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JACKFRUIT CURRY(Sri Lankan kiri kos)

Jackfruit curry is a traditional and authentic Sri Lankan dish for you to enjoy.

Jackfruit curry is also known as kirikos.

Made with creamy coconut milk, this popular curry is a must-try traditional jackfruit recipe.

One of the best foods to increase lactation for new moms.
Sri Lankan, Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten-free.

jackfruit curry cooked in a clay pot with tempered mustard, curry leaves, onions on top.

Facts about Jack Fruit you need to know.

  • Jackfruit trees are a common sight in most gardens here, once the fruit is ripe, they turn into a beautiful yellow-orange hue, giving off a sweet fragrance that is easy to recognize.
  • Jackfruit trees are a common sight in most gardens here, once the fruit is ripe, they turn into a beautiful yellow-orange hue, giving off a sweet fragrance that is easy to recognize.
  • But what’s truly amazing is the taste it takes on from a green jackfruit to a young/green jackfruit to the ripe stage of the fruit.
  • When it’s unripe, the green jackfruit tends to be quite firm in its texture which makes it easy for the fruit to withstand the high heat while it cooks.
  • This texture and the natural starch help the jackfruit to soak in the flavour from the different Sri Lankan spices we add to it.
  • And then as the jackfruit ripens, it turns into a sweet, delectable exotic fruit that you can’t help craving and falling in love with.
a close up of jack fruit curry with tempered mustard and onions over the curry.

health benefits of Jackfruit.

  • The high fibre content is good in helping to keep the digestive system healthy.
  • The high content of various nutrients helps to keep your body healthy.
  • These nutrients can be Vitamins to essential antioxidants.
  • The fruit is a good source of calories.
  • It does not contain saturated fats and no cholesterol which makes it a great energy Booster.
  • If you are anaemic then this is the fruit for you.
  • glowing skin, good eyesight, and a healthy heart add to the fruit’s benefits.
  • Did you know Jackfruit curry is so good for new moms to increase lactation?
    • If you are planning to cook for a new mom, then make a gift of this dish, especially for breastfeeding moms.
  • Can the jackfruit seed be consumed?
    • Yes!
    • Add the seeds after removing the thick translucent skin on the seed, drop it into the simmering Jackfruit curry or just roast them.
    • My grandmother had an old rustic wood fire stove made of clay where all the slow-cooked curries were made.
    • When she made jackfruit curry, half of the seeds would be covered with hot charcoal.
    • Once they are done, what you get are these nutty, slightly starchy seeds that can be tossed with a bit of salt and red chilli powder.
    • These are perfect Sri Lankan savoury tea-time snacks to munch on.

It took me a while to really appreciate a good Jackfruit curry.

I had to eat my mother-in-law’s curry to really appreciate why everyone loves it.

Truly, a one-of-a-kind Sri Lankan vegetarian curry that needs to be savoured with a bowl of steaming rice and spicy beef curry.

You can even forget the chunks of meat and rice by adding spoonfuls of the gravy to enjoy it.

There are a few variations of this jackfruit curry, the one shown here is much more subtle in flavour but rich in its creamy texture.

Creamy and starchy is the way I’ll describe the taste of this Jackfruit curry.

The reason for calling it”white jackfruit curry”, is because of the extra coconut milk we use.

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Sri Lankan jackfruit curry, ,made with creamy coconut milk,

GREEN JACKFRUIT TO A RIPE JACKFRUIT. EAT IT AT ANY STAGE!

The fruit is adaptable and resourceful in that it can be cooked at any stage except when it’s extremely ripe where the fruit turns an almost dark yellow and you can’t miss the sweet odour it puts out. 

At this ripe stage, you eat it like any other ripe fruit.

Just to remove any confusion about which stage of the Jackfruit this white curry(kirikos)is made.

I’m cooking the Jackfruit when it’s still young and seeds have formed.

The really young/green Jackfruit that has not formed the seeds, can also be turned into a delicious curry which in Sinhalese we call polos curry(polos ambula).

More Jackfruit recipes.

Storing

Once cooled store in an airtight container, use a glass storage container as plastic would stain. refrigerate and consume within 2 days.

Freezing

Avoid freezing.

Heating

Only heat over stovetop over low fire.

Stop food waste

You’ll always end up cooking more than you need.

For this reason, if you do get a Jackfruit, share the raw pods among your neighbours and friends, this way nothing goes to waste.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE NEEDED

Read me before trying out the recipe.

For those of you who are not familiar with cooking a jackfruit curry, the following recipe instructions can be confusing.

For this purpose, let me write a brief summary of how the recipe has been written below.

First- the recipe instructions begin with a detailed description of how to clean the jackfruit with images to it.

Second-  you will find the complete method of cooking,

In the method of cooking, you get detailed instructions on how to use the tempering ingredients to make the fried spice mix we pour on top of the jackfruit curry once the curry is cooked(see the feature image).

Then I give you the instructions to follow on how to cook the jackfruit curry using coconut milk which is the reason the curry is so creamy.

