The Wonder Of "Langka" or Jackfruit Leaves In Cooking

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When I was in my father's hometown in Nueva Ecija a few years back, I learned a lot in cooking the Northern Tagalog way especially from my "Titas" there. I also love cooking and although my excursion there is short, it was one delightful experience. One important thing I've learned from them about cooking which in my case was kinda new and strange, is their own way of cooking "Nilagang Kalabaw" or Boiled Carabao Meat with vegetables. What's strange for me was the inclusion of a few pieces of this "Langka" or Jackfruit Leaves into the cooking pot- its rationale, they said, it is added to speed up or to hasten that desired softness of the meat, especially hard, stubborn meats like Carabao and Cow which contains more connective tissues on some of its parts, making the softening process more delayed and time-consuming. As I was helping my Tita or Aunt cooking at that time, It was indeed true. After only I think one hour and a half my Tita said it can already be eaten, in other words the meat were already soft. Later I realized, that it was like a catalyst that can be used in dishes which involves boiling and softening processes in the likes of "Bulalo" or Beef Stew. You can actually try doing this, the problem is you can rarely see a Jackfruit tree in the suburbs of Metro Manila. Whereas in my hometown, where it's also a city, this tree is almost everywhere. Have a nice day fellas!