Jackfruit Sabzi

Name: Jackfruit Sabzi
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Cuisine: indian
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like sunflower; 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds; 1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced; 1 sprig curry leaves; 1 (20-ounce) can jackfruit pieces in brine, drained (about 10 ounces); 2 beefsteak or large Roma tomatoes, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder); 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder; 1 teaspoon garam masala; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; Basmati rice or roti, for serving

Recipe from Romy Gill

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Published May 30, 2021

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(351)
Comments: Read comments

This recipe for a simple jackfruit sabzi comes from the British chef Romy Gill, who adapted much of her Punjabi family’s vegetarian home cooking for her book “Zaika: Vegan Recipe from India.” In Burnpur, where Ms. Gill grew up, jackfruit grew wild on the trees around her home, and her mother worked with an oiled knife to take apart the heavy, unwieldy fruit. But in England, where she lives now, Ms. Gill reaches for canned jackfruit. Make sure to pick vegetal, unripe jackfruit in brine — rather than sweet, ripe jackfruit in syrup — then drain the pieces, breaking up any large ones until bite-size, and add them to the pan. Serve the sabzi with rice, roti, or, as Ms. Gill often does for her daughters, rolled up in a big, tender wrap. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: The 100-Pound Fruit That Vegans Love

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

3tablespoons neutral oil, like sunflower
1teaspoon black mustard seeds
1yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1sprig curry leaves
1(20-ounce) can jackfruit pieces in brine, drained (about 10 ounces)
2beefsteak or large Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
1teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
1teaspoon garam masala
½teaspoon ground turmeric
1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Basmati rice or roti, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, stir in the onion and curry leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.
Step 2
Add the jackfruit (breaking up any large pieces with your fingers), tomatoes, spices and salt, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has evaporated and the jackfruit is coated in a thick sauce. Taste for salt, and add more if needed. Allow to cool slightly, and serve with rice or roti.

Ratings

4 out of 5

351 user ratings

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Comments

Prakash Nadkarni4 years ago

RE: Working with fresh jackfruit - The three essential things you need are a sharp knife, vegetable oil (to grease your hands and prevent the sticky sap/latex from adhering to them) and patience to remove the pods one by one. Jackfruit's cousin, breadfruit, which originated in New Guinea, has been eaten as a staple starch for millenia. Brining is unnecessary. The seeds are edible after roasting, with a flavor resembling chestnuts.

Manu Anand4 years ago

I’d say, don’t bother! Even in India most home cooks never buy uncut jackfruit. They buy it already cut with the thick skin removed by the vendor. It takes a special skill to remove the skin. If you really want to take it on, there are YouTube videos you may want to check out first. In my experience , most uncut jackfruit sold in the west is already in the ripening stage. This means some of the flesh has become yellow and sweet and hence no longer meant to be cooked as a vegetable.

Shuchi Kapila4 years ago

It's one of the dishes I miss most while living in the US. My Punjabi mother makes it either like a dry sabzi or in a tangy yogurt sauce that clings to the jackfruit. There is nothing quite like it.

Tobias2 years ago

Tasty recipe, although I recommend steering clear of canned jackfruit with added sugar as it made the dish too sweet

ilina3 years ago

Guess it took me 10 minutes to gather and prep the ingredients - this dish took me 30 minutes from start to end. Hopefully it's not an abomination for me to have added a can of chickpeas to make a nutritionally more complete dish. Ratcheted up the amount of spices a little. Used a combo of ghee and oil. A squeeze of lemon at the very end was nice! Easy, quick, nutritious, filling, and tasty.

Cherelle3 years ago

Made this with my Indian husband and MIL tonight. Absolutely delicious! Just a few slight adjustments: -Added curry leaves before onions to cook for a few seconds -Added turmeric with onions instead of with the other spices -Broke up the Trader Joe’s canned jackfruit by hand and removed a few seeds -Used a can of tomatoes instead of fresh My husband wanted to double the amchur, but I’m so glad we didn’t. It’s definitely tangy/acidic already. This was so quick, easy, and delicious!

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