Jackfruit Curry – By Malsha – eLanka

Jackfruit Curry – By Malsha – eLanka

Ingredients for Jackfruit Curry

Ingredients for tempering:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Ingredients for cooking the curry:

• 20-25 unripe jackfruit pods, cleaned and cut into desired size (including seeds if available)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (or 1 teaspoon coriander powder and 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder as a substitute)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2-inch piece of pandan leaf
• 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1/2-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-inch cinnamon stick
• 1-2 green chilies, halved
• 1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk (2 teaspoons coconut milk powder in water or 1/4 cup thick coconut milk diluted with water)
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• Salt to taste

How to Clean & Prepare the Jackfruit

1. Preparation: Spread old newspapers on your workspace. Oil your knife generously but not your hands initially for safety.
2. Cutting: Cut the jackfruit in half. The middle is sticky, so clean the knife with tissue and reapply oil as needed. Cut the halves into quarters.
3. Removing Pods: Apply oil to your hands. Remove the white core to easily extract the pods.
4. Cleaning Pods: Discard stringy parts attached to the pods and remove seeds.
5. Preparing Seeds: Cut pods to desired size. Remove the thin skin from seeds. Crush the seeds to remove the hard outer skin.

Tempering for the Jackfruit Curry

1. Heat Oil: In a clay pot or medium pan over medium heat, add oil.
2. Add Ingredients: Add curry leaves, sliced onion, garlic, red chili flakes, and mustard seeds in the given order.
3. Sauté: Cook until the ingredients turn slightly brown, about 3-5 minutes over low-medium heat. Transfer to a small bowl.

Cooking the Jackfruit Curry

1. Prepare Coconut Milk: Follow the instructions to prepare thin and thick coconut milk.
2. Cook Jackfruit: In the same pan, add jackfruit pods and seeds. Add turmeric powder, curry powder, mustard seeds, garlic, onion, pandan leaf, curry leaves, pepper, cinnamon stick, and salt.
3. Add Thin Coconut Milk: Pour in thin coconut milk and mix gently. Cook partially covered until the liquid is reduced and the jackfruit is soft, about 20-25 minutes.
4. Add Thick Coconut Milk: Pour in thick coconut milk. Adjust if needed to achieve a thick, creamy curry. Reduce heat and simmer until the gravy thickens.
5. Season & Serve: Season with salt if necessary. Add the tempered ingredients and gently mix them in. Serve warm with rice and curry dishes.

Enjoy your delicious jackfruit curry!