Kathal Biryani | Jackfruit Biryani
This biryani featuring raw, unripe jackfruit offers a gentle spiciness and delicate flavor profile, reminiscent of meat, within its vegetarian composition. Crafted using jackfruit (kathal), basmati rice, yogurt, as well as an array of herbs and spices, this dish presents a harmonious blend of textures and tastes.
Ingredients
For The Rice
- 1.5 cups basmati rice
- 4 cups water for cooking the rice
- water for soaking the rice
- one single strand of mace
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 1 tejpatta (indian bay leaf)
- salt as required
For Jackfruit Biryani Gravy
- 300 to 350 grams raw unripe jackfruit or about 3 cup chopped jackfruit (kathal)
- 1 cup full fat curd (yogurt)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- a single strand of mace
- a small piece of stone flower (patthar ke phool or dagad phool or kalpasi)
- 3 green cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon shah jeera (caraway seeds)
- 2 medium to large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1.5 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
- 1.5 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
- 3 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 garlic cloves +1 green chili – crushed to a paste in mortar pestle or in a small grinder or magic bullet.
- 1.5 to 2 cups water
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparing Rice
- First rinse the rice till the water runs clear of the starch.
- Then soak the rice in enough water for 30 mins.
- Boil 4 cups of water in a pan or pot.
- Drain the rice and then add it to the boiling water.
- Add all the whole spices – mace, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and tejpatta.
- Season with salt and cook the rice till the grains are 3/4th cooked. Drain and keep the rice aside.
- Once the all the steam has gone from the rice, cover the rice.
Chopping Jackfruit
- Now apply oil on your palms, knife and chopping board.
- Chop the jackfruit and remove the seeds.
- Whilst chopping, keep on adding the chopped jackfruit in a pan or a large bowl of water so that they don’t darken.
- If using chopped jackfruit already brought from outside, then rinse them in water.
- The seeds can be added to vegetable dishes or in sambar or stir fries.
Preparing Jackfruit Gravy For Biryani
- Heat ghee in a dutch oven or a pot.
- Add all the whole spices – mace, stone flower, cinnamon, cloves, caraway seeds, cardamoms. Saute for some seconds till fragrant.
- Add the sliced onions and fry them till they begun to get caramelized or golden.
- When the onions begin to get golden, remove half of the onions and drain them on paper towels.
- Add ginger, garlic and green chili paste. Saute for a few seconds till the raw aroma goes away.
- Then add the tomatoes, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Saute for 1 to 2 mins.
- Add both the spice powders – red chili powder and turmeric powder
- Add the chopped jackfruit. Stir and saute for 7 to 8 mins. Then add the beaten yogurt.
- Stir and add water. Add salt and cover the pot with its lid.
- Simmer the gravy till the jackfruit is cooked and tender.
- If the water dries up while cooking, then you can add some water.
- Also soak saffron in warm milk and keep aside.
Assembling The Kathal Biryani
- In the same dutch oven or pot, on top of the jackfruit gravy, add half of the fried onions.
- Spread a second layer of rice. Add all the rice in this layer.
- If you want you can make 4 layers. Then you will have to make these layers in another pan or pot.
- Sprinkle the saffron flavored milk along with the saffron threads, rose water or kewra water on the rice. Also dot with ghee.
Cooking Kathal Ki Biryani
- If dum cooking on stove top – heat a tava or griddle. When the tava becomes hot, lower the flame. Place a moist kitchen napkin or towel on the pot covering it. Then place the lid tightly. The moist napkin or towel should not touch the biryani. Keep the pot on the tava and dum cook for 25 to 30 mins on a low flame.
- If baking in oven – cover the lid of the dutch oven tightly. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c. Place the dutch oven in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 mins.
- Once done, allow the jackfruit biryani to stand for 7 to 8 minutes. Later serve the kathal biryani hot or warm with raita or yogurt, pickle and papad.
- You can also serve it with bagara baingan or biryani salan.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!