Tender Jackfruit (Kathal) Dum Biriyani

This is a very delicious preparation. During the season, the tender jackfruit can be skinned, cut into large chunks and pressure cooked for 5 to 6 minutes. I keep these in the refrigerator to make different preparations.

         Biriyani served with roasted papad, tomato onion raita and chilli garlic in lemon juice

Ingredients

For marination

200 grams cooked tender Jackfruit  cut into chunks

¾ cup Yogurt

2 tbsps Ginger garlic paste

¼  tsp turmeric powder

½  tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp  Garam masala powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt  to taste

For biriyani

1 cup rice – I use sona masuri rice, soaked in water for ten minutes

2 tbsp ghee

2 onions sliced thin

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 cardamoms

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 Star anise

2 green chillies

2 tbsps cut coriander leaves

Some mint leaves

Salt  to taste

1 tablespoon Ghee

Some yellow food color 

To garnish

Some cashew nuts toasted in ghee

Fried onions

Insstruction

-          Heat oil in a kadai on low heat, fry onions until they turn into brown colour. Drain and keep on kitchen tissue paper .

-          While the onion is getting fried, marinate the cooked tender jackfruit chunks with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, ginger garlic paste , yoghurt, salt, lemon juice, and keep aside.

-          Boil water in a saucepan with salt. Add the soaked and drained rice and all the spices, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, star anise, green chillies and cinnamon stick.

-          Cook the rice until 70 % done. I cook soaked sona masuri normally for ten minutes, here I did for 7 minutes.  Drain the rice and keep aside

Assembling the biriyani

-          Smear ghee on a deep, wide pan, sprinkle some fried onions, mint leaves and coriander leaves.

-          Now spread the marinated jackfruit chunks.

-          Add the 70% cooked rice, pour 1 tablespoon of ghee, spread mint leaves, coriander leaves , some fried onions (leave some fried onions for garnishing).

      Pour some yellow food color on the surface in three four areas

-         Cover the pan with aluminium foil and keep on low flame for 15 minutes.

-          Remove the aluminium foil, lightly fluff up the biriyani.

-          While serving, garnish with toasted cashew nuts and fried onions.

-          Serve with tomato onion raita, pickle and papad.