Berry tasty: Wild ber recipes

Indian wild ber, also known as jujube, Chinese apple or ban ber is a humble fruit that often fails to catch attention. I have hardly seen this fruit being used to make main course dishes or any popular desserts. Although, people have always relished tart berries with salt and dried chilli. Earlier, I thought that this fruit is enjoyed only in the northern part of the country but during one of my trips to Goa, I found that it is quite popular among the locals there.

My trip to Goa was supposed to be a leisurely trip. Sun, sand, surfing, good food and beverages to indulge in. In Goa, you can take a rented bike and explore every nook and corner. On one such bike trips, I found local women selling these berries in the market. It grows in the wilder regions and there are no specific orchards or organised farming for this fruit. It is sold in the local markets of Goa. They also keep a salt mix, which is given to the buyer as a condiment for eating along with the ber.

Since this fruit is seasonal and a highly localised produce, not many technical advancements have been made for preserving, canning or increasing its shelf-life. The locals normally dehydrate the fruit in, or mix it with, salt to pickle it. It grows wildly in our hilly areas or on lands that do not have much water supply. It can thrive in harsh climatic conditions and still produce tasty fruits. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and has sour to sweet taste profile. When dried, the sugar gets concentrated and it tastes a little more sweet. It has got citrus and earthy aroma to it. This is what makes it a natural companion to roasted white meats and seafood. The sweetness can also be harnessed to make desserts, coulis or sweet sauces.

Till now we have only used dried wild ber in our kitchen to dish out interesting recipes as the fresher ones will be available only after January. We are waiting to pluck some fresh jujubes and experiment with them and dish out more innovative recipes using the same.

The writer is a chef at Dramz Whisky Bar and Lounge, Qutub-Mehrauli

Caramel and jujube praline

Ingredients

• Olive oil 75 ml
• Mild red chili powder 5 gm
• Salt to taste
• Sugar 225 gm
• Light corn syrup 180 gm
• Heavy cream 235 gm
• Unsalted butter 15 gm
• Dried Indian jujube (roughly chopped) 100 gm
• Dark chocolate (finely chopped) 60 gm

Method

• In a heavy bottom pan, heat sugar and light corn syrup until both melt. Cook on low heat for about five minutes without stirring.
• If you are using a thermometer, then let the temperature reach 160º C or look carefully for the mixture to attain golden colour. Once it has started turning golden, take it off the heat. Add cream to it and be careful as it will bubble and hiss and generate lots of steam. Once the cream is mixed, return the caramel mixture to the flame and simmer for another 2 minutes. Keep stirring it throughout.
• Take the carmel mixture off the flame and stir it so that it becomes cold faster. Once it is lukewarm, add butter, chopped jujubes and chocolate to the caramel mixture. Mix everything together and pour on to a 8” X 8” square tray. Leave it to get cold. Once cold, refrigerate for 2 hours. Take it out and cut into 1”X 1” squares.

Roasted chicken with Indian Jujube flavoured gravy

Ingredients

• Whole chicken with skin 800 gm
• Garlic (finely chopped) 10 gm
• Sea salt 5 gm
• Olive oil 50 gm
• Carrot (cut into big dices) 50 gm
• Celery (roughly chopped) 50 gm
• Onion (cut into big dices) 30 gm
• Tomato (cut into big dices) 50 gm
• Button mushrooms (cut into big dices) 50 gm
• Dried Indian jujube/wild ber 100 gm
• Red wine 150 ml

Method
Clean the chicken properly and pat dry with a kitchen towel and rub it with sea salt, garlic and olive oil.
Mix all the cut vegetables including carrots, celery, onion, tomato and button mushrooms and Indian jujube together. Stuff cavity of the chicken with half of the vegetable mix. Put the remaining mix on a roasting tray. This will be the bed for chicken to rest on during roasting.
In a separate pan, bring wine to a boil and pour over vegetable mix in the tray that serves as a bed. Rest the marinated chicken on vegetable bed and roast in an oven at 180º C for 40 minutes.
Check for doneness of the chicken by pricking on the thighbone. If the juices are clear, it means it is done. Take it out of the oven and allow it to rest in a separate pan. Meanwhile collect the roasted vegetables and the chicken juices and strain through a fine strainer. Reduce the strained liquid to a sauce-like consistency and then season it.
Portion the chicken and serve it along with the sauce.