Born into a family of vegetarians I am totally clueless about the flavors of meat of any kind and hence I used to wonder what makes people to have cravings for meat. So I have been looking for vegetable substitutes for meat, and then started trying out the most popular meat-based recipes like biryani, kebab, kurma, etc. using those vegetable substitutes.
Earlier I used fleshy soy meat for making biryani (you may click here for the recipe), and lately I came to know that raw jackfruit seems to be a better substitute than textured soya for its fibrous meat-like texture and mildly sweet flavour. When raw jackfruit is cut into large chunks and used along with flavorful spices, it is almost impossible to differentiate the meat & raw jackfruit even by the die-hard meat lovers. Hence it is largely beneficial to people who switched to vegan diet to satisfy their cravings for meat.
Benefits of using raw jackfruit in place of meat:
- Raw jackfruit is an inexpensive produce that can be used to replace almost any type of meat.
- It is super easy & super fast to cook this vegetable compared to meat.
- Since raw jackfruit recipes have less calories compared to meat recipes, it is useful for people on the weight-loss diet.
- Raw jackfruits are easily digestible than meat.
- It is a lot more easier & cheaper to grow jackfruit trees than raising livestock in a farm.
Now the recipe for palakkai biryani:
Ingredients:
- Basmati rice – 1 cup
- Water – 2 cups (400 ml)
- Any neutral oil – ¼ cup (50 ml)
- Bay leaf – 1 No.
- Star anise – 1 No.
- Cashew nuts (mundhri) – 15 Nos.
- Raisins (dhratchai) – 25 Nos.
- Onion – 1 No. (large)
- Tomatoes – 2 Nos.
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp (I used Kashmiri chilli powder here for its vibrant red color)
- Salt – 1 tsp
For marination:
- Raw jackfruit (palakkai) – 1 No. (small)
- Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Salt – ¼ tsp
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp
For biryani masala:
- Cinnamon stick (pattai) – ½” piece
- Cloves (krambu) – 6 Nos.
- Green cardamom (yelakkai) – 2 Nos.
- Ginger – 1″ piece
- Garlic – 10 Nos.
- Shallots (sambar vengayam) – 20 Nos.
- Mint leaves – a handful
Mise en place:
- Peel the skin of raw jackfruit and chop roughly into large chunks.
- Sprinkle chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and lemon juice over the jackfruit pieces.
- Toss them together and set aside for marination for 30 min.
- Wash rice & soak in 400 ml of water and set aside.
- Slice onion lengthwise & dice tomatoes.
- Grind all ingredients for biryani masala into a smooth paste without adding water.
Cooking Procedure:
- Heat a heavy bottom pressure cooker with oil in medium flame.
- Add bay leaf & cinnamon stick and fry for 5 seconds.
- Add sliced onion, cashew nuts and raisins.
- Saute until onion slices turn translucent.
- Add turmeric powder & red chilli powder and fry for 10 seconds.
- Add diced tomatoes and ground masala together. *
- Add salt (¼ tsp) and saute until they turn mushy & oil begins to ooze out.
- Now add marinated chunks & salt (¼ tsp) and saute until they are soft & infused with masala.
- Pour water used for soaking into the cooker and bring it to a boil in high flame.
- Add soaked rice and salt (½ tsp).
- Close the pressure cooker and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- When the pressure is released, pour (1 tsp) of ghee over the cooked rice and close the cooker for 5 min allowing the aroma of ghee nicely permeated into biryani.
- Mix gently with a wooden spatula.
- Transfer to a hot casserole.
- Serve warm biryani with onion raitha.
* If tomatoes & ground masala (like ginger-garlic paste) added together, moisture in tomatoes prevents the masala stick to the pan.
Keep on posting veg recipes. It’s truly healthy and mouth watering
Thanks so much for encouraging words.
Do you think I could use canned jackfruit? I love jackfruit as a meat sub!
I think you can, it might affect the taste marginally but definitely not the texture. Thank you.
Megala, I have also heard soya chunks substitute meat but jack fruit is totally new.
Yes, do try sometime. Thanks so much for stopping by.
I love Biriyani! 😀
My uncle has many jackfruit trees heheh 🙂
This looks so yummy!
Your posts are very detailed and step-to-step, keep it up Ms Megala 🙂
Thanks, Doni, for your kind appreciation. 🙂
My pleasure, Ms Megala 🙂
same here… I have only little idea why people crave meats. Sometimes, I even feel strange when I smell meats while eating with other friends… Is it normal that a vegetarian is not used to the smell of meats and animal products? it doesn’t bother me too much… only sometimes.
Glad that you could resonate with me. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by.
Thank you for nice recipes!
I enjoy reading your posts and (more often) cooking in your recipes. ^^
I’m doubly delighted, thanks a ton!
I have never heard or ever seen a Jackfruit :0 Thanks so much once again for so more information that I will read up on 🙂
I wish you could stumble upon this delicious fruit sometime soon. 🙂 Thank you.
Awww thank you Megala I hope so too. 🙂
Hi Megala, raw jackfruit as meat substitute is something new I’ve learnt today! Will definitely try and let you know!
Glad to hear this, thank you.
This looks delicious 🙂 My mum used to make jackfruit curry and we loved it.
Oh, nice to hear this. Thank you.
Meghana loved it. looks drooling 🙂 :yum:
Thank you. 🙂
WOw, great informative post. Good to know the usage of Jack fruit in place of meat.Nicely done!!!
Thank you.