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Tender jackfruit in Rice with Garlic & Black Pepper

One fruit which my family can’t live without is Jackfruit. We grew up eating tons of them every summer. There were days when we would eat it for all three meals a day! We eat almost all part of the fruit except for the skin. It’s also consumed in all stages. When it tender and green we use in various curries. Seeds are also cooked, eaten roasted or sun dried. We make chips out of them, fry them, make steamed cakes with rice, Dosas! I seriously think we have at least a couple dozen recipes with jackfruit! And every single one of them is very unique and tasty.

One of my favorite is small tender jackfruit! It tastes very different from the ripe fruit. The texture is very similar to meat, especially pork. It tastes sweet, fibrous and soft. Peel the skin, cut it into chunks and boil it and it’s ready for cooking. If you don’t have access to fresh jackfruit you can also use canned. For all of you outside India, you should be able to find it in most Asian/Indian stores.  Rinse the canned jackfruit well and cook till slightly tender and then proceed with the recipe.

In this recipe cooked jackfruit is tossed with rice and seasoned with lots of garlic and fresh black pepper. Use healthy oil like olive oil, coconut oil or sesame oil, it will add a lot of flavor to your rice. I used some leftover white rice in this recipe but feel free to use any other rice you have on hand. This is a great way to use up leftover rice! I garnished it with a few springs of fresh curry leaves but you can also use cilantro or flat leaf parsley. If you are new to tender jackfruit definitely try this recipe. Flavors are mild and simple, very different from the usual Asian flavors. A big bowl full of this rice makes a perfect weeknight dinner!

Fresh tender jackfruit pieces

Cook with a bit of tamarind and salt

garlic and black pepper

shred the cooked jackfruit

curry leaves

Tender jackfruit in Rice with Garlic & Black Pepper

with fragrant curry leaves

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• 1 cup shredded tender jackfruit
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 10-15 pods of garlic
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt
• Curry leaves, cilantro or flat leaf parsley

Clean and cook the jackfruit. I used fresh jackfruit so I boiled it with some salt and a tiny bit of tamarind. Tamarind helps retain the white colour of jackfruit. If you are using canned, just drain all the liquid and rinse it well. Then boil it with a pinch of salt till tender. Once it’s cooked, cut the rubbery middle section of the jackfruit out and shred the flesh completely.

Crush 10-15 pods of garlic. I love garlic and use lots of it in my recipes but you can use half of it if this sounds too much

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and fry till slightly golden. Add the fresh ground black papper. Again! Lots of it. Since these are the only two spices used in the recipe I like it to strong. Now add the jackfruit and cooked rice and mix well. Add enough salt and sprinkle some fresh green herbs on top. I used a couple of springs of curry leaves.

Serve hot for a satisfying meal.