First rinse the rice till the water runs clear of the starch.
Then soak the rice in enough water for 30 mins. After 30 mins, drain and keep the rice aside.
chopping jackfruit
Apply oil on your palms, knife and chopping board.
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.
Whilst chopping, keep on adding the chopped jackfruit in a pan or a large bowl of water so that they don't darken.
If using chopped jackfruit already brought from outside, then rinse them in water.
With a clean kitchen towel dry the chopped jackfruit before pan frying them.
The jackfruit seeds can be added to vegetable dishes or in sambar or stir fries.
frying jackfruit
Heat 2.5 tbsp oil and add the jackfruit pieces.
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.
For the next batch, add 2.5 tbsp more oil and continue to pan fry.
Drain the fried jackfruit pieces on a kitchen paper towel.
making jackfruit pulao
In the same pan, roast the cashews till golden. If some bits of oil remain, then you can also fry the cashews in it.
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.
Then add sliced onions. Saute the onions, till they become golden. Reserve about 2 tbsp of the fried golden onions.
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.
Add the drained basmati rice. Stir gently and saute for a minute.
Add water and salt. Stir and cover the pot and simmer till the rice is half cooked.
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
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, lemon juice, fried golden onions, roasted cashews, garam masala powder and ginger julienne.
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 on a low flame.
Let the kathal pulao sit for a further 5 minutes and then serve.
Serve the kathal pulao with a raita, pickle and roasted papad. You can also serve with a side vegetable salad.
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.