Paasponus Ambe Gojju

Many a times there are certain recipes which you hold dear to your heart. For me, Paachponus Ambe Gojju is one of them. Paasponus is a small jackfruit variety fruit which has tiny seeds which bear bear a very sweet flavour when ripe. Some address it as Paasponus or Paachponus. Somehow, the one made by my Ammama is superb. Its simple with a rustic raw feel to it. I even tease my Mom saying that the taste of Ammama's recipe is foolproof, far cry from the one made by her and delectable; she readily agrees with a firm nod. Many years back I had been to Udupi to visit my Ammama (konkani for grandmother) on a vacation. I requested her to make the dish in my presence so that I do not miss on the finer aspects of this recipe. I thoroughly enjoyed preparing this Gojju with her and the taste was divine. The pictures were taken in a hurry so excuse the technique, exposure and food styling for this one.

During the season, Paachponus and Raw Green Mango are cleaned and soaked in salt brine for months and even years in a Porcelain jar also known as Bharnee. After they are completely cured in salt water, they are ready to be used for any Gojju's or side dish. This process typically takes 3-4 months if one wants the perfect salt cured vegetable. Mom has a perennial stock of Mango, Paachponus and Saal (Raw Jackfruit). This is primarily a side dish and does well with Paej, soupy parboiled rice. My grandmom's proportion is always 1:2 which implies one serving of Paachponus for 2 Mangoes. This is a no cook recipe and can be fixed together in a trice. Unfortunately I do not know the English name of Paachponus, will update the blog should I find more details relevant to this vegetable and the recipe.

~ Paasponus Ambe Gojju ~
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Processing time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Paachponus (cured in salt water brine) - 1
Raw Green Mango (cured in salt water brine) - 2
Green Chillies - 2
Garlic - 3-4 big pods
Salt

Method:
Clean the Paachponus to remove the seeds. Extract the pulp and the seed at the core in a vessel. Discard the numerous peripheral seeds in the Paachponus. Smash the Mango and add to the Paachponus pulp. Crush the Garlic pods along with Green chillies. Add this to the mashed pulp. Add salt and keep aside. This gives sufficient time for the Gojju to steep. Few minutes before serving the dish, add just one cup of water and mix well with a spatula. Do not add too much water as this Gojjju is supposed to be bit thick but not too runny either. Serve with parboiled rice aka Paej.

Step By Step Pictorial Illustration: