Jackfruit Biryani

Ingredients:

For the rice:
300g basmati rice
2 tsp fine sea salt
Juice of ½ lime
For the jackfruit
2 x 400g tins jackfruit (about 500g drained weight)
10g garlic paste
10g ginger paste
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp deggi mirch chilli powder
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

For the biryani base:
150g baby new potatoes
250 vegetable oil
2 crispy fried onions, (sliced into half-moons and fry in 250ml vegetable oil for 15 minutes)
10g garlic paste
10g ginger paste
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp deggi mirch chilli powder
1½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp garam masala
20ml lime juice
150g full-fat Greek yoghurt
2 green chillies, sliced into strips
3cm fresh root ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
6 mint leaves, roughly chopped
25 coriander leaves

For the topping:
30g sultanas
30g butter
3 tbsp double cream
1 generous pinch saffron, toasted, cooled, mixed in 2 tbsp boiling water

Method:

Begin by soaking the rice. Put the rice into a large bowl and cover generously with water. Using your fingers, gently move the rice around in the water to remove the starch, being careful not to break up the grains. Let the rice settle, then pour off the water. Repeat twice more, each time with fresh water, then cover again with fresh water and leave to soak for 45 minutes.

To prepare the jackfruit, drain, then pat dry with kitchen paper and cut the larger pieces in half. In a large bowl, combine the garlic and ginger pastes with the salt, turmeric, chilli powder and a tbsp of water, then coat the jackfruit in this mixture and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, add to a pan of boiling, salted water and cook until almost tender (15-20 minutes). Drain and pat dry, then set aside.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas mark 6). Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or other suitable deep, heavy-based pan to 170C (335F). Deep fry the marinated jackfruit in the hot oil, in two batches, if necessary, until golden brown and crisp all over (about 10 minutes) then drain on kitchen paper. Add the drained potatoes to the hot oil, fry for five minutes, then drain on kitchen paper.

Combine all of the biryani base ingredients, including the fried potatoes, in a biryani cooking pot, add the jackfruit and stir to combine. Set aside.

Drain the rice when the soaking time is up. Pour 2l (8 cups) of boiling water into a large pan and add 2 tsp of salt and the lime juice. Tip the rice into the pan and stir well. Boil until it is three-quarters cooked, which should take four minutes from the time the rice went into the pan – you can tell that it’s at this stage by taking a grain between your forefinger and thumb, and pressing down on it with your nail: it should still be slightly firm and break into five or six pieces. Drain the rice; you don’t need to shake it completely dry, because a little extra moisture helps during cooking.

Add the rice to the biryani, spreading it out on top of the jackfruit, and scatter with sultanas.

In a small pan, or very quickly in the microwave, warm the butter and cream until the butter melts, then trickle this and the saffron water on to the rice. Cover tightly with two layers of foil and a lid, put on a high heat for two to three minutes, until you hear the marinade start to sizzle, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Leave the biryani to stand, still covered, for 10 minutes before serving.