jackfruit pulao or kathal pulao recipe with step by step photos – a dum cooked recipe of pulao made with unripe raw jackfruit.

on occasions i buy, both ripe and unripe jackfruit during its season. we consume the ripe sweet jackfruit plain as it is. with the raw jackfruit, i make variety of recipes like:

• kathal biryani
• kathal curry recipe
• kathal ki sabji recipe
• chakka payasam recipe

this jackfruit pulao is a fragrant & mild pulao. the dum cooking technique is used here towards the end and this results in a flavorful and delicate pulao.

the entire pulao is made in a pot and so you don’t need a pressure cooker. you have to cook the jackfruit first. either you saute, steam or deep fry them. i have pan fried them.

i would have cooked this kathal pulao the way i usually cook pulaos with some experimentation’s, if i had not read this recipe in the book – ‘on the butter chicken trail‘ by monish gujral.

the recipe has been largely modified in terms of the proportion and the ingredients i had at home. what i liked particularly about this recipe, was the dum cooking technique implemented towards the end.

when it comes to dum cooking, i choose a simple method. i place a moist kitchen towel on the pot and then cover with its lid. i also place the pan on a hot tava/griddle and let the pulao/biryani cook on a low flame. sometimes i also bake in the oven. please note the dum cook method shown here can also be done in the oven.

the kathal pulao goes very well with onion tomato raita or plain yogurt, accompanied by pickle and roasted papad by the side.

if you are looking for more pulao recipes then do check:

• paneer pulao
• tawa pulao
• matar pulao
• pulao recipe
• kashmiri pulao

jackfruit pulao or kathal pulao recipe below:

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kathal pulao recipe

jackfruit pulao - a dum cooked light and fragrant pulao made with kathal or unripe jackfruit.

course main course

cuisine north indian, punjabi

prep time 30 minutes

cook time 50 minutes

total time 1 hour 20 minutes

servings 4 to 5

author dassana amit

ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

for kathal pulao:

• 2 cups basmati rice, soaked in water for 30 minutes.
• 400 grams kathal (jackfruit ) Or 3 to 3.5 cups chopped kathal
• 2 medium sized onions - thinly sliced or 1 heaped cup of thinly sliced onions
• 1 inch ginger (adrak) + 3-4 garlic (lahsun) - made into a paste in an mortar-pestle
• 3 green cardamoms (hari elaichi or choti elaichi)
• 1 big cardamom (badi elaichi)
• 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
• 4 cloves (lavang)
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 2 to 3 strands of mace (javitri)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (shahjeera)
• 1 small piece stone flower (dagad phool) - optional
• 5 cups water
• 3 tablespoon ghee for the pulao
• 5 tablespoon oil for frying the kathal
• salt as required

for layering kathal pulao:

• 1 to 2 green chilies (hari mirch) - slit, deseed if you prefer
• 1 teaspoon chopped mint leaves or coriander leaves or a mix of both
• 10 to 12 cashews (kaju)
• 2 pinch of garam masala powder
• ½ inch ginger, julienned
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
• salt as required

how to make kathal pulao recipe

soaking rice:

1. first rinse the rice till the water runs clear of the starch.
2. then soak the rice in enough water for 30 mins. after 30 mins, drain and keep the rice aside.

chopping kathal:

1. apply oil on your palms, knife and chopping board.
2. chop the jackfruit and remove the seeds. generally we get the peel removed from the vegetable vendor. in case the peel is not removed, then you will have to slice off the peels.
3. whilst chopping, keep on adding the chopped jackfruit in a pan or a large bowl of water so that they don't darken.
4. if using chopped jackfruit already brought from outside, then rinse them in water.
5. with a clean kitchen towel dry the chopped jackfruit before pan frying them.
6. the jackfruit seeds can be added to vegetable dishes or in sambar or stir fries.

frying kathal:

1. heat 2.5 tbsp oil and add the jackfruit pieces.
2. pan fry till the jackfruit pieces are light golden and cooked. whilst frying, flip for more than a couple of times and ensure that the jackfruit are browned evenly.
3. for the next batch, add 2.5 tbsp more oil and continue to pan fry.
4. drain the fried jackfruit pieces on a kitchen paper towel.

making kathal pulao:

1. in the same pan, roast the cashews till golden. if some bits of oil remain, then you can also fry the cashews in it.

