Vegan Meat Masala

I know what you are thinking right now, “How can a vegan dish have meat?” ‘Well, it can”.  Jack fruit or ‘kathal‘ is one of those unique fruits that is used as a meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. When young and green, the fruit has a mild flavor and meaty texture. When ripe, it has a strong fruity flavor that can be eaten raw as a fruit or used in desserts.  In India people don’t wait for the fruit to ripen and consume it while it is still very tender. I grew up eating it in curries, pickles, semi dry dishes, and rice preparations like biryani. The fruit is rich in energy, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals and free from saturated fats or cholesterol making it more nutritious than many starchy staples. When cooked well, using  heavier spices like black cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf in the preparation, it is indeed a satisfying meat alternative.

For those unfamiliar with it, jack fruit holds the distinction of being the largest tree borne fruit on the planet. It belongs to the mulberry family and is found in abundance in warm climates of south and south east Asia. They generally  weigh from 1 – 15 kg, and are oval in shape. Their skin is covered in tiny nodules, and is green yellow in color. Once ripe, the flesh becomes creamy white, with a juicy banana pineapple like flavor. The jack fruit contains lots of large hard seeds-these can be roasted, peeled and eaten like chestnuts.

The green fruit is slightly messy and sticky and a bit of a challenge to clean and cut. You need a big sharp knife and some oil to rub between your palms while handling it. But people like me who never dared to cut a jack fruit prefers to buy the canned one. When in India, I always had my mother or our security aid’s help to cut jack fruit. The canned jack fruit is just perfect and since it is packaged in brine, it takes very little time to cook. All you have to do is to discard the water it is in, rinse it well and then lightly fry before cooking. You can skip the frying part but it tastes delicious if you do and hold well with the spicy masala.

Try this vegan meat masala for a delicious and healthy meal when entertaining or for a goodnight. Accompany with a less spicy preparation like lentil or a thin gravy dish and chapati or roll up in a tortilla or homemade sorghum chapati for a convenient lunch.

Update 2019

Instead of deep frying Jack fruit pieces you can Air Fry them. Drizzle a little oil. Air fry at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.