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

How to cook Jackfruit curry(kiri kos).

Ingredients for tempering

3 tablespoons of oil

2 cloves of garlic cloves finely sliced

1 medium Onion finely sliced

1 teaspoon of red chilli flecks

1teaspoon of mustard seeds

Ingredients to cook the curry

20-25  unripe Jackfruit pods, cleaned and cut into required size(including the seeds if available)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder( should this confuse you with all the available curry powder out there, use 1 teaspoon of coriander and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder to replace the curry powder)

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

3 garlic cloves finely sliced

1 large onion sliced

A piece of Pandan leaf(2″)

1-2 sprigs of curry leaves

1/2-1 teaspoon of ground Black pepper

1-inch cinnamon stick

1-2 green chilli halved

1 and 1/2 cup of thin milk(if you are using coconut milk powder stir in 2 teaspoons to water and make the thin milk. if you are using the packaged liquid coconut milk, add 1/4 cup of thick milk to water to make it thin)

1 cup of thick Coconut milk

Salt to taste

How to clean & prepare the Jackfruit

Before we get to preparing the Jackfruit pods to be cooked, removing these pods from the actual fruit itself can be a task.

Most Asian countries would have the whole fruit for sale but if you are living outside of this region you might have to try your Asian stores or find the canned version of the jackfruit. 

Step 1–  before tackling the fruit, spread a few old newspapers on the workspace where you’ll be cutting the fruit.

Step 2– Generously apply oil to the knife, at this point do not apply oil to your hands for safety reasons.

Step 3– Once the knife is oiled, cut the fruit in half, you’ll notice that the middle of the fruit is extremely sticky and as the knife cuts through it, the white sticky substance tends to stick to anything that touches it and is hard to get rid of, this is the reason you need to oil the knife.

Step 4– with a tissue clean the knife if there is sap on it, apply oil again and cut the half fruit into a further half, at this point you can apply oil to your hands as well to avoid the sap getting into them.

Step 5–  Once your hands are oiled, cut the white core of the fruit so that you’ll notice where the stick sap oozes from, once you get rid of the white core, you will be able to remove the pods as shown below.

Step 6– remove the individual pods.

Step 7 – discard the stringy part attached to the pod.

Step 8 – remove the seeds from the pod.

Step 9-cut them into the required size, make sure you don’t cut them too small.

Sri lankan Jackfruit curry cooked in coconut milk(kiri kos)-islandsmile.org

remove and prepare the jack seeds to cook.

Cut the Jackfruit pod through the middle and remove the seed.

Remove the thin skin that also attaches the seed to the Jackfruit.

You will be left with a seed that is covered with the whitish outer skin.

removing seed from the jackfruit.

Place the jack seeds on a hard surface, I am using my grinding stone.

You can also use your pestle and mortar to do this. 

Keep in mind these seeds are a little slippery.

Use the stone to smash the jack seeds.

Once the seeds are crushed, remove the hard translucent skin and use the seed to make the Jackfruit curry.

crushing the jack seed to cook.

Keep the sliced Jackfruit and the seeds that have been chopped into half(the cleaning process mentioned above) in a bowl.

cleaned jackfruit in a clay pot ready to cook.
Tempering for the Jackfruit curry.

Clay pots are a great way to cook this curry but if you don’t have one use a medium-sized pan and set it over a medium fire.

Once the pan heats, begin with the tempering.

Pour in the oil(3 tbsps), leave it to heat and add the curry leaves, onion(1 medium), a few pieces of sliced garlic(2 pods sliced), red chillies flakes(1 tsp), mustard seed(1 teaspoon). 

Make sure to add ingredients in the given order above for the best results.

onions ready to temper for the jackfruit.

Temper or sauté until they turn slightly brown.

3-5 minutes over low-medium fire.

Remove the tempered ingredients into a small bowl.

onions, garlic, curry leaves, mustard tempered in oil for jackfruit.
Cooking the Jackfruit curry.

Have the thin and thick coconut milk(1 and 1/2 cups)prepared as per the instructions given above.

Thin coconut milk should look as below, watered down.

Place the same pan you used to temper over medium heat.

Add the Jackfruit pods(with the seeds removed, I have shown above how to do this).

Followed by turmeric powder(1/2 tsp), curry powder(1 and 1/2 tsp), mustard seed(1/2 tsp), garlic(3 cloves sliced), finely sliced onion(1 large), Pandan leaf(2″), curry leaves(4-5 leaves), pepper(1/2 to 1 tsp), cinnamon stick(1″ piece), salt(1/2 tsp, adjust later).

spice powders added to make the jackfruit curry.

Pour in the thin coconut milk, and mix gently.

adding thin coconut milk to the jackfruit curry.

Leave the curry to cook slightly covered until the liquid is reduced and the Jackfruit turns soft.

This would take 20-25 minutes over the low-medium fire.

Once the jackfruit turns semi-soft, pour in the thick coconut milk.

