Chakka Varatti is a traditional sweet jackfruit preserve made during jackfruit season. It’s thick, rich and full of flavor. The sweet taste of ripe jackfruit with jaggery and ghee gives a very unique taste. It is commonly made in Kerala households when jackfruit is in plenty. This preserve can be stored and used later in many ways.
Chakka Varatti is very popular in Kerala, they use this preserve to make chakka varatti payasam. This preserve has a beautiful dark golden color and smells amazing when ghee is added. You can enjoy it as a sweet or use it in many traditional recipes. I love jackfruit and anything made out it so this chakka varatti has easily become my favorite ever since I tasted it.
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About Chakka Varatti
‘Chakka’ means jackfruit and ‘Varatti’ means to cook until dry. So this preserve is slow-cooked till it becomes thick and glossy. Chakka Varatti is more like a homemade jam made using ripe jackfruit and jaggery.
In olden days, people make this in bulk and store in steel dabbas. It stays good for long time when made properly and can be used to make other snacks like chakka pradhaman, elai adai, or even mixed with dosa batter.
This preserve needs very few ingredients, but the process needs little time and patience. The jackfruit should be ripe and sweet. After removing the seeds, it is pureed and cooked with jaggery syrup. Ghee is added in between which helps in getting that shine and thickness.
The cooking has to be done in low flame. As it thickens, the mixture will start to leave the sides of the pan. At that stage, it becomes like a soft rolling ball and that’s the right time to stop cooking. Once cooled, it thickens even more. Traditionally, this is made during peak summer when jackfruits are plenty.
Chakka Varatti or Jackfruit Preserve is made with ripe jackfruits, ghee and jaggery. Generally this jackfruit preserve is made during jackfruit season and is stored for future use. I make this in large quantities and share with my relatives. It is also offered in temples as prasadam during some festivals.
Chakka Varatti Ingredients
- Jackfruit – Take fully ripe, sweet jackfruit. Remove the seeds and grind the flesh to a smooth paste. If the pieces are large, chop them before grinding. Avoid raw or half-ripe ones, the taste won’t come right.
- Jaggery – Use good quality jaggery. I prefer dark jaggery because it gives a deeper colour and stronger taste. You can also use regular jaggery if that’s what you have. Melt it in little hot water, strain to remove dirt and keep ready.
- Ghee – Needed for richness and smooth texture. Ghee also helps to avoid sticking and burning at the bottom while cooking. Add in intervals while the mixture thickens.
Why This Recipe Works
- This is made with just 3 main ingredients – simple and easy to prepare.
- No artificial flavours or preservatives – 100% natural.
- It can be used in many traditional sweets and snacks.
- A great way to save extra jackfruit during season time
- It stores well – can be used for weeks if stored properly.
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How to make Chakka Varatti Step by Step
1.Soak jaggery in warm water(till immersing level) , crush it well. Then heat it up until it is slightly thick (no string consistency needs to be checked). Strain and keep aside.
2.I took 10 big pieces of jackfruit. Slit each piece with a knife and take out the seed along with a fleshy layer, discard it.
3.I love the jackfruit seeds curry so always reserve them. Now chop jackfruit roughly. This step is purely optional, as mine was big I chopped them so that its easy to grind.
4.Grind it to a smooth paste without adding water. I did it in batches, collect them in a boil measure and set aside. Take a heavy bottomed kadai / pan add strained jaggery syrup to it and let it to boil for few mins until its thick more like to honey in consistency.
5.Now add jackfruit puree and mix well, I used my whisk. Let it boil in low flame. It will splutter so be a safe distance.
6.It may take at least 10-12 minutes for the moisture to leave, it will get thick first. When it starts to thicken add ghee at intervals. Keep mixing.
7.Keep cooking and stirring. When it sticks add ghee. It will take another 10mins to reach the rolling ball consistency. At one stage, it will not stick to the pan and come together as rolling ball, this is the right stage, switch off.
Store in a clean dry container.
Expert Tips
- Pick the right jackfruit – Use only fully ripe jackfruit. The taste fully depends on the sweetness and ripeness. Avoid underripe ones.
- Heavy bottom pan – Use a thick kadai or non-stick pan. The preserve will become sticky and can burn easily, so a strong pan is needed.
- Jaggery– Always melt the jaggery and strain before adding. This removes dust and small stones if any.
- Keep distance – In the beginning, the preserve may splutter a lot. Stir from a distance and keep the flame low.
- Right stage – Once it thickens and starts leaving the sides of the pan, and becomes like a ball, that’s when you need to stop. If overcooked, it may become hard after cooling.
- Cool fully– Let the preserve cool fully before transferring to container. It thickens more after cooling.
