Jackfruit Biryani Recipe 

Jackfruit has become the new craze for those looking for a healthier, more sustainable meaty substitute than meat itself. It’s common in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Often it’s seen as a substitute in pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, its texture lending to a hearty replacement when sliced the right way. If you’ve ever seen the fruit, it can appear very bizarre – although it is increasingly easy to find in most grocery stores pre-prepared and packaged so that you have little prep work to do if cooking with it.

So what is jackfruit, anyway? It’s the largest fruit found on a tree in the entire world. It looks a little intimidating with its spiky outside and its weight of up to 50kg. Its smell is not pleasant, to be honest, and for the longest time, it was considered a weed in most parts of the world that aren’t southeast Asia. When cutting into the fruit, there are gummy, sticky coatings that cover the interior flesh so that it’s challenging to harvest and requires sorting by hand rather than mechanical processing. Yes, there aren’t many things going for jackfruit when you look at it so far…

…but demand has been surging as people realize its value as a pork replacement – as well as its abundance and the ability for farmers to cash in on the crop. It lends an excellent vegan alternative for those already on a diet, and it gives a less water-intensive source of meat-like substance for those concerned about the environment or their health. Meat production, in fact, has been found to consume incredible amounts of world resources in exchange for very little – and resulting in 14.5% of human-created greenhouse gas emissions in the world. As more and more people lean in on the ideas of plant-based protein alternatives like quinoa, nuts, and lentils, we are seeing a surge in concerns to avoid meat products and find healthy substitutes. Jackfruit is included amongst these.

From an economic standpoint, the increased demand for jackfruit has also put countries like India in a favorable position to provide jobs and exports to the USA and to Europe, especially the UK, where jackfruit is becoming especially desired. Other countries also look to invest, such as Bangladesh, Colombia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Uganda. Jackfruit’s availability is still growing, as is its demand, and other analysts have hope that its versatility won’t just mean fancy dishes and hip street food but possibly a new alternative to help feed the hungry sectors of our world. For example, in 2018, around 124 million people worldwide were suffering from acute hunger. Increasing jackfruit stores might be one way to provide more sustainable food to help feed these people, along with other crops for varied diets.

Wanting to give jackfruit a go? Try mixing it up with Indian biryani in this recipe – one that is vegetarian, but the ghee and yogurt could easily be substituted for vegan alternatives if you so desire.

Jackfruit Biryani

Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 4-5 people
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
(Total Time: 1 hr 15 min)

Ingredients for the rice:

• 1.5 cups basmati rice
• 4 cups water
• one strand of mace
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1″ cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 3c chopped jackfruit
• 1c yogurt
• 1/2 t tumeric
• 1/2 t red chili powder
• one strand of mace
• a small piece of stone flower (optional)
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 1″ cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 t caraway seeds
• 2 medium or large onions in thin slices
• 1 medium chopped tomato
• 1.5 T chopped cilantro
• 1.5 T chopped mint
• 3 T ghee
• crushed paste of 1″ ginger, 3-4 garlic cloves, and 1 green chili
• 1.5 to 2 cups water
• salt to taste

Ingredients for the layering of jackfruit:

• 1 t ghee
• 3 T milk
• 1 t rose water

Directions:

1. Prepare the rice by first washing it underwater until it runs clean to remove starches. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes before boiling 4 cups of water in a pot. Once the rice has soaked the water is boiling, add the rice plus the whole spices and some salt. Cook until three-quarters finished, drain, and set aside. Once no longer steaming, cover the rice.
2. Prepare the jackfruit by oiling your hands, knife, and cutting board. Chop the fruit, remove seeds as you go, and keep the chopped bits in a bowl of water to preserve their color. If pre-chopped, still rinse the fruit. Save the seeds if wishing to use them in another dish.
3. Make the sauce by heating the ghee in a pot or perhaps a dutch oven. Add all the whole spices and stir until they are fragrant. Add the onion slices, caramelizing them in the melted ghee and spices. When the onions become golden, remove half of them and drain them on towels. Add the paste you made to the pan and continue to stir until less pungent, then add the tomatoes, mint, and cilantro and cook another couple of minutes. Mix in the spice powders, then add the chopped jackfruit, stirring for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir the yogurt and add that to the pot along with the water and salt, then cover the pot with a lid and simmer until the fruit is tender. Add water as needed to keep the consistency good.
4. While the sauce is simmering, soak saffron in warm water on the side.
5. Begin assembling the dish by adding half of the fried onions to the top of the sauce in the dutch oven. Spread a layer of rice – up to 4 layers; then, the rest would need to go in another pan. Sprinkle the milk and saffron threads and rose water on the rice. Add extra ghee as well.
6. Preheat the oven to 180c, then place the dutch oven in it and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes. When it’s done, leave it to stand 7 to 8 minutes. You can serve the dish with any traditional sides, including papad, raita, and pickle.