Jackfruit Curry Recipe makes luxurious creamy and meaty wholesome curry full of warm and aromatic Indian spices. This amazingly flavorful, cozy weeknight dinner curry uses simple pantry ingredients.
If you are someone who loves a good Indian curry, then you must try our favorite Rajma Masala , Dal Makhani and Aloo Matar aka Potato and Peas Curry. They are full of flavor and wholesome family friendly dinner curries.
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This Indian Jackfruit Recipe is
- Easy
- Full of bold flavors
- Vegan,
- Soy-free,
- Gluten-free and
- Grain-free.
I am including Instant Pot and stove top instructions to make this easy family dinner recipe that everyone will love.
This curry is one of my favorite Indian dishes because it truly warms your heart and belly from the inside out. Leftovers also taste the BEST since the flavors really develop and marry over time. Thus, this is the kind of dish I could eat on repeat and never tire of.
Kathal Ki Subzi
Jackfruit is called Kathal in Hindi. It is a famous curry in costal areas of India where tall and big Jack fruit trees are dotted everywhere.
It is popularly called as Kathal ki Subji or Masala Kathal as well as Kathal Curry which can be made as dry Turmeric Cabbage Stir-fry like dish as well as gravy type curry.
In this recipe, I show you to make a curry where young green jackfruit and potato cubes are simmered in a coconut milk based cream sauce along with warm and aromatic Indian spices.
This easy curry makes a hearty filling meal full of bright and vibrant flavors. It stores well so you can use it healthy meal prep too.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it over rice, quinoa, millet or other grain of your choice for a wholesome meal. I like this Coconut Rice and Beans recipe which accentuates the coconut flavors of the curry so well.
Sopping up the curry sauce with bread is so satisfying. You can pair it with typical Indian flatbreads like roti, naan, paratha. Even pita bread works well. Add a side of carrot ginger pickle, Green Chili Pickle or a Potato Salad for a complete square meal.
Serve it over bed of greens, along with other cut up veggies like cucumbers, radishes and carrots for a blissful Buddha bowl.
Pro Tips
- Use the best quality garam masala. Adding Amazon Affiliate links (disclaimer below) in case you want to buy it – My favorite Garam Masala
- Store the garam masala in the refrigerator instead of pantry. It keeps it fresh longer.
- If using jackfruit in the brine, make sure to rinse and dry it well. It absorbs a lot of liquid so unless you properly press and dry it, curry will get watery.
- Cut the potatoes in equal bite size pieces. It helps even cooking.
Green Raw Jackfruit
Green jackfruit is available in canned version in most Asian grocery stores, online on Amazon, specialty or natural foods stores, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
For this recipe, we need Green or Raw Jackfruit. I often buy a bunch of cans at Trader Joe’s grocery haul and store them in pantry. They have stable and long shelf life.
Tinned jackfruit is pre-cut into these little triangles, and you can easily shred them apart using your fingers or a fork.
Ingredients
- Unripe Jack Fruit and Potatoes : I am using tinned jack fruit. It is washed and shredded. Also using small cubed potatoes to make the curry more filling and hearty.
- Coconut Milk : Full fat coconut milk adds wonderful creamy texture to this wholesome curry.
- Spice Powders – This recipe requires some basic Indian spice powders such as turmeric powder, Kashmiri red pepper powder, and garam masala powder. Adjust the quantity of these spices depending upon your taste.
- Other ingredients – You will also need onion, minced ginger and garlic, cooking oil ( I use mustard or coconut oil but you can use any cooking oil you have) and salt. Fresh lemon juice and chopped cilantro brings freshness to this rich earthy curry.
Variations / Substitutions
- Instead of regular potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes, butternut squash , pumpkin, carrots or cauliflower.
- I am omitting tomatoes but you certainly can add ½ cup or more of tomato sauce for more tangy flavors.
- For additional protein, add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas, black eyed peas or paneer or tofu.
