Easy Jackfruit Seed Curry
If you happen to get your hands on a jackfruit, please don’t throw the seeds away. Instead, wash, boil and peel them and then use them in this hearty and filling Easy Jackfruit Seed Curry.
To me, this year seemed to start off with more jackfruit sightings than any other.
My social media accounts were filled with posts and videos about my friends’ run-ins with the delicious pods and incredibly sticky flesh and ominous seeds of the humble jackfruit.
Now, while jackfruit might not be a popular or easily available fruit here in America, it was plentiful in Sri Lanka, where I grew up.
If you haven’t ever come face to face with a jackfruit – it can be a bit intimidating.
It’s HUGE – with some weighing in at 80 lbs!
Jackfruit is a tad bit spiky.
And, some people say the ripened ones have a rather odd odor.
Now, I might have olfactory issues, but, I tend to think their aroma is kinda intoxicating!
When I was younger, I seemed to eat jackfruit all the time. There was young (unripened) jackfruit curry, jackfruit chips, and even jackfruit ice cream! My mom would even make a mean roasted jackfruit seed dry curry.
But, after I moved away from Sri Lanka to countries where jackfruit was less popular, I kinda forgot about it. Outta sight outta mind – right?!
Well, recently I happened on a some cut up chunks of ripe jackfruit at the Dekalb Farmers Market and brought some home so my daughter could get her first taste of it.
We cut the sweet pods out and enjoyed some of them plain and some of them in this Mango and Jackfruit Shake I shared on Facebook.
When all we had left were the jackfruit seeds, I figured I’d attempt to make them into a jackfruit seed curry.
What are the ingredients needed?
You only need the following 9 ingredients along with some oil and some salt and pepper:
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- onion,
- garlic,
- ginger,
- water,
- tomato paste,
- coconut milk,
- garam masala,
- jackfruit seeds,
- fresh spinach,
How to cook jackfruit seeds?
Place the jackfruit seeds in a pan, add enough water into the pan to cover the jackfruit seeds.
Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil.
Lower heat to medium and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Let the jackfruit seeds cool, and when they are cool enough to handle, pat them dry and slowly peel off the outer white covering.
The peeling of the jackfruit seeds is a labor-intensive process so I convinced my daughter to help.
Then I simply added in a plethora of spices along with garlic, onions, ginger, tomato paste, coconut milk and spinach and crossed my fingers and hoped it would be edible.
When it was done, my daughter and I dug in, and I gotta say, while this jackfruit seed curry doesn’t taste like my mom’s, it sure was delicious and hearty! We enjoyed this curry over a couple of days with rice and roti.
I am hoping if you happen to pick up a jackfruit, you save those seeds and hopefully give this Easy Jackfruit Seed Curry a try. But, if you cannot get your hands on some fresh jackfruit seeds, I’ve started seeing frozen jackfruit seeds pop
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp coconut milk
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 cups jackfruit seeds
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the jackfruit seeds in a pan, add enough water into the pan to cover the jackfruit seeds. Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Let the jackfruit seeds cool, and when they are cool enough to handle, pat them dry and slowly peel off the outer white covering. Peeling the seeds is a bit tedious, but, worth it.
- Then, add the olive oil to a pan and add the onion to it. Let onion saute for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, peeled jackfruit seeds, water, tomato paste, and garam masala and mix well and let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, over medium / low heat.
- Then add in the coconut milk and spinach, and gently stir until spinach is wilted.
- Season with salt and pepper and remove from the stovetop.
- Enjoy this Jackfruit Seed Curry with rice, naan, chapati or some Sri Lankan roti.
Notes
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Nutrition
Delicious recipe. Doubled it. Layered the flavors a bit more by frying the garlic, ginger and tomato paste before adding the rest of the ingredients. Also let it simmer a bit longer than suggested. Next time I’ll add salt when I add the water and seeds rather than seasoning at the end. Loved it. Served it with spiced rice with peas. Thanks for sharing the recipe! Feels great to use all the parts of the jackfruit.
i made this today and it was absolutely heavenly. my dad, who dislikes jackfruit seeds, LOVED this! i added a teaspoon of cumin powder to this, and made sure to bloom all the spices in the oil – it really sends it through the roof. i will definitely be making this again, thanks for the recipe!
Curry is nice but jackfruit seeds don’t add much. Would have been better with the seeds cut up and chicken added in, maybe two cups of spinach. Seeds could have been roasted instead of boiled to make peeling easier.
It worked!
Jackfruit Curry process is badly advised
Jackfruit Curry process is badly advised
I have been looking for a way to use the jackfruit seeds I stored, and this was delicious! I added some lemon juice after plating it, to make it more mouth watering. Definitely a recipe to save!!
I love jackfruit and your way of making curry with all that masala is so delicious…
It was really a mouth watering recipe, thank u so much fr sharing this. thanks fr the photos of recipe it really makes mouth water after looking at these pics and it induced me to prepare this dish.
It was really a mouth watering recipe, thank u so much fr sharing this. thanks fr the photos of recipe it really makes mouth water after looking at these pics and it induced me to prepare this dish.
Well, I’m not really familiar with jackfruit, and I also belong to the category considering its flavor to be a little…peculiar:) But I do love this curry idea. I woud have never thought these seeds are edible – nice one!
I sometimes see jackfruit in specialty markets. Never in the supermarket, alas. Anyway, this looks like a wonderful dish — thanks!
I keep meaning to try jackfruit after seeing so many delicious recipes for it on the inter-webs!! haha This one included! I wish I had this waiting for me for dinner today after work!
So jackfruit is definitely a new one on my radar, Shashi! But I love that you can use the flesh for one recipe and then the seeds for another. Talk about using every bit of the fruit! So your comment about the smell of jackfruit reminds me about Laura’s stories of the durian. I just googled it, and it looks like the durian and jackfruit are similar, but not the same. Either way, I’ll have to keep an eye out at our local Asian market for jackfruit…and I’ll keep my nose pinched closed the whole time. haha! Thanks so sharing this yummy curry idea, my friend!
I would love to come and taste this curry Shashi!
I think its the only way I’ll ever to be able to taste jackfruit as I’ve never seen it before.
Next time I go travelling in Africa, I’ll see if I can spot it! I’m not sure if they’ll have it there? But I’m on a mission now!
I’ve seen jackfruit all over the interwebs, but I’ve never seen it in the grocery store or eaten it before! BUT, it’s definitely on my list! I’m one of those people who will eagerly try anything new! Loving this curry, Shashi! It looks packed with flavor and super delicious! Now I just gotta find me some jackfruit….. 😉 Cheers, friend! XO
Jack fruit is one of my favorite fruits and loved eating it whilst in Asia. I have never tried cooking the seeds before… very interesting. Do they get tender? Your curry looks delicious with all of the spices!
I’ve never seen a jackfruit before and wouldn’t even know what it tastes like, but I’m sure that if you say that it’s really good, then it is 🙂 And this girl absolutely LOVES curry so bring it on! Gotta love that spice! I bet these smells amazing as it good and I’d want extra sauce to dunk to naan into to soak all that deliciousness up! Now, next time I’m at the grocery, I’ll have to keep an eye out for! Have a wonderful week, Shashi! XOXO
Didn’t even know that jackfruit seeds are edible…wonder how they taste like. The curry sauce looks fantastic!