Rice ‘N’ Roti Recipes: Jackfruit

Beautiful jackfruit goes by many names - katahar in Guyana and chataigne in T&T. Us West Indians will tek anyting and curry it and jackfruit is no exception! We might as was well have curry and coconut milk running thru we veins...

Here's a finger-licking recipe for katahar/chataigne curry using coconut milk to go down with yuh roti or rice...

Ingredients:

- 2 x 565g jackfruit, drained & roughly chopped

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 400ml tin of coconut milk

- 3 cloves garlic, crushed

- 1 medium onion diced

- 4 tbsp curry powder

- 1 tbsp garam masala

- 16 prawns (optional) 

Method:

1. In a large pan, heat the oil, then add the onion.

2. Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add the curry powder, masala and a little water to form a thick paste. Fry for 3 - 5 minutes. At this point, toss in the prawns, if you're adding them.

4. Toss the drained jackfruit in the curry mixture, before adding the coconut milk and 400ml of water. 

5. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Add more water, if the liquid gets absorbed too quickly.

6. Using your spatula or a potato masher, mash the jackfruit until it gets to the consistency of pulled meat. The prawns should be fine as they will be juicy and firm by this point in the cooking process.

7. Season to taste with salt and serve with roti or rice. 

Enjoy! And mek sure yuh don't bite yuh fingers!

By Nirvana Ramtirat at Pepperpot Marinades (@pepperpot_kitchen)