Jackfruit- Chakka Elayappam or Rice Dumplings Wrapped in Banana Leaf

Chakka Elayappam is a traditional Kerala snack made with ripe jackfruit (chakka), rice flour, coconut, and jaggery, all wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. It’s a delicious, naturally sweet dish with a fragrant aroma from the banana leaves.

Elayappam, the name derived from Malayalam, Ela meaning “leaf” and Appam meaning “snack.” This delicacy is wrapped in banana leaves, which are widely available in Kerala due to the abundance of banana and plantain trees.

As a traditional dish, Elayappam is steam-cooked. The filling is made from ripe jackfruit, cooked with jaggery, and mixed with grated coconut to create a jam-like preserve. This sweet filling is then spread over a thin layer of rice dough, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed.

There are several variations of Elayappam. The filling can be made with jackfruit, pumpkin, coconut or even a sweetened mung bean mixture.

Interestingly, a similar snack exists in Chinese cuisine, known as Zongzi. Instead of jackfruit, the Chinese version typically uses red bean paste as the filling and is wrapped in bamboo or banana leaves before being steamed.

Jackfruit-Coconut-Jaggery Filling

Elayappam or Rice Dumplings with jackfruit filling and wrapped in banana leaf

Makes: 8

Ingredients

For Making Jackfruit Filling 

• Ripe jackfruit, chopped- 2 cups
• Grated coconut- 3/4 cup
• Jaggery, melted- 1 cup
• Cardamom, whole smashed- 2
• Ghee- 2 tbsp

For making rice dough:

• Rice flour- 1 cup
• Water- 1 1/2 cups
• Salt- 1/4 tsp

Other ingredients

• Banana leaves, cut into medium sized squares- 8
• Oil- to grease the leaves and hand

Instruction

For making jackfruit filling:

• Firstly, melt 3 to 4 inches jaggery slices in 1/2 cup water. Strain the jaggery & keep it aside.
• I’ve used frozen ripe jackfruit, chop the jackfruit.
  

• Place a cast iron skillet or saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp ghee & add the chopped jackfruit.
• Cook for a few minutes till the jackfruit turns slightly mashed up.
• Add the grated coconut & cook for a few minutes.
• Add the melted jaggery, combine well & cook for a few minutes.
• Add the crushed cardamoms & cook till the mixture has mashed up. You can use a wooden spoon & mash the jackfruit.
• At this point, I was taking deep breaths in and couldn’t stop tasting…Gosh, the aroma from this filling is just mesmerizing.

Making rice dough:

• Place a saucepan over medium heat, add 1 1/2 cups water to it.
• Let the water come to a rolling boil, add salt to it.
• Take the pan off the heat and slowly add rice flour to the water.
• Using a wooden spoon, combine it well.
• The dough has to be very soft, so avoid adding more rice flour.
• Let cool down a bit, knead the dough when it’s still warm so that it will become soft.

How to wilt banana leaves:

• I used frozen banana leaves, if using frozen leaves thaw them for a few minutes and wash it under running water.
• Cut into square shapes.
• To wilt the banana leaves, turn on the cooktop & show both the sides over the heat.
• Wilting the banana leaves will prevent the leaves from breaking apart while wrapping.
• You could even place the leaf over the gas stove flame for a few seconds.

• Place the wilted banana leaf over a cutting board.
• Grease the leaf with little oil.
• Place a handful of the dough on the leaf.
  
• Grease your right palm with little oil too, to prevent the dough from sticking.
• Using your palm gently press and spread the dough onto the leaf and make a thin round shape.
• Spread 2 tbsp of the prepared jackfruit filling over the dough.
• Fold the dough along with the banana leaf into semi circle shape.
• Seal the sides of the dough by pressing it to each other.
• Fold the banana leaf over it, fold the sides of the banana leaf and tuck it in. Place the folded side down. If you want you could tie with a kitchen twine. 

• You could steam cook this in an idli steamer or in a pressure cooker.
• In an idli cooker, we can place all of them on the bottom plate, just stack them up.
• Add 1 cup water to the cooker, place the plate with the elayappam into the cooker. Make sure water is not getting to the plate.
• Cover and steam cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Steam cooking in pressure cooker: Add 1 cup water to the cooker, place a small stand and on top of that keep the plate that has the elayappams.
• Cover with the lid and steam cook without placing the whistle on the cooker for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once it’s cooked, take the cooker off the stove.
• Let cool down for sometime as it will be very hot.
• Open the lid and take the cooked elayappams out.
• While unwrapping, I was seen inhaling the mesmerizing aroma of the jackfruit filling & the banana leaves.
• Enjoy while its slightly warm, it will just melt in your mouth.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated, before having it slightly warm it up in the microwave.

