Appachans: How a grandfather’s name became Kerala’s sweetest food memory

In Ala, inside the modest Kaleekkal house, the aroma of bubbling jaggery, ripe jackfruit and roasted spices drifts from a kitchen where food is made slowly, patiently and with the kind of care many associate with another time. It is from this home that Saju and his wife Raji run Appachans, a food brand whose very name stirs emotion among Malayalis.

In Malayalam, Appachan means grandfather - a word wrapped in affection, warmth and memory. It brings to mind the elder who always saved the ripest fruit, pressed an extra sweet into your hand, or waited with stories and snacks when you came home. That feeling now travels in bottles, packets and jars to homes across Kerala and far beyond.

The unlikely beginning
The journey began unexpectedly through a WhatsApp group called Ala Farmers Club, started by Saju’s childhood friend Advocate James John to help local farmers sell produce directly. Around the same time, Saju had returned home after years abroad and settled into a quiet life, managing small scale farming within his homestead. James soon brought him in as one of the group’s administrators.

The group was primarily intended to help farmers sell their products and share agricultural knowledge. As membership steadily grew, James came up with the idea of organising a weekly farmers’ market where members could directly sell their produce. The proposal received enthusiastic support from the group members. Soon, a weekly market began functioning every Sunday evening from four to six by the roadside at Ala Junction.

Even the smallest quantities of produce could find a place in the market and be sold directly to customers. There were no commissions to pay, no donations to offer. Prices were fixed in advance by the market committee after studying prevailing market trends. Everything from agricultural produce and spice powders to coconut oil, curd, eggs, and homemade snacks could be traded through the weekly fair.

Saju too began arriving at the market with produce from his own farm. But amid the bustle of sales, one thing caught his attention: products like jackfruit and banana bunches fetched disappointingly low prices and often found few takers in the market. Passionate about cooking, Saju and his wife Raji then decided to create value added products using jackfruit and bananas. One evening, as the market wound down and vendors packed up, the couple gathered the leftover jackfruits and banana bunches and carried them home.

The making of ‘Appachans’
On the first Sunday of March 2023, the couple arrived at the market with two freshly crafted products, jackfruit preserve and banana jam, carrying a label that read 'Appachans.' To their surprise, the products drew instant attention and sold out completely at fairly good prices. That marked the beginning of their venture.

Most homes in Ala village are home to towering jackfruit trees, laden with both the varikka and koozha varieties. During the season, these trees yield an abundance of fruit. While a small portion is consumed by families and neighbours, much of the remaining jackfruit is left to ripen on the trees before eventually falling to the ground and going to waste.

Sensing an opportunity, Saju began identifying such trees and purchasing the jackfruits directly from their owners. Workers would climb the towering trees, secure the heavy fruits with ropes and carefully lower them to the ground. The jackfruits were then assessed for quality and weight, with payments handed over to the owners on the spot itself.

In the early days, Saju and Raji handled every stage of the work themselves, from cutting open the jackfruits to cleaning and processing them. But as demand for their jackfruit products steadily gathered momentum, the couple began entrusting much of the cleaning and preparation work to homemakers in the neighbourhood. The cleaned jackfruit was purchased from them and a fixed wage was paid for every kilogram processed. Cooking, however, continues to remain a shared responsibility between husband and wife.

Their major preparations include jackfruit halwa, jackfruit preserve, chips made from jackfruit, tapioca, colocasia, and raw bananas, various chutney powders, traditional snacks, sweetened beaten rice preparations, and pickles made from meat, fish, prawns, lemon, mango, ginger and gooseberry. During the just-concluded season alone, they sold products made from more than 4,500 jackfruits. Jackfruit itself is transformed into a wide range of items, including jackfruit cutlets, dried jackfruit, jackfruit powder and even jackfruit seed powder.

