Extreme meat lovers may raise their eye brows because of this jackfruit biryani. Actually, they can not think beyond nonvegetarian food. When it is about biryani then they will laugh because they consider biryani is only for non-vegetarians. But once they will try this jackfruit biryani (kathal biryani) then those hates will also admit that veg biryani also can be as good as nonveg biryani. Probably that is why raw jackfruit is also called as vegetarian meat.
Perfectly ripe jackfruit is a very flavorful fruit. This fruit is native fruit in India. Most people love this awesome summer fruit. If I am not wrong then I know that it is the national fruit of Bangladesh as well as Sri Lanka too. West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Tamilnadu & Kerala produce plenty of jackfruits every year. In, West Bengal you will see there is a jackfruit tree at backyard of every alternate house in villages.
Though ripe jackfruit is a fruit but unripe raw jackfruit is consumed as a very special vegetable. I like this vegetable a lot since my childhood. My mom use to make delicious raw jackfruit curry (echorer torkari). Here echor means raw jackfruit in Bengali language. Vegetable vendors use to call it as ‘Gaachh Paatha‘ which means vegetarian meat. That echorer torkari or echorer dalna is also one of my favorite vegetarian dishes. I will definitely have this food 8-10 times every year during summer.
Also read:
Hyderabadi style burani raita
Homemade cucumber mint raita
Did you ever buy raw jackfruit? Cutting & cleaning a raw jackfruit is not an easy task unless you have practised it several times. Otherwise, you may face difficulties to cut this vegetable and clean. So that is why nowadays many vegetable vendors cut & clean this vegetable and sell. This makes it easier to cook at home without any hassle.
Okay, now coming to this kathal biryani (or Raw jackfruit biryani). This biryani is the best in all kind of vegetarian biryani. Particularly during the summer season, it is preferable because not many types of fresh vegetables are available during this season, unlike the winter season. You can have this kathal biryani with cucumber raita, fruit raita or any kind of raita what you like most.
Raw jackfruit biryani (Kathal biryani recipe)
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 5 cups water
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 3 cardamoms/elaichi
- 2 cinnamon/dalchini
- 4 cloves/laung
- 2 bay leaves/tej patta
- 400 gm small pieces of raw jackfruit
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste
- 1.5 garlic paste
- 1 large onion, cut into small pieces
- 2 medium size tomato, pureed
- 1 teaspoon shah jeera
- Pinches of jaiphal
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1.5 teaspoons red chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 1.5 tablespoons oil
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Pinches of saffron
- 1.5 teaspoons Rose water
- 1 teaspoons kewra water
- 2.5 teaspoons ghee
- Wash rice under running water, soak it in warm water for 20 minutes
- Now drain water and add rice to the boiling water in a big cooking pot
- Then add cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves & oil and cook till it is almost done but not completely cooked
- Drain water and keep rice for further use
- Clean, wash and cut raw jackfruit into small pieces and then boil in water for 10 minutes
- Drain water and keep boiled jackfruit for further use
- Heat oil in a cooking pan, now add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw aroma goes away
- Now add finely chopped onion & salt and cook till next 3-4 minutes till it turns to light brown
- Add tomato puree and mix with all other ingredients
- Then add shah jeera, jaiphal powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix all spices and cook till tomato & onion mixture releases oil
- Now add boiled jackfruit pieces and cook another 10 minutes over medium flame, add water if it is too dry and cook another few minutes
- Take warm milk in a small bowl and add saffron to it and keep it for 15 minutes
- Then in a large bowl take half of total jackfruit curry and spread it all over the bottom of the big bowl
- Now add half amount of cooked rice and spread all over the bowl in the next layer
- Then spread a few drops of saffron milk mixture, also add half amount of ghee, rose water and kewra water
- Now add another layer of jackfruit curry over the layer of rice
- Now add rest amount of cooked rice and spread all over the last layer
- Add a few drops of ghee, milk & saffron mixture, kewra water and rose water
- Now cover the bowl with a lid and seal it with flour made dough
- Now heat a tawa and place that bowl over it and cook over low or medium flame dor next 12 minutes
- Now jackfruit biryani is ready to serve
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