Tips:

Meet the other fillings you can use instead of jackfruit filling or preserve:

• You could use store bought pumpkin preserve that is used for making pumpkin pie instead of jackfruit preserve. It tastes very close to that of jackfruit elayappam. You can skip making the filling, how exciting!
• Mung bean filling: Cook mung bean in water, drain the water. Combine the cooked mung bean with jaggery, cardamom and grated coconut, cook till mung bean has slightly mashed up. Use this as the filling.
• Coconut filling: Just combine grated coconut with jaggery and cardamom till the raw flavour of coconut is gone. This makes an easy filling.
• You could use brown sugar instead of jaggery, just add brown sugar according to your sugar level.

Jackfruit Elayappam or Rice Dumplings Wrapped in Banana Leaf

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: Thasneen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 5

Ingredients

For Making Jackfruit Filling

• Ripe Jackfruit, chopped- 2 cups
• Grated coconut- ¾ cup
• Jaggery, melted- 1 cup
• Whole cardamoms, crushed- 2
• Ghee- 2 tbsp

For Making Rice Dough:

• Rice flour- 1 cup
• Water- 1½ cups
• Salt- ¼ tsp

Other ingredients

• Banana leaves, cut into medium sized squares
• Oil- to grease the leaves and hand

Instructions

For making jackfruit filling:

1. Firstly, melt 3 to 4 inches jaggery slices in ½ cup water. Strain the jaggery & keep it aside.
2. I've used frozen ripe jackfruit, chop the jackfruit.
3. Place a cast iron skillet or saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp ghee & add the chopped jackfruit.
4. Cook for a few minutes till the jackfruit turns slightly mashed up.
5. Add the grated coconut & cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the melted jaggery, combine well & cook for a few minutes.
7. Add the crushed cardamoms & cook till the mixture has mashed up. You can use a wooden spoon & mash the jackfruit.
8. It has to be like a thick paste.
9. At this point, I was taking deep breaths in and couldn't stop tasting...Gosh, the aroma from this filling is just mesmerizing.

Making Rice Dough:

1. Place a saucepan over medium heat, add 1½ cups water.
2. Let the water come to a rolling boil, add salt to it.
3. Take the pan off the heat and slowly add rice flour to the water.
4. Using a wooden spoon, combine well.
5. The dough has to be very soft, so avoid adding more rice flour.
6. Let cool down a bit, knead the dough when it's still warm so that it will become soft.

How to wilt banana leaves:

1. I used frozen banana leaves, if using frozen thaw it for a few minutes and wash it under running water.
2. Cut into square shapes, around 8 .
3. To wilt the banana leaves, turn on the cooktop & show both the sides over the heat.
4. Wilting the banana leaves will prevent the leaves from breaking apart while wrapping.
5. You could even place the leaf over the stove flame for a few seconds.

Assembling:

1. Place the wilted banana leaf over a cutting board.
2. Grease the leaf with little oil.
3. Place a handful of the dough on the leaf.
4. Grease your right palm with little oil too, this will prevent the dough from sticking.
5. Using your palm gently press and spread the dough onto the leaf and make a thin round shape.
6. Spread 2 tbsp of the prepared jackfruit filling over the dough.
7. Fold the dough along with the banana leaf into semi circle shape.
8. Seal the sides of the dough by pressing it to each other.
9. Fold the banana leaf over it, fold the sides of the banana leaf and tuck it in. Place the folded side down. If you want you could tie with a kitchen twine.

How To Steam Cook:

1. You could steam cook this in an idli steamer or in a pressure cooker.
2. In an idli cooker, we can place all of them on the bottom plate, just stack them up.
3. Add 1 cup water to the cooker, place the plate with the elayappam into the cooker. Make sure water is not getting to the plate.
4. Cover and steam cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Steam cooking in a pressure cooker: Add 1 cup water to the cooker, place a stand and on top of that keep the plate that has the elayappams.
6. Cover with the lid and steam cook without placing the whistle on the cooker for about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Once it's cooked, take the cooker off the stove.
8. Let cool down for sometime as it will be very hot.
9. Open the lid and take the cooked elayappams out.
10. While unwrapping, I was seen inhaling the mesmerizing aroma of the jackfruit filling & the banana leaves.
11. Enjoy while its slightly warm, it will just melt in your mouth.
12. Leftovers can be refrigerated, before having it slightly warm it up in the microwave.

Notes

Meet the other fillings you can use instead of jackfruit preserve:
You could use store bought pumpkin preserve that is used for making pumpkin pie instead of jackfruit preserve. It tastes very close to that of jackfruit elayappam. You can skip making the filling, how exciting!
Mung bean filling: Cook mung bean in water, drain the water. Combine the cooked mung bean with jaggery, cardamom and grated coconut, cook till mung bean has slightly mashed up. Use this as the filling.
Coconut filling: Just combine grated coconut with jaggery and cardamom till the raw flavor of coconut is gone. This makes an easy filling.
You could use brown sugar instead of jaggery, just add brown sugar according to your sugar level.

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