Jackfruit biryani
A vegan belly buster, meat eaters won't feel like they are missing out!
I’m a big fan of lamb biryani.
There’s something about the fatty, meaty juices absorbed into the rice that makes every mouthful deeply satisfying.
I have struggled to find a comparable vegetable alternative. A vegetable that can stand on its own and has bite. As much as I love cauliflower, pumpkin and aubergines, they aren’t quite the same.
Jackfruit wasn’t a staple food in our house. It was an ingredient I never grew up eating. I’m a latecomer to jackfruit like everyone else riding its vegan wave.
The great thing about jackfruit is its versatility. The ripe yellow outer flesh has just the hint of lychee and is candy-sweet. I pick up cans at my local Indian grocery store. The jackfruit is soaked in syrup. It’s lovely with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. A sort of Sri Lankan-style peaches and ice cream.
The seeds can be eaten, cooked into a curry or stir-fried with spices.
But it’s the young tender green stuff we need for a biryani. I use tinned tender green jackfruit. It doesn’t look like much, unappetising khaki green blocks. Yet this is the ‘meat’ with its fibrous, muscular texture. When cooked, eating the jackfruit requires mastication perfect for this non-meat meat-like biryani.
This biryani recipe is a real crowd-pleaser, perfect for entertaining friends, especially friends who are vegetarian or vegan. This recipe is inspired by the Dishoom, a British Indian restaurant, with the addition of more fragrant spices and toasted cashew nuts for a more Sri Lankan feel.
I make this biryani slightly differently. I don’t use the layering method with partially cooked rice layered on the jackfruit. I use pre-soaked rice, stock and cook the rice with the spiced jackfruit.
It’s my preferred method. That’s all.