- For acid + spice infusion, I am using minced ginger, garlic and the garam masala. You can additionally use ground cumin, coriander powder as well as crushed cardamom seeds.
- Most Indian curry recipes use fresh curry leaves. You sizzle them along with cumin seeds for extra earthy flavors. If you have them easily available , do add it. You can also use bay leaves.
Instant Pot Jackfruit Curry Recipe
Plug in Instant Pot and press the Sauté setting. After it displays HOT, add the oil. After a minute, add the cumin seeds and fry for 45 seconds, tossing frequently, until they begin to sizzle.
Add the onions. Sprinkle some salt over them and cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and ginger, and garam masala powder and cook for 90 seconds. Keep stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Pour in the coconut milk, followed by the shredded jackfruit and potato cubes. Stir well to combine.
Add the ½ water to deglaze the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Press Cancel to turn off Sauté function.
Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook / Manual setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 4 minutes.
Once the cooking timer goes off, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Then move the valve from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
Open the lid. Add turmeric powder. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well.
Serve warm with rice or naan. Enjoy !
Our Popular Indian Curry Recipes
- Dum Aloo – Creamy Baby Potatoes Curry
- Palak Paneer – Spinach and Cottage Cheese Curry
- Punjabi Kadhi Pakora – Buttermilk and fritters curry
- Turmeric Lemon Rice
- Dal Palak -Spinach Lentil Curry
FAQ Section
Raw Jackfruit makes a great shredded meat substitute. It is a classic vegan riff especially on shredded chicken or pork recipes. Jackfruit similar to Cauliflower can take on pretty much any savory seasoning very well.
Green jackfruit ( also called young jackfruit) is used as a vegetable while ripe jackfruit is eaten as a fruit.
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Jackfruit Curry Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 can of 20 oz. jackfruit (in water or brine ) drained and rinsed and pulled apart / shredded
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and diced into bite size pieces.. about ½ inch
- 1 can of 13.5 oz coconut milk
- 1 large onion thinly diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1- inch piece fresh ginger minced or grated
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon red pepper powder adjust per spice tolerance
- salt per taste
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Jackfruit Coconut Curry In Instant Pot
- Plug in Instant Pot and press the Sauté setting. After it displays HOT, add the oil. After a minute, add the cumin seeds and fry for 45 seconds, tossing frequently, until they begin to sizzle.
- Add the onions. Sprinkle some salt over them and cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes.Add the minced garlic and ginger, and garam masala powder and cook for 90 seconds. Keep stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Pour in the coconut milk, followed by the shredded jackfruit and potato cubes. Stir well to combine
- .Add the ½ water to deglaze the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Press Cancel to turn off Saute function. Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook / Manual setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 4 minutes.
- Once the cooking timer goes off, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Then move the valve from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
- Open the lid. Add turmeric powder. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well. Serve warm with rice or naan. Enjoy !
Stovetop Instructions:
- Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan or kadhai or a Dutch oven over medium heat. After few minutes, add the cumin seeds and fry for 45-60 seconds, tossing frequently, until they begin to sizzle.
- Add the onions. Sprinkle some salt and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and garam masala powder, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the shredded jackfruit and chopped potato cubes and cook for few minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.
- Pour in the coconut milk and water. Bring to a simmer and then cover, lower the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft and tender.
- Remove the lid and let the curry simmer further till the liquid has reduced and thickens slightly. Turn off the heat. Stir in turmeric powder, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well. Serve with rice or naan. Enjoy !
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on July 14, 2018. It has been updated with photos and Instant Pot instructions. It is republished on 5/17/2021.
Holly Roseman
I noticed that you have cumin seeds listed in the directions, but the ingredients list doesn’t have them listed. What is the quantity please? And can you substitute ground cumin?
admin
Use 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Yes you can substitute cumin powder or ground cumin. Use 1/2 teaspoon if ground
Haley
I’m obsessed with jackfruit curry. I need to try this out!