Kumble (Kumbul/Kumbil) Appam (Jackfruit wrap)

This recipe has been waiting to get posted since last year. Kumble leaves or a cousin version of the all-familiar Bay Leaf is used to make this wrap. It looks exactly like the bay leaf except bigger. The bark of the kumble tree does not get used commonly unlike the bay leaf tree whose bark  produces a milder variety of cinnamon. Kumble is pronounced as Kumbul or Kumbil not Kumbley as one would be tempted to especially the Cricket fans out there! :D

There are several versions to this wrap. I am posting the one that was made two holiday breaks ago (last September) at my parent's home in Kerala. Valsamma our maid/cook was behind this creation based on my mum's recipe. The recipe is fairly simple however it was being made for a large number of people which can be quite cumbersome.You can make it for a smaller number of people by equally reducing the quantities. The cooking time would also considerably reduce. It takes 20-30 minutes to make about 8-10 wraps.

The flavour of these leaves would go into the appams during the steaming process which is absolutely divine!

You need 

• 20-30 nos. Kumbul leaves/ large bay leaves, cleaned and dried (You can even use banana leaves in case you do not get the Kumbul leaves)
• 1 kg Jackfruit, diced (this is the actual weight of the jackfruit not after deseeding)  
• 1 kg Rice flour 
• 1 tbsp cumin (jeera) powder 
• 1 tbsp cardamom powder 
• Jaggery to taste and colour (I prefer the darker coloured kumble appam and it taste better too. 500 gms for 1 kg rice flour) / you can substitute with sugar but it just won't be as good  or healthy as jaggery :)
• Water as required
• Grated coconut (optional)

 The Make 

 Makes 20-30 wraps | Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 60 minutes

1. Cook the jackfruit on low heat with jaggery, cardamom and jeera. If you have a slow cooker, this would work well. In our case, it was done at the fire place. This takes at least 30-40 minutes.

The jackfruit should soften and the resultant mix should be nice and pasty. Most of the water content should be gone, with just enough moisture and water content for the next step.

2. Once the mixture is cooled to room temperature, add the rice flour bit by bit and mix well. If the water content is insufficient, add a tad bit of water to help the mixture to be moulded together.

3. Next take about a golf ball sized dough and place the dough on end of the one of the leaves. Fold the other end tightly over the dough and use the remaining part of the same leaf to tuck into the dough as a pocket top. Repeat this for the remaining dough.

This version had lesser jaggery and some coconut as well

4. While doing the above process, heat water in the steamer or idli vessel and place the porous plate over it. Once the wraps are complete, place it in the steamer and cook each batch for at least 20-30 minutes. It would be helpful to have at least two steamers working in parallel for such a large batch.

Serve hot or cold as a snack or even as a breakfast meal. Bon Appetit!