soda).
Slit a green chilli and drop it into the drink.
Taste. Add lime juice, salt, and sugar to adjust the drink to personal preference.
Optional steps
Mix 2 tsps of salt, 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chilli powder and ½ tsp of roasted cumin seeds on a flat plate. Spread it out.
Rub a wedge of lime over the rim of all the glasses.
Dip a glass on the plate and rotate to evenly coat the rim. Repeat with other glasses.
Pour in chilled drink and garnish with lemon slices, slit chilli, and mint leaves. Serve.
Note: Soda water can be used instead of water.
Jamun Sorbet (by by Anishya M, homechef)
Ingredients
Jamun: 250 g
Salt: a pinch
Sugar: as required
Method
Sprinkle some salt on the fruit and wash the jamun thoroughly with water.
Remove the flesh from the seed or deseed the fruit and freeze it for 45 minutes.
Add the flesh and a pinch of salt and sugar in a mixer. Blend it.
Freeze the blended mix for some more time. Top it with basil leaves and serve.
Optional: You can also add chilli and 4-5 drops of lemon extracts or chaat masala, and pepper while blending.
For kids, you can add honey as a garnish.
Jamun Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing ( by chef Kishore Kumar Neethi, executive chef, Radisson Blu Hotel & Suites GRT)
Ingredients
Jamun: 1/3 cup
Avocado: 1/3 cup
Mango: ¼ cup
Walnuts: ¼ cup
Plums: ¼ cup
Arugula Lettuce
Honey: 1 tbsp
Lemon: 1 tsp
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard paste: 1 tsp
Salt: a pinch
Pepper: a pinch
Method
Mix all the ingredients for dressing and toss the cleaned and cut fruits with lettuce and top with braised nuts.