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. 

Serves 6

Ingredients 

• 250g of basmati rice

• Jackfruit preparation

• 2 x 400g tins of young jackfruit (drained, washed and cut into thin slices) or 450g fresh, young jackfruit, washed and cut into thin slices

• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

• 2 cm of ginger, finely chopped

• ½ tsp turmeric 

• ½ tsp cumin

• ½ tsp coriander

• ½ tsp chilli powder

• A pinch of salt

• 200g boiled potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces (I like new potatoes)

• Vegetable oil for deep frying 

Rice preparation

• 2 tsp coconut oil

• 1 onion, sliced 

• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

• 2 cm of ginger, finely chopped

• 2 green chillis sliced

• A sprig of curry leaves 

• 4 cardamom pods (crushed)

• 4 cloves 

• A 4 cm stick cinnamon 

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp ground cumin 

• 1 tsp garam masala 

• 500 ml vegetable stock (have some extra in case your rice dries out)

• A pinch of salt

• Juice of a lime

Cashew nut topping

• 1 tsp coconut oil

• A sprig of curry leaves 

• 100g cashew nuts

• 1 tsp chilli powder

Coriander and chilli chutney

• A generous handful of fresh coriander leaves

• 2 green chillies 

• Juice of a lime 

• A pinch of salt 

• 4 tables spoons of full-fat Greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt

 Method 

1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Leave the rice to soak in a bowl of fresh water for about 45 minutes.

2. Place the young jackfruit in a bowl. Add the garlic, ginger and dry spices. Mix thoroughly until all spices coat the jackfruit. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.

3. Heat the oil in a pan that's deep enough for deep frying. In batches, deep fry the jackfruit, setting aside when done. Next, deep fry the bite-sized boiled potatoes and set aside.

4. Gently heat the coconut oil in a large deep-sided saucepan or casserole dish (with a lid), and fry the onions, garlic, ginger, chillies and curry leaves. As the onions start to brown, add the whole spices followed by the ground spices and salt.

5. Add the deep-fried jackfruit and potato. Very gently fold into the onion, garlic, ginger and spices.

6. Drain the rice and add to the saucepan. Pour in the vegetable stock.

7. Pop the lid on the saucepan, lower the heat, and cook for around 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the stock is absorbed. Switch off the heat and let the biryani rest. I like to check my biryani and keep an eye on the rice. If it looks like it’s drying out, add a little more stock.

8. While the rice is cooking, in a small frying pan heat up the coconut oil. Add the curry leaves and fry until crisp and dark green. Scoop out and set aside. Add the cashew nuts, chilli powder and salt. Fry until the cashew nuts turn golden brown. Scoop out and set aside.

9. Spoon the yoghurt into a small bowl. In a food processor or electric grinder, grind the coriander leaves, chillies, lime juice and salt to a thick paste. Stir the paste into the yoghurt, add a little salt then set aside.

10. Squeeze the lime juice over the biryani, scatter with the fried cashew nuts and curry leaves and serve with the chutney.