Our kathal biryani recipe is a delicious, mildly spiced, dum biryani made with unripe jackfruit (called kathal in Hindi).
Tender raw jackfruit is marinated in a mixture of garlic-ginger-onion pastes and spice powders in this jackfruit biryani recipe, cooked with yogurt and traditional biryani whole spices, then layered with masala rice and cooked on dum till perfect.
Raw jackfruit, unlike the ripe fruit, has a meaty appearance and texture. Indeed, it has been called the poor man’s meat and dubbed vegetarian meat in Bengal.
This faux-meat vegetable is an excellent substitute for meat not only because of its appearance and texture, but also because of its ability to soak up flavours and spices.
It allows one, as in this veg kathal biryani recipe, to recreate the complex flavour, delicious taste, and enticing aroma of delectable real-meat biryani without compromising on any essential culinary attribute.
The use of vegetables to mimic non-vegetarian tastes and flavours in a variety of dishes is a well-established practice in Hindu households aimed at circumventing the prohibition of meat on certain days of the week or during festive or religious occasions. The Kayastha community, for example, excels in this culinary art of substitution and reinvention.
Our fool-proof jackfruit biryani recipe or kathal ki biryani allows vegetarians to enjoy the taste, aroma, and flavours of meat biryani without guilt.
Our kathal biryani recipe pretty much follows the same process used for making mutton biryani, the only major difference being the substitution of kathal for mutton.
Good jackfruit biryani requires a fruit that has started to open up a bit and one that is sufficiently fibrous so it can soak up the flavours of the masalas. Jackfruit that is too young to eat, one with no seeds, and one with too tender a core will not make a good jackfruit biryani.
It’s best to cube the flesh of the jackfruit and layer with the rice, just like in a meat biryani.
When cut, jackfruit produces a sap or latex, which is sticky and stains. As a precaution, before cutting jackfruit, apply generous amounts of coconut oil to your hands and grease the knife and the cutting board as well. This makes it easier to cut the fruit and prevents hands and kitchen utensils from being stained.
Cut the jackfruit in half. Remove and discard the outer thorny green skin and the center stalk.
Start cutting the jackfruit into 1½-inch cubes or medium-sized chunks.
If using store-bought jackfruit that has already been chopped, rinse the pieces in water.
Garnish with fried green chillies, toasted cashew nuts, coriander leaves, and birista (crispy fried onions).
Serve jackfruit biryani with pomegranate raita, tamatar mirch, kachumber, and korma, along with pickle and papad.
Learn how to make Kathal Biryani at home in your kitchen with this kathal biryani recipe video from Yummefy.
You may also like:
Veg Tahiri
Veg Dum Biryani
Tomato Rice
Aloo Chutney Pulao
Paneer Biryani
Corn Biryani
Jackfruit Curry | Kathal ki Sabzi