Neerphanas aa chi Bhaji/ Green or Raw Breadfruit Vegetable

We were on out whatsup talking about Breadfruit. Some of my friends wanted to know the difference between a breadfruit and jackfruit.

Breadfruit looks like this.

But unlike a jackfruit a
breadfruit is used raw at least in Goa its use raw or green as the Americans
say. I understand that bread fruit is used ripe too in the Caribbean. Bread fruits
are common in Kerala, South Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, and Goa. Apparently is used
to make sambar etc in the south.

Now in Goa you will find these breadfruit trees aplenty, they will ripen
and fall down but once they come to the market they are so very expensive. This
season they touched Rs.250/- a piece! The rate varies according to the size and
the freshness of the neerphanas as it is known locally.

In Goa the breadfruit or neerphanas is used to make Kappa’s, a shallow
fried slice that is relished, in tonak or to make a dry vegetable called
Neerphans bhaji!

This bhaji is not much appreciated by my kids so I make it when I have
no other vegetable or when I have too much of neerphanas! Too much happens when
we are gifted the neerphanas or when hubby cannot resist them and comes home
with 2 or 3 of them!

Anyway as I said we were discussing the making of this vegetable with PJ then I decided to
make it anyway since I needed to feed my blog baby! 😀

Here I have used 4-5 slices cut up in small pieces.

To cut the breadfruit first oil
your hands first run your hand on the side of the knife you plan to use this
will help the sticky sap to dissolve. Now cut the breadfruit in half. Discard
the talk and the central core. Remove the skin them make sections as you
please. I make them long. Okay my instructions sound haphazard to me will make
a post on how to cut the bread fruit soon.

Neerphanas aa chi Bhaji

Traditional Goan

Ingredients:

4-5 Bread fruit slices
1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1- 1 ½ tblspn oil
3 green chilles, slit
¼ teaspoon hing/asafoetida powder
2- 3 tblspn coconut
Salt - to taste

Method:

Cut the breadfruit in small pieces and set
aside.
In a kadhai/wok heat the oil.
Splutter the jeera add the chillis and the hing/asafoetida and the
turmeric powder.
Then add the cut breadfruit and salt.
Mix well and cover with a lid.
After 4-5 minutes remove the lid add the coconut. Stir well.
If your bread fruit is fresh it will not need water at all to cook. But
since this becomes too dry for our taste and to eat with chapatti I add a
tblspn or two of water.
This I serve
with chapatti as we eat very little rice at home. Actually it tastes awesome
with rice.

Variation:

You can put little vegetable masala, garam masala while making the
vegetable.
I have also minced and used it in making usal and let me tell you no one
guessed it was neerphanas or bread fruit and sprouts they were eating. They
thought it was potato.