It is a rainy July night. In a cosy drawing room, an entire konkan family is busy with a bunch of jackfruit leaves and finely cut coconut-leaf pricks. The centuries old traditional home craft is unfolding in its most natural way.
The leaves in a bunch of four and sometimes five are folded together to form unique jackfruit leaf baskets.
Naturally it is those traditional old hands which carve the finest.The new generation enthusiasts have to struggle to bring out the right shape or quality - a reflection of modern life?
After two hours of patient effort, there they are - those unique tiny handmade baskets - ready for the processing of "Hittu" - a centuries old Konkan dish!
The next day early morning, the "Hittu" baskets are carefully filled with Idli batter flavoured by chopped ginger. Then they are steam cooked as like the Idlis.
In a matter of thirty minutes the breakfast is ready for us.
The sublime, steam cooked, off-white "Hittu" in those thick green natural jackfruit leaf basket brings with it that centuries old traditional aroma. In a combination of fresh white coconut chutney carefully sprinkled with mustard, roasted curry leaves and red chillies they taste refreshingly delicious, richly colourful and above all rightly natural. A must try completely natural traditional konkan dish !
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