Eating jackfruit (kathal) provides an exotic treat for your taste buds. It is also power-packed with nutrients – a typical mix of vitamins and minerals. This kathal vegetable has a meaty texture and it is full of fibre which can aid digestion. It is a filling and healthy vegan dish – thanks to its nutrition profile and rich fibre content.

Here is the simple recipe

Serves: 3

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

Kathal: 750 grams

Tomato: 500 grams

Onion: 2 (big)

Garlic: 5 cloves

Green chillies: 2

Coriander leaves: ½ cup

Fresh yogurt: 1 cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Garam masala: 1/3 tsp

Amchoor powder: ½ tsp

Oil for frying

Water: 1 cup

Method

Peel and cut kathal in big pieces around two inches long and one inch wide. Clean kathal removing the outer covering of the seeds. Seeds are edible and they taste very delicious in this vegetable. The outer hard covering of the seeds has to be removed to make the seeds easy and tasty to eat.

Wash kathal thoroughly and dry it. Heat oil in a frying pan. Deep fry kathal pieces in small batches until golden brown. Take them out on a kitchen towel. Finely chop garlic, green chillies and onion. Grind tomatoes to make a fine puree. Heat two tablespoons of oil in another deep pan. Add chopped garlic and saute for a minute. Add chopped onion and shallow fry it until golden brown. Add green chillies and tomato puree. Cook until it starts leaving oil on the sides. Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and saute for a minute. Add fried kathal pieces, one cup of water and salt.

Give a good stir and cover the pan. Let the kathal cook on low flame for 30 minutes. Uncover occasionally in between, stir and cover again to cook it properly. In the meantime beat the yogurt. Remove the lid when kathal becomes soft and add beaten yogurt. Mix well. Let it simmer on low flame for 10 minutes. Add garam masala, amchoor powder and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Turn off the flame. Serve hot with chapatti, paratha, boiled rice or pulao.

This dish can be a great vegetarian and yummy substitute for many savoury meat dishes.