Pushpesh Pant
There is a Kumaoni folk song that tugs at the heartstrings of all paharis living perforce in the plains. The lines run: “Beru paak barah masa ho narain kaaphal pako Chaita!” (Wild figs ripen round the year but kaaphal ripens only in the month of Chaitra). It isn’t only this dark violet jungle berry found in the Himalayan forests that has a short season but also phaalsa that resembles kaaphal a lot is available for a few weeks. However, the berry that makes us pine as soon as the sky darkens is the one and only jamun, much larger than kaaphal and phaalsa but sharing their sweet-astringent taste to tinge the tongue in purple hues.
Few people are aware that jamun, also known as Java plum or Malabar plum, is native to the subcontinent and is entwined with our identity. Bharatvarsh, the land we inhabit, is situated in Jambu Dveep, a continent-sized island in mythical geography.
There was a time when no one cared for the fruit. It was readily available: a full paper cone was for a few paise — at the most a chavanni (quarter of a rupee) — with a large pinch of cumin-flavoured salt sprinkled on the contents. Well, times change, and the adolescent guards employed by contractors who had claimed the produce of the trees lining the India Gate lawns, have disappeared. The mega beautification project has transformed the Central Vista. If you love jamuns and want to buy now, you better head for expensive fruit marts that have juicy jumbo jamuns handpicked and packed like exotic sweetmeats. Also, you don’t have to wait for the first showers to enjoy these dark blue blackberries. They appear early and stay on the shelves long after the winds carry away the rain-bearing clouds.
We were pleasantly surprised recently when a hostess prepared a special treat for us — a jamun cheesecake that wasn’t baked in the oven. Not to be outdone, a fellow guest invited us to try her jamun pulao. Long years ago, good friend, writer-publisher, heritage custodian Atiya Zaidi from Jaunpur had let us savour an excellent phaalsa pulao and Chef Nishant Choubey had created an exotic jamun ki chaat at a party, but cheesecake was something new.
Jamun pulao requires patience and some skill to pull it off but the cheesecake is well within any jamun lover’s reach. So we have great pleasure in sharing the recipe with our readers.
Ingredients
Jamun..........................................................................................................250g
Cream cheese............................................................................................200g
Marie biscuits...............................................................................................8-10
Butter..............................................................................................................10g
Sugar............................................................................................................100g
A pinch of salt
Gelatine or agar agar to set if not baking and setting in a refrigerator.
Method
Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.
1
3
8
9