jackfruit pulao or kathal pulao recipe with step by step photos – a dum cooked recipe of pulao made with unripe raw jackfruit.
on occasions i buy, both ripe and unripe jackfruit during its season. we consume the ripe sweet jackfruit plain as it is. with the raw jackfruit, i usually make kathal biryani or a curry/sabzi.
this jackfruit pulao is a fragrant & mild pulao. the dum cooking technique is used here towards the end and this results in a flavorful and delicate pulao.
the entire pulao is made in a pot and so you don’t need a pressure cooker. you have to cook the jackfruit first. either you saute, steam or deep fry them. i have pan fried them.
i would have cooked this kathal pulao the way i usually cook pulaos with some experimentations, if i had not read this recipe in the book – ‘on the butter chicken trail‘ [India | US].
the recipe has been largely modified in terms of the proportion and the ingredients i had at home. what i liked particularly about this recipe, was the dum cooking technique implemented towards the end.
when it comes to dum cooking, i choose a simple method. i place a moist kitchen towel on the pot and then cover with its lid. i also place the pan on a hot tava/griddle and let the pulao/biryani cook on a low flame. sometimes i also bake in the oven. please note the dum cook method shown here can also be done in the oven.
the kathal pulao goes very well with onion tomato raita or plain yogurt, accompanied by pickle and roasted papad by the side.
step by step jackfruit pulao or kathal pulao recipe:
1. heat 2.5 tbsp oil and add the jackfruit pieces.
2. pan fry till the jackfruit pieces are light golden and cooked. for the next batch, add 2.5 tbsp more oil and continue to pan fry.
3. drain the fried jackfruit pieces on a kitchen paper towel.
4. to fry 400 gms of chopped jackfruit, i have used 5 tbsp oil. all the oil gets over when frying the jackfruit. in the same pan, roast the cashews till golden. if some bits of oil remain, then you can fry the cashews in it.
5. in a large pot, heat ghee. add the whole spices and saute till they are fragrant.
6. add sliced onions.
7. also rinse & soak the basmati rice in enough water for 30 mins. after 30 mins, drain and keep the rice aside.
8. saute the onions, till they become golden. reserve about 2 tbsp of the fried golden onions.
9. add ginger-garlic paste and red chili powder. stir and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
10. add the drained basmati rice. stir gently and saute for a minute.
11. add water and salt. stir and cover the pot and simmer till the rice is half cooked.
12. the half cooked rice grains below. it takes about 10-12 minutes for the rice to get half cooked on a low flame.
13. switch off the fire. and then on top of the half cooked rice, make a layer of the fried jack fruit evenly. also top with slit green chilies, chopped mint leaves/coriander leaves, fried golden onions, roasted cashews, lemon juice, garam masala powder and ginger julienne.
14. place a moist cotton kitchen napkin on the top taking care that it does not touch the pulao. cover the pot with its lid. place the pot on a hot tava/griddle and dum cook the pulao for 10 to 12 minutes more on a low flame. let the kathal pulao sit for a further 5 minutes and then serve.
serve the jackfruit or kathal pulao with a raita, pickle and roasted papad. you can also serve with a side vegetable salad.