Most people keep the seeds after eating a jackfruit. Washed well and dried, the seeds stay good for six months or even a year, and many tasty dishes can be made with them.

Mashed seeds and curries made from them are favourites for many, but the seeds can also be used for a dessert. One such dish is jackfruit seed halwa, whose taste will stay with you after a single try. Here is the recipe.

• Boiled jackfruit seed paste, 2 cups
• Sugar, three-quarters of a cup
• Condensed milk, 3 tablespoons
• Milk powder, 4 tablespoons
• Ghee, half a cup
• A little zarda (orange food) colour

Remove the white outer skin of the jackfruit seeds and soak them in lukewarm water for 10–15 minutes. Rubbing them on a grinding stone will then remove the red layer on top. Wash the seeds well and boil them.

Once boiled, grind them to a fine paste on the stone so that no grains remain. Put the paste on the stove with the sugar. After it has cooked for a while, add the condensed milk and a little ghee and keep stirring.

Add a little ghee at intervals. When the halwa has dried out considerably as you stir, add the milk powder and stir continuously.

When the halwa is dry and comes away from the sides of the pan, brush a tray with ghee and pour the halwa onto it. Press it down with a spoon to spread it evenly over the tray.

Cut the halwa into the shapes you like while it is still hot, and the jackfruit seed halwa is ready.

Recipe and photo: Jhumur's Kitchen

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.