2. in a large pot, heat ghee. add the whole spices - caraway seeds, bay leaf, green & black cardamoms, cinnamon, mace strands, stone flower, cloves. saute till they are fragrant. 

3. then add sliced onions. saute the onions, till they become golden. reserve about 2 tbsp of the fried golden onions.

4. on a low flame, add ginger-garlic paste and red chili powder. stir and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
5. add the drained basmati rice. stir gently and saute for a minute.
6. add water and salt. stir and cover the pot and simmer till the rice is half cooked.

7. the half cooked rice grains is pictured in step 12 below. it takes about 10 to 12 minutes for the rice to get half cooked on a low flame.

layering kathal pulao:

1. switch off the fire. and then on top of the half cooked rice, make a layer of the fried jack fruit evenly. 

2. also top with slit green chilies, chopped mint leaves/coriander leaves, lemon juice, fried golden onions, roasted cashews, garam masala powder and ginger julienne.

3. place a moist cotton kitchen napkin on the top taking care that it does not touch the pulao. cover the pot with its lid.

4. place the pot on a hot tava/griddle and dum cook kathal pulao for 10 to 12 minutes on a low flame.

5. let the kathal pulao sit for a further 5 minutes and then serve.

6. serve the jackfruit or kathal pulao with a raita, pickle and roasted papad. you can also serve with a side vegetable salad.

recipe notes

if you plan to steam or boil the jack fruit, then ensure that they don't become mushy and soft. they should be cooked well till tender. you can also deep fry or shallow fry the jackfruit.

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step by step jackfruit pulao or kathal pulao recipe:

1. heat 2.5 tbsp oil and add the jackfruit pieces.

2. pan fry till the jackfruit pieces are light golden and cooked. for the next batch, add 2.5 tbsp more oil and continue to pan fry.

3. drain the fried jackfruit pieces on a kitchen paper towel.

4. to fry 400 gms of chopped jackfruit, i have used 5 tbsp oil. all the oil gets over when frying the jackfruit. in the same pan, roast the cashews till golden. if some bits of oil remain, then you can fry the cashews in it.

5. in a large pot, heat ghee. add the whole spices and saute till they are fragrant.

6. add sliced onions.

7. also rinse & soak the basmati rice in enough water for 30 mins. after 30 mins, drain and keep the rice aside.

8. saute the onions, till they become golden. reserve about 2 tbsp of the fried golden onions.

9. add ginger-garlic paste and red chili powder. stir and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.

10. add the drained basmati rice. stir gently and saute for a minute.

11. add water and salt. stir and cover the pot and simmer till the rice is half cooked.

12. the half cooked rice grains below. it takes about 10-12 minutes for the rice to get half cooked on a low flame.

13. switch off the fire. and then on top of the half cooked rice, make a layer of the fried jack fruit evenly. also top with slit green chilies, chopped mint leaves/coriander leaves, fried golden onions, roasted cashews, lemon juice, garam masala powder and ginger julienne.

14. place a moist cotton kitchen napkin on the top taking care that it does not touch the pulao. cover the pot with its lid. place the pot on a hot tava/griddle and dum cook the pulao for 10 to 12 minutes more on a low flame. let the kathal pulao sit for a further 5 minutes and then serve.

serve the jackfruit or kathal pulao with a raita, pickle and roasted papad. you can also serve with a side vegetable salad.

dassana amit

Founder, Designer, Recipe Developer, Food Photographer || MORE ABOUT US

i started vegrecipesofindia.com in feb 2009. it is a pure vegetarian blog and shares recipes with step by step photos that will help you to make delicious and tasty vegetarian food easily.

i am passionate about cooking from childhood and learnt cooking from my elders. having a home science degree greatly enhanced my cooking & baking skills and took it to a different level which i now share as foolproof recipes. i was trained both in mainstream indian as well as international cuisines.