Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.


This is a classic Bengali recipe for a curry of jackfruit and onion balls served in a spiced gravy.

Ingredients:

For the Koftas:
500g raw jackfruit (without the seeds)
1 large onion, finely diced
2 green finger chillies
2 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp Amchoor (mango) powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt and hot chilli powder, to taste
oil for deep frying

For the Curry:
3 tbsp groundnut oil
4 large tomatoes, blanched, peeled and sliced
2 large onions, sliced into slivers
200g thick yoghurt (or curds)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp brown sugar
salt and hot chilli powder, to taste
3 bay leaves (Indian bay leaves preferably)
Coarsely chopped coriander leaves, to garnish

Method:

Peel the jackfruit and cut into pieces. Arrange these in a steamer basket and steam for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Remove the seeds (reserve these for another dish).

Place the jackfruit flesh in a food processor with the chillies and process until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and mix with the onion, spices, chickpea flour and salt and hot chilli powder, to taste.

In the meantime, heat oil in a wok or deep fryer to 180°C. Once the oil is hot, shape the jackfruit mixture into small balls and drop, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Fry for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until nicely browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper as you cook the next batch.

Once all the koftas have been cooked, prepare the gravy base for the curry.

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok or large pan. Add the bay leaves and onions and fry for about 6 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown. Add the tomatoes along with the salt, sugar, yoghurt (or curds) and fry briefly. Sprinkle over all the spices (except the garam masala) and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes break down and the oil floats to the surface of the sauce.

At this point add 400ml water and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue boiling for 5 minutes then add the fried koftas. Continue boiling gently for 5 minutes more, until the koftas are thoroughly heated through.

Turn into a serving dish, sprinkle over the garam masala and coriander leaves then serve.

This curry can either be served over a bed of rice, or it can be served accompanied by flatbreads.