The signature taste of jackfruit halwa

Among Saju’s finest creations, jackfruit halwa and jackfruit vazhattu (jackfruit preserve) are the undisputed stars. Their preparation is no easy task, demanding hours of physical labour, patience and precision. Nearly 25 kilograms of ripe jackfruit bulbs are needed to produce around 13 to 14 kilograms of jackfruit halwa. The recipe itself is a treasured family legacy handed down through generations.

According to Saju, the true quality of the product lies not merely in the ingredients, but in the discipline maintained throughout the painstaking process of preparation. Both jackfruit halwa and preserve require special vessels for cooking. They are prepared in traditional bronze urulis (cooking bowl).

In the early days, the couple prepared everything in a small vessel from their home kitchen. But as demand surged and orders steadily multiplied, they turned to Mannar, renowned for its traditional bronze casting units and commissioned a large bronze uruli capable of cooking nearly 25 kilograms of jackfruit at a time. Today, all the preparations are made in this massive vessel over a traditional wood-fired hearth.

The process begins with filling one fourth of the vessel with water and bringing it to a rolling boil. Carefully weighed jackfruit bulbs are then added, followed by more water until the fruit is completely immersed. As the jackfruit slowly cooks, the mixture is stirred continuously while the intensity of the firewood beneath is constantly adjusted to maintain the perfect heat.

Once the water nearly evaporates, around 10 kilograms of high quality traditional jaggery sourced from Thiruvanvandoor is added for every 25 kilograms of jackfruit. The mixture is then stirred relentlessly until the jaggery blends perfectly with the fruit. As it slowly thickens over the strong fire, pure ghee is poured in at regular intervals.

The ghee serves a dual purpose: preventing the mixture from sticking to the vessel while also lending it the desired smoothness and rich texture. Nearly one kilogram of ghee is added gradually during the process. Once the mixture reaches the perfect consistency, powdered dry ginger, cardamom, and cumin are stirred in, along with groundnuts, raisins, and cashew nuts.

What follows is hours of relentless stirring, and by the time this process nears completion, nearly seven to eight hours would have passed. Throughout, the intensity of the fire beneath the vessel has to be constantly monitored and regulated. Once the mixture finally reaches the perfect consistency, the fire is put out. The halwa is left to cool inside the vessel itself for nearly 24 hours before it is finally scooped out.

The sweet story of palayankodan banana jam
Among the many banana varieties found in the market, Palayankodan, popularly known as Mysore Poovan, is often one of the least expensive. Yet it is this humble fruit that forms the heart of their much-loved banana jam. The recipe, however, carries far greater value, for it is one of Raji’s treasured family specialties, inherited from her grandmother.

Bananas that are perfectly ripe, yet not overly soft, are first peeled and placed inside a pressure cooker filled with enough water to completely immerse them. After being cooked for about three whistles, the bananas are left to cool before juice is extracted from their softened pulp.

This extract is then transferred to a traditional bronze bowl, where it is slowly thickened over the stove through constant stirring. Along the way, measured quantities of sugar and cloves are also added.

The stirring continues until almost all the moisture evaporates and the mixture attains the consistency of a thick jam. For every five kilograms of banana, roughly half a kilogram of sugar and five to six cloves are used. Once cooled, the jam is bottled and stored.

Depending on demand, the couple also prepares several other products. Everything is cooked exclusively in coconut oil. But even the coconut oil is not purchased from the market. Instead, coconuts are sourced directly from local farmers, dried into copra, and then milled to extract fresh coconut oil. During the monsoon season, the couple relies on a special dryer to ensure the coconuts are dried properly.

Saju possesses all the licences and official clearances required for the legal production and sale of food products. Supporting the venture are homemakers from the neighbourhood, who work as it assistants. Three women work regularly at the house during the daytime, while a couple of additional labourers are hired during the jackfruit season to collect jackfruits and banana bunches.

For expatriates from Chengannur and nearby regions, a journey back home is seldom complete without taking along 'Appachans' traditional products that stir memories of home and familiar village flavours. Saju and Raji attribute the remarkable rise of their venture within just three years to the unwavering support of the Ala Farmers Club, the Ala weekly market, and, above all, the social media.