Raw jackfruit (kathal / halasinakayi)

कच्चा कटहल · ಹಲಸಿನಕಾಯಿ · பலாக்காய் · ചക്ക · এঁচোড়

Fresh Produce

Cooked as a vegetable, not a fruit — palya and sambar in Karnataka, kathal ki sabzi in the north, and a Bengali dish that treats it as a meat substitute. Dense and fibrous, it holds its shape through long cooking.

Choosing it

Buy it young, when the skin spikes are still soft and close together and the flesh inside is uniformly pale. Once the seeds have hardened it is on its way to being a fruit and will not cook down evenly. Most sellers will cut and clean it for you, which is worth accepting.

Storing it

Cut jackfruit browns and dries quickly — use it the day you buy it, or keep the pieces under water in the fridge for a day.

If you cannot get it

Sold cleaned and cubed in most South Indian markets in season, and canned in brine elsewhere. Canned is softer and needs much less cooking.