AI-generated image
Cari ti jacques
Young jackfruit curry
Kari ti zak: Réunion's young jackfruit cari with turmeric, tomato and thyme (vegan version)
When the jackfruit trees around Saint-Louis and Saint-Joseph drop their small green fruit, Réunion cooks turn them into cari ti jacques, long-simmered until the flesh shreds into soft, meaty strands soaked in turmeric, tomato, garlic and thyme. The island's classic version is cooked with smoked pork, but this one leaves the meat out entirely and lets the tomato and slow cooking carry it, with a pinch of smoked paprika for the smoky note. Serve it with white rice, beans or lentils and a sharp rougail. The common mistake is stopping too early: jackfruit that is only just tender tastes rubbery, and it needs a full hour for the pieces to fall apart when pressed. Chef's tip: if you use tinned young jackfruit, rinse it well and squeeze it gently, as the brine tastes sour and metallic.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb young green jackfruit in brinedrained weight, from two 400 g tins; or 1 kg fresh, peeled and cut
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsfinely sliced
- 5 cloves garlic
- ⅔ oz fresh ginger
- 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 4 ripe tomatoeschopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 handful fresh coriander (optional)chopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (7)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅛ lb young green jackfruit in brine well under cold water, squeeze gently and cut into 3 cm pieces, trimming off any hard core. If using fresh jackfruit, oil your hands and knife first, as it is very sticky.
Step 2: Pound 5 cloves garlic and ⅔ oz fresh ginger together to a paste in a mortar.
Step 3: Heat 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 2 onions until soft and golden.
8 minStep 4: Add the garlic-ginger paste, 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric and ½ tsp smoked paprika and fry for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant and the oil turns yellow.
1 minStep 5: Add the jackfruit and stir over a medium-high heat until every piece is coated and lightly coloured at the edges.
5 minStep 6: Add 4 ripe tomatoes, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 green chillies, 1 tsp salt and 300 ml of water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on a low heat.
5 minStep 7: Cook, stirring every 15 minutes and adding a splash of water if it catches, until the jackfruit pieces fall into strands when pressed with a spoon. Mash a few of them into the sauce.
55 minStep 8: Uncover and simmer until the sauce is thick and clings to the jackfruit, then taste for salt and scatter with 1 handful fresh coriander.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cari ti jacques 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.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sayur lodehVegetables in coconut milk
Sayur lodeh is everyday cooking in Central Java, made in big pots in Solo and Semarang kitchens and ladled over rice, with lontong rice cakes at Lebaran, or alongside opor and sambal goreng on festive tables. It's soupy rather than thick: a fragrant broth of coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf that carries chunks of aubergine, long beans, chayote and sweetcorn, plus tempeh and tofu to make it a meal. The flavour is mellow and slightly sweet, so the heat comes from sambal on the side. Chef's tip: keep the pot at a gentle simmer once the coconut milk goes in and stir now and then — a rolling boil splits the coconut milk into oily curds.
Indonesian
Bagara bainganBaby aubergines in peanut sesame sauce
Bagara baingan is a Hyderabadi wedding dish of small aubergines cooked whole in a dark, tangy gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame, dried coconut and tamarind. Unlike a Gujarati stuffed brinjal, the aubergines here are only quartered at the base and fried until silky, then left to soak up a thin-but-rich sauce that is finished with a tempering, the 'baghar' that gives the dish its name. It's sour, nutty and gently spiced, and is served with biryani, bagara rice or plain rice. Chef's tip: choose small, glossy purple aubergines that feel heavy for their size; soft, light ones are full of seeds and turn mushy before the gravy has a chance to cling.
Indian
Polos curryYoung green jackfruit curry
Polos is the tiny unripe jackfruit picked in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces long before it sweetens, and cooked low and slow it becomes one of the island's most loved festival curries, especially at Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April and at wedding lunches. The firm, pale flesh soaks up a very dark roasted curry powder, garlic, ginger, goraka (a smoky souring fruit) and coconut milk until it turns almost black-brown and tastes rich, sour and meaty. Fresh polos is hard to find abroad; tinned young green jackfruit in brine works well. A frequent mistake is not cooking it long enough, which leaves it squeaky; the pieces must be soft enough to break with a spoon. Chef's tip: oil your hands and knife before cutting fresh jackfruit; the sticky white sap washes off oiled skin but not dry skin.
Sri Lankan