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Jackfruit rendang
Young jackfruit and potatoes slow-cooked in coconut milk and chilli paste until dark, dry and deeply spiced
Rendang belongs to the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, who cook it for weddings, Eid and every big family gathering, stirring a wide pan for hours until the coconut milk cooks right down and fries the spices in its own oil. Minang cooks also make vegetable rendangs, and young jackfruit suits the method perfectly: its stringy texture soaks up the chilli, galangal and toasted coconut until each piece is dark brown and almost chewy at the edges. It's drier than a curry, eaten with plain rice in small portions because it's so rich. Chef's tip: once the oil separates, keep stirring over a low heat and let the paste darken to the colour of strong coffee — stopping early leaves you with a red curry, not rendang.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the spice paste
For the rendang
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ¼ lb young green jackfruit in brine, squeeze gently and pat dry. Blitz 8 shallots, 5 cloves garlic, 8 large red chillies, 1 ⅛ in ginger, 1 ⅝ in galangal and 1 ⅛ in turmeric root with 2 tbsp water to a smooth, bright red paste. Skip the squeeze and the jackfruit tastes of the tin; a lot of home cooks miss this step.
8 minStep 2: Make the kerisik: toast 1 ¾ oz desiccated coconut in a dry pan over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 5–6 minutes until evenly deep golden brown and smelling of toffee. Pound or blitz while warm until it clumps into an oily, dark paste.
7 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Fry the chilli paste with 2 stalks lemongrass, 5 makrut lime leaves, 1 turmeric leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise and 3 cloves for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and smells sweet rather than raw.
8 minStep 4: Add the jackfruit, 10 ½ oz small waxy potatoes, 3 ¼ cups coconut milk, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tbsp palm sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer, uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes.
5 minStep 5: Simmer for about 35 minutes, until the sauce is reduced to a thick gravy and the potatoes are tender. Stir in the kerisik.
35 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low and keep stirring and scraping the pan for 15–20 minutes more as the oil separates out and the paste fries. It's ready when it's dark brown, almost dry and clinging to the jackfruit, and sizzles quietly rather than bubbles. Take your time; this is where rendang gets its flavour.
18 minStep 7: Remove the whole spices and lemongrass if you like and taste for salt. Serve with rice. It tastes even better the next day and keeps 5 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jackfruit rendang take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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