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Chakhwi
Tripuri soda-cooked stew of jackfruit seeds, raw papaya and bamboo shoot
Chakhwi is a Tripuri festive stew cooked at weddings and family feasts around Agartala, where the defining ingredient is 'khar' or soda, made by filtering water through banana-plant ash. It softens vegetables and gives a smooth, gently alkaline taste. Pork chakhwi is the best known; the vegetarian version is cooked with raw papaya, jackfruit seeds, bamboo shoot and long beans, with ginger and green chilli. It is soupier than Assamese khar and has no lentils. Chef's tip: use bicarbonate of soda if you have no ash water, but only a pinch; you should be able to taste it, not feel it.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Boil 4 oz jackfruit seeds (or boiled chickpeas) in 3 ¼ cups water with 1 tsp salt for 10 minutes until starting to soften. If using chickpeas, add them in the next step.
10 minStep 2: Add 9 oz raw green papaya, 5 ½ oz bamboo shoot (fresh boiled or tinned), 1 ⅛ in ginger, 3 green chillies and 3 garlic cloves and simmer for 8 minutes.
8 minStep 3: Add 3 ½ oz long beans and ⅛ tsp bicarbonate of soda (or 2 tbsp ash-water khar) and simmer 6–8 minutes more until the papaya is very soft and slightly translucent. Common mistake: too much soda; the stew turns slippery and tastes soapy.
8 minStep 4: Stir in 2 tbsp cooked rice and simmer 2 minutes until the broth thickens slightly. Scatter with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve hot with rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chakhwi take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda (or 2 tbsp ash-water khar)?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
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