This is a wonderful recipe from the state of Maharashtra and one of my personal favorites. My grandmother used to have a jackfruit tree in her garden, so I was lucky to have tasted her “Phansachi Sukhi Bhaji” (Spicy Jackfruit Stir Fry). It was absolutely delicious and she made it every time we would visit. I have tried many times to recreate her recipe, this version is pretty close.

For this particular recipe, green jackfruit or the unripe variety is needed. I am sure many of you are not very familiar with jackfruit. It is an extremely large fruit and unfortunately, very rare to find the fresh variety here in the US. I use the canned jackfruit, which is readily available in any Indian or Asian grocery store, it also makes this dish very easy to prepare. I encourage you to try this recipe, you will really enjoy this exotic delicacy!


SPICY JACKFRUIT STIR FRY (Phansachi Sukhi Bhaji)

Ingredients:

1 can of green jackfruit pieces (20 ounce size can)
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
2-3 fresh small Thai green chilies, halved lengthwise
1 cup of green peas (frozen are fine)
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp kala or goda masala (or use garam masala)
1 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
juice of ½ lime
1 tsp black mustard seeds
pinch of asafetida (hing)
3-4 fresh curry leaves
2 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

METHOD:

Drain the jackfruit, rinse well, drain again and set aside until needed. In a large karahi or wok on medium high heat, add the oil. When hot, carefully add the mustard seeds. When the splattering stops, add the ginger, garlic, green chilies, asafetida and curry leaves. Add the jackfruit pieces and gently stir, be careful not to break them up. Add the spices (turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, red chili powder, kala or garam masala and salt). Stir gently to combine and add the green peas. Reduce the heat, cover and let simmer or 4-5 minutes. Add the lime juice and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with hot chapathis and fragrant Basmati rice.

VARIATIONS:

You could make this dish using bamboo shoots instead of jackfruit. I prefer fresh bamboo shoots but the canned or frozen ones will work well in a pinch.



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