Kathal (Jackfruit) Ki Sabzi is a succulent dry preparation of unripe jackfruit cooked with plenty of red onions and spices. The dish has a fibrous texture and delicious taste to it, hence it can be labeled as mock meat also. This vegetarian delight is 100% gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Serve kathal ki sabzi with dal fry, mint raita and piping hot chapati for a wholesome Punjabi style lunch.Â
The term vegetarian prompt a train of thoughts about my mother, who is a devoted herbivore. She only introduced us (me and my brother) to a variety of vegetarian delights. And that instilled in me a kind of soft spot for lustrous greens, juicy fruits, and all that fresh produce oozing with natural flavors. Jackfruit is one of them.
From my first introduction to date, I have always enjoyed eating kathal ki sabzi. It was its meaty texture that always attracted me towards this humble fruit.
Recently, when we switched gear from an urban lifestyle to a quiet countryside home, cooking with more locavore became a routine affair in my kitchen. Hence, kathal (jackfruit) ki sabzi made a comeback into my life as a seasonal affair.
Our eating preferences transformed from the gourmet elaborate spread to humble everyday Indian food recipes. The whole escapade thankfully is rewarding and purifying in the sense of love for food. And the most inspiring thing is the perennial flora, which never fails to surprise me with its taste and beautiful texture.
During all these years of burghal living, I never thought of exploring recipes with unusual ingredients like jackfruit, but now in this serene habitat, it is hard to give all these local recipes a miss. Maybe eating local is one of the most startling revelations that living in the countryside has brought out.
How To Clean Kathal (Jackfruit) For Sabzi?
Firstly, don’t get intimidated by the complex structure of the fruit. Once you get the technique to clean the jackfruit right, nothing can stop you from making delicious jackfruit recipes every day.
Nowadays, many supermarkets sell cleaned, ready to use pieces of jackfruit sealed in a plastic bag. When I am in no mood to put an extra effort, I buy one of those packets from the supermarket or request my vegetable vendor to clean a small portion of jackfruit for me.
This cleaning process can be used for both ripe/unripe variety of jackfruit.
- To peel the jackfruit, first, grease your fingers well with mustard oil or cooking oil. Place a bowl of mustard oil next to you while cutting the jackfruit, as you will need to smear your palms with oil from time to time. Oil prevents jackfruit fibre from sticking in your hand.
- With a sharp knife remove the skin of the jackfruit. Cut the inner white coloured fibrous part into big chunks. Remove any thick stem in the centre, before cutting big chunks into smaller pieces.
- Do not wash the jackfruit after cutting into small pieces. Wipe off the dirt, if there any with a clean kitchen towel. The tender seeds inside the jackfruit can also be added in the sabzi, remove the seed skin.
How To Store Unripe Kathal (Jackfruit)?
The unripe jackfruit pieces should be stored in the fridge (not freezer) in a ziplock bag and consumed in a day or two. Because after a day or two it starts ripening and not in the best stage to make sabzi or curry.
Even the slightest hint of ripeness in the jackfruit might not result in a delicious kathal (jackfruit) ki sabzi. You can also wrap up the pieces and keep them in the freezer for up to one month. But the flavor is best enjoyed when eaten as fresh as possible.
You May Want To Serve With Kathal (Jackfruit) Ki Sabzi…
Panchmel Dal (No Onion/Garlic)
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Kathal (Jackfruit) Ki Sabzi Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 gram unripe jackfruit (kathal)
- oil for deep frying
- 3 – 4 large size onion roughly chopped
- an inch piece of ginger peeled
- 3 – 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 – 3 medium size tomato
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala see recipe here
Instructions
How To Clean and Chop Kathal (Jackfruit):
- To peel the jackfruit, first, grease your fingers well with mustard oil. Place a bowl of mustard oil next to you while cutting the jackfruit, as you will need to smear your palms with oil from time to time. Oil prevents jackfruit fibre from sticking in your hand.
- With a sharp knife remove the skin of the jackfruit. Cut the inner white coloured fibrous part into big chunks. Remove any thick stem in the centre, before cutting big chunks into smaller pieces.
- Do not wash the jackfruit after cutting into small pieces. Wipe off the dirt, if there any with a clean kitchen towel. The tender seeds inside the jackfruit can also be added in the sabzi, remove the seed skin if you prefer so.
How To Fry Kathal (Jackfruit):
- Now heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. In small batches deep fry the jackfruit pieces till light brown in colour. Drain in an oil absorbing paper and keep aside
How To Make Kathal Ki Sabzi:
- To prepare the Kathal Ki Sabzi, first pulse the chopped tomato along with ginger, garlic in a mixer to make a paste using little water.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy bottom kadhai over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute over medium heat till onion turn light brown in colour.
- Next add the tomato paste and once again saute till oil separates from the masala.
- Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, stir to combine and saute for few more minutes.
- Add the deep fried jackfruit in the kadhai, stir to combine so that jackfruit pieces are evenly coated with the spice mix. Cover with a lid and let the sabzi cook over low heat for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally in between. During this time the jackfruit pieces absorb the flavour of the spices. Check for doneness and turn off the heat.
- Serve Kathal Ki Sabzi hot, garnished with coriander leaves.
4 comments
Hi Hina, we use a lot of jackfruit in our part of the world, and love it all sorts of different versions. This recipe is quite different from the way we cook it, and I am definitely going to try it out, it sounds simple and quite delicious. Thanks for sharing! Kaveri
Hi Kaveri, Thanks for taking time out and sharing your thoughts on the recipe. In the local cuisine we have one more recipe of jackfruit in which it is not deep fried but the method of making it is similar to that of a chicken/mutton curry, with plenty of onions and spices. And here people hardly enjoy the ripe jackfruit like commonly done in the Southern areas.
This is the easiest and simplest kathal ki sabzi recipe I have come across. And this is precisely how my mum used to prepare kathal. Thanks for keeping it short and simple:)
Thanks a ton. I learned it from my mother in law. Happy you liked the recipe.