Jackfruit Sabzi

Recipe from Romy Gill

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Published May 29, 2021

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(361)
Comments
Read comments

This recipe for a simple jackfruit sabzi comes from the British chef Romy Gill, who adapted much of her Punjabi family’s vegetarian home cooking for her book “Zaika: Vegan Recipe from India.” In Burnpur, where Ms. Gill grew up, jackfruit grew wild on the trees around her home, and her mother worked with an oiled knife to take apart the heavy, unwieldy fruit. But in England, where she lives now, Ms. Gill reaches for canned jackfruit. Make sure to pick vegetal, unripe jackfruit in brine — rather than sweet, ripe jackfruit in syrup — then drain the pieces, breaking up any large ones until bite-size, and add them to the pan. Serve the sabzi with rice, roti, or, as Ms. Gill often does for her daughters, rolled up in a big, tender wrap. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: The 100-Pound Fruit That Vegans Love

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like sunflower

  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

  • 1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

  • 1 sprig curry leaves

  • 1 (20-ounce) can jackfruit pieces in brine, drained (about 10 ounces)

  • 2 beefsteak or large Roma tomatoes, finely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)

  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder

  • 1 teaspoon garam masala

  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • Basmati rice or roti, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 4 servings)

26 grams carbs; 204 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 370 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 16 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, stir in the onion and curry leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.

  2. Step 2

    Add the jackfruit (breaking up any large pieces with your fingers), tomatoes, spices and salt, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has evaporated and the jackfruit is coated in a thick sauce. Taste for salt, and add more if needed. Allow to cool slightly, and serve with rice or roti.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
361 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Prakash Nadkarni

RE: Working with fresh jackfruit - The three essential things you need are a sharp knife, vegetable oil (to grease your hands and prevent the sticky sap/latex from adhering to them) and patience to remove the pods one by one. Jackfruit's cousin, breadfruit, which originated in New Guinea, has been eaten as a staple starch for millenia. Brining is unnecessary. The seeds are edible after roasting, with a flavor resembling chestnuts.

Manu Anand

I’d say, don’t bother! Even in India most home cooks never buy uncut jackfruit. They buy it already cut with the thick skin removed by the vendor. It takes a special skill to remove the skin. If you really want to take it on, there are YouTube videos you may want to check out first. In my experience , most uncut jackfruit sold in the west is already in the ripening stage. This means some of the flesh has become yellow and sweet and hence no longer meant to be cooked as a vegetable.

Shuchi Kapila

It's one of the dishes I miss most while living in the US. My Punjabi mother makes it either like a dry sabzi or in a tangy yogurt sauce that clings to the jackfruit. There is nothing quite like it.

Nancy S

Late to the party, but really liked this very easy curry. I used a bit of green curry paste instead of leaves for home economic reasons (can only get fresh leaves in large quantity). One could add hard boiled eggs to good effect.

Amy H

I enjoyed this quite a bit more than the jackfruit curry recipe. This was simple and flavorful. I would make it again.

Tobias

Tasty recipe, although I recommend steering clear of canned jackfruit with added sugar as it made the dish too sweet

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from “Zaika: Vegan Recipes from India” by Romy Gill (Seven Dials, 2019)

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.