WOOD APPLE CHUTNEY, BEL FRUIT CHUTNEY, ELEPHANT APPLE, MONKEY FRUIT

Wood apple is also known as bel fruit, elephant apple and monkey fruit.  It has got a hard shell somewhat similar to coconut and pulp inside.  It is used for curing various diseases.  It is also used in culinary purpose. It acts as blood cleanser, helps in digestive problems and also removes the worms from the intestine, good for diabetes also.

I happened to the market last time and picked up one but could not make it and got spoiled.  Today when I went to the market, I  saw this and picked up one.  Fortunately or unfortunately, it was a raw one, tastes bit sour.  Hence I decided to make three to four items with the one wood apple pulp as except me no one will eat this stuff.  I made sweet  wood apple pachadi, wood apple chutney, wood apple juice  and wood apple rice from this.

We  must select the one which has got a  sweet smell.  If it is hard,keep it under the sun for two to three days, it will ripen.  Sometimes, there is chance of getting spoiled too if it is not a matured fruit.

video: wood apple chutney


Let us look at the recipe now:

Ingredients:

1/4 portion of a wood apple pulp
2-3 tbsp coconut grated
1 green chilli
a small pieces of ginger cut into pieces
1 tsp grated jaggery
salt

Tempering:

1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
a small piece of red chilli
a generous pinch of asafoetida
curry leaves.

Method:

Step 1

Break the wood apple with a knife.  Scoop out the pulp with a spoon.  If it is not ripe, then, it is bit hard to remove the pulp.   If it is ripe, it comes out easily.

Step 2

Put all the ingredients in the mixer  and grind  with  little water.  temper with the  ingredients mentioned above.  chutney is ready.

How to serve:

Serve with Idli, dosa, dal  rice, ven pongal etc.  

Note:

Tips for selecting wood apple:  It should be light when taken in hand.  Should get a sweet smell when you smell it means it is ripe, it does smell, then it is raw.

Break it with a knife as the outer shell is hard.  scoop out the entire pulp with a spoon.  Since it is raw and tastes sour, I added jaggery.

SECOND METHOD OF MAKING THIS CHUTNEY:


Scoop out the pulp, pound the same with bit tamarind, red chilli powder, salt  and jaggery on a mortar and pestle.

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