- Use clean spoon – Don’t use wet or used spoons. That can spoil the whole batch quickly.
Serving and Storage
Chakka Varatti can be eaten as such, like a sweet treat. You can mix it with hot rice and ghee, or eat with dosa and chapathi. It can also be used to make Chakka Pradhaman or spread over bread like jam.
Store it in a clean, airtight glass jar or steel container. Keep it in the refrigerator. It will stay good for 2 to 3 weeks. For longer storage, freeze in small portions.
FAQS
1.Can I use unripe jackfruit?
No. You should use fully ripe and sweet jackfruit. Raw jackfruit will not give the proper taste or texture.
2.Is store-bought jackfruit pulp okay?
If it’s pure jackfruit pulp with no added sugar or preservatives, you can try. But fresh pulp made at home gives the best result.
3.How do I know if it’s done?
When the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, forms a soft lump, and doesn’t stick anymore, it is done. It will also start looking glossy and thick.
4.Can I skip ghee?
It’s not recommended. Ghee gives the softness and stops the preserve from sticking. Without ghee, it may turn hard or dry.
5.Why my Chakka Varatti became hard next day?
That’s normal. It becomes more thick after cooling. Just warm it slightly with little ghee and it will become soft again.
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📖 Recipe Card
Chakka Varatti Recipe | Jackfruit Preserve Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 nos jackfruit
- 2 cups jaggery
- 3 tablespoon ghee
Instructions
- Soak jaggery in warm water(till immersing level) , crush it well.
- Then heat it up until it is slightly thick (no string consistency needs to be checked).Strain and keep aside.
- I took 10 big pieces of jackfruit. Slit each piece with a knife and take out the seed along with a fleshy layer, discard it.
- I love the jackfruit seeds curry so always reserve them. Now chop jackfruit roughly. This step is purely optional, as mine was big I chopped them so that its easy to grind.
- Grind it to a smooth paste without adding water. I did it in batches, collect them in a boil measure and set aside.
- Take a heavy bottomed kadai / pan add strained jaggery syrup to it and let it to boil for few mins until its thick more like to honey in consistency.
- Now add jackfruit puree and mix well, I used my whisk. Let it boil in low flame. It will splutter so be a safe distance.
- It may take at least 10-12 minutes for the moisture to leave, it will get thick first. When it starts to thicken add ghee at intervals. Keep mixing.
- Keep cooking and stirring. When it sticks add ghee. It will take another 10mins to reach the rolling ball consistency. At one stage, it will not stick to the pan and come together as rolling ball, this is the right stage, switch off.
- Enjoy Chakka Varatti!
Notes
- Pick the right jackfruit – Use only fully ripe jackfruit. The taste fully depends on the sweetness and ripeness. Avoid underripe ones.
- Heavy bottom pan – Use a thick kadai or non-stick pan. The preserve will become sticky and can burn easily, so a strong pan is needed.
- Jaggery– Always melt the jaggery and strain before adding. This removes dust and small stones if any.
- Keep distance – In the beginning, the preserve may splutter a lot. Stir from a distance and keep the flame low.
- Right stage – Once it thickens and starts leaving the sides of the pan, and becomes like a ball, that’s when you need to stop. If overcooked, it may become hard after cooling.
- Cool fully– Let the preserve cool fully before transferring to container. It thickens more after cooling.
- Use clean spoon – Don’t use wet or used spoons. That can spoil the whole batch quickly.
Sandhiya
Wow. It look so glossy.
Sheba
Sharmi…regular follower of your blog..i have tried many of your recipes..
your pics are really fabulous which makes us hungry and drooling..keep the good work..
chakka varatti is too tempting. .
Vaishnavi
Totally new n tempting too sharmi. Do we eat it as such like halwa or eat with bread etc like jam?
Ruhi Saxena
Yes plz reply..is it a dip for something? or jam or halwa or something else?
sankar saranya
Tempting
Rhys Moonwillow
Hi Sharmi.. Thank you for the lovely presentation, I tried it today evening instead of soft and gooey it had become little hard. I am not sure what I had done wrong. Please advise.
SHARMILEE J
If its overcooked it will end up hard….
Jayanthi Jayaprakash
waav..glossy look.tempting too.. 🙂
Vaishnavi
Do we eat it as such like halwa or eat with bread etc like jam? can you pls clarify?
SHARMILEE J
It is actually halwa but you can have it as a spread too
Yo
Thanks to you Sharmi, I got to make the awesome which I loved as a kid. ��
Kirtana B
I made it with your recipe and it was A1 . Everyone loved it. Thanks dear
Sharmilee J
Thank you so much! So glad to hear it!