Khattar (jackfruit) curry

The yellow flesh of a ripe jackfruit is intensely sweet with a scented flavour and a slightly crisp and fibrous texture. On the other hand, the unripe green jackfruit, which is used as a vegetable, has a 'neutral' flavour, but when cooked with spices, takes on an almost meaty taste. Here is my mother's recipe for khattar or jackfruit curry.

Ingredients

• • 500g jackfruit flesh, sliced finely*

  • 2 dstsp oil, divided

  • 1 large onion, sliced and divided into three portions

  • 2 plump cloves of garlic

  • 1 tsp of grated ginger

  • Chilli to taste

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

  • 3 to 4 tsp curry powder

  • Salt to taste

  • 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds

  • 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

Method

• 1. Grind the garlic, chilli and giner to a paste.

  2. Heat 1 dstsp oil. Add one third of the sliced onion and the paste and cook until the onion starts to soften.

  3. Add the jackfruit, the second portion of onion, turmeric, curry powder and salt. Stir well, then add about 1 and 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil and simmer covered until the liquid is absorbed. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. In another small pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the mustard seeds and once the seeds pop, add the grated coconut. Cook stirring until the coconut is nicely toasted.

  5. Add the coconut mixture to the jackfruit. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

  6. Remove from heat.

* Cleaning jackfruit is a time consuming task. Simple step by step instructions on how to clean green jackfruit may be found at: http://dishingwithdivya.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/process-to-clean-tender-jackfruit.html. Go one step further and cut each piece into thin slices.