Jackfruit Rendang

by Kanak Hagjer · Published June 1, 2017 · Updated November 15, 2019

One of the best curries in the world is, no doubt, rendang. I have used chicken, pork and mutton on separate occasions for this dish. But yesterday I used unripe jackfruit for rendang.

Ingredients:

700 grams jackfruit

1 star anise

1-2 tejpatta

1 stick cinnamon broken into two (I had to make do with cinnamon powder as I realized I had run out of cinnamon sticks)

10 dried chillies, soaked

4 medium onions, peeled and sliced

3 cm piece galangal, chopped

1 lemon grass stalk, finely chopped

1 thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

7-8 garlic cloves

3 tbs vegetable oil

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tender turmeric leaf

6-7 lime leaves

2 tbs curry powder (I used a mix of toasted and ground cumin and coriander)

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coarsely grated pepper

2 tsp thick soya sauce

Salt to taste

1 tsp brown sugar

A pinch of nutmeg

A pinch of ground cloves

1 tbs tamarind pulp

3 cups water

Half a cup of dried coconut

1 cup thick coconut milk (This was freshly squeezed from 1 coconut)

With jackfruit, cutting it is a little messy. I prefer to use a banana leaf to do the needful by placing it on my work top. It is easier to scoop up the discarded portions later. Newspapers can be used instead of banana leaves. Since the fruit oozes a gummy latex when cut, it is best to oil your hands and even your knife. The hard portion right in the middle needs to be removed and the thick rind peeled. Then the fruit is cut into bite-size pieces and boiled till half-done.

Here are some facts from Wiki. 100 grams of raw jackfruit provides about 95 calories and is a good source of antioxidant vitamin C. Jackfruit seeds are rich in protein. The fruit is also rich in vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, and iron.

Flowers on my galangal plant

Method:

Heat a large pan of water. Add some salt and when it starts to boil, add the cut pieces of jackfruit.
Cook till almost half done. Drain in a colander and set aside as you start with the spices.
Put the soaked chillies, ginger, galangal, lemon grass, garlic and sliced onions in a blender and grind to a paste adding the water from the soaked chillies.
Grate about 1/2 cup of coconut. Dry roast till brown. Grind and set aside.
Roll up the lime leaves and turmeric leaf and chop them fine.
In another pan, heat the oil and throw in the star anise, cinnamon sticks and tejpatta.
Add the ground spices and fry till the raw smell goes off.
Then add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pepper, curry powder, nutmeg and cloves. Stir.
Add the boiled jackfruit and continue to cook till the vegetable is soft but not mushy and well-coated with the spices. Season with salt.
Add the tamarind paste and sugar for the balance.
Add the soya sauce and stir well.
Then add the coconut paste and continue to cook till done.
By now the dish will be homogeneous and there will be hardly any water left.
Add the thick coconut milk, give it a good stir and remove from the fire.
Before serving, scatter some chopped coriander on the dish.

There will be many variations to this dish. After all it is cooked in wide geographical region. Every time I make rendang, I feel that the spices are a bit too much. But adding coconut and coconut milk in the end balances out everything so beautifully. I like it best with rice.
Other rendang recipes on my blog:
Pork rendang
Chicken rendang