(Should you feel 1 cup of thick milk is too much, adjust accordingly but the curry should be thick and creamy.

adding thick coconut milk to make the jackfruit curry.

Reduce the heat and let the curry simmer until the gravy is reduced and you reach the correct consistency for the jackfruit.

This would be a thick mushy Jackfruit curry.

thick creamy jackfruit curry cooked.

Season with salt if necessary, add the tempered ingredients and slowly mix the tempered ingredients into the curry.

Do not overmix.

adding tempered ingredients to the jackfruit curry.

Serve while still warm with your favourite rice and curry dishes.

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Sri Lankan jackfruit curry, ,made with creamy coconut milk, this popular Sri Lankan Jackfruit curry is a must try. One of the best foods to increase lactation for new moms. Sri Lankan, Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten-free.#srilankan #jackfruit #vegan #vegetarian #curry #slowcooked #meal.

Sri lankan green Jackfruit curry cooked in coconut milk(kiri kos).

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Jackfruit curry is a traditional and authentic Sri Lankan dish for you to enjoy.

Jackfruit curry is also known as kirikos.

Made with creamy coconut milk, this popular curry is a must-try traditional jackfruit recipe.

Ingredients

  • Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
  • Ingredients for tempering
  • 3 tablespoons of oil
  • 2 slice of garlic cloves finely sliced
  • 1 medium Onion finely sliced
  • 1 teaspoon of red chilli flecks
  • 1teaspoon of mustard seeds
  • Ingredients to cook the curry
  • 20-25 unripe Jackfruit pods, cleaned and cut into required size(including the seeds if available)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder( should this confuse you with all the available curry powder out there, use 1 teaspoon of coriander and 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder to replace the curry powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
  • 3 garlic cloves finely sliced
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • A piece of Pandan leaf(2″)
  • 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon of ground Black pepper
  • 1-inch cinnamon stick
  • 1-2 green chilli halved
  • 1 and 1/2 cup of thin milk(if you are using coconut milk powder stir in 2 teaspoons to water and make the thin milk. if you are using the packaged liquid coconut milk, add 1/4 cup of thick milk to water to make it thin).
  • 1 cup of thick Coconut milk
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. I would highly suggest reading the notes first and then reading the recipe.
  2. How to clean and prepare the Jackfruit pods to cook.
  3. Before we get to preparing the jackfruit pods to be cooked, removing these pods from the actual fruit itself can be a task.
  4. Most Asian countries would have the whole fruit for sale but if you are living outside of this region you might have to try your Asian stores or find the canned version of the jackfruit. 
  5. Step 1– before tackling the fruit, spread a few old newspapers on the workspace where you’ll be cutting the fruit.
  6. Step 2– Generously apply oil on the knife, at this point do not apply oil to your hands for safety reasons.
  7. Step 3– Once the knife is oiled, cut the fruit in half, you’ll notice that the middle of the fruit is extremely sticky and as the knife cuts through it, the white sticky substance tends to stick to anything that touches it and is hard to get rid of, this is the reason you need to oil the knife.
  8. Step 4– with a tissue clean the knife if there is sap on it, apply oil again and cut the half fruit into a further half, at this point you can apply oil to your hands as well to avoid the sap getting into them.
  9. Step 5– Once your hands are oiled, cut the white core of the fruit that you’ll notice where the stick sap oozes from, once you get rid of the white core, you will be able to remove the pods as shown below.
  10. Step 6– remove the individual pods
  11. Step 7 – discard the stringy part attached to the pod.
  12. Step 8 – remove the seeds from the pod.
  13. Step 9-cut them into required size, make sure you don’t cut them too small.
  1. Cut the Jackfruit pod through the middle and remove the seed.
  2. Remove the thin skin that also attaches the seed to the Jackfruit.
  3. Place the jack seeds on a hard surface, I am using my grinding stone.
  4. You can also use your pestle and mortar to do this. 
  5. Keep in mind these seeds are a little slippery.
  6. Use the stone to smash the jack seeds. Once the seeds are crushed, remove the hard translucent skin and use the seed to make the jackfruit curry.
  7. Keep the sliced Jackfruit and the seeds that have been chopped into half(cleaning process mentioned above) in a bowl.

Tempering for the Jackfruit curry.

  1. Clay pots are a great way to cook this curry but if you don’t have one use a medium-sized pan and set it over medium fire.
  2. Once the pan heats, begin with the tempering. 
  3. Pour in the oil(3 tbs), leave it to heat and add the curry leaves, onions(1 medium), a few pieces of sliced garlic(2 pods sliced), and red chillies flakes(1 tsp), mustard seed(1 teaspoon). 
  4. Make sure to add ingredients in the given order above for best results.
  5. Temper or sauté until they turn slightly brown. 3-5 minutes over low-medium fire.
  6. Remove the tempered ingredients into a small bowl.

Cooking the Jackfruit curry.

  1. Have the thin and thick coconut milk(1 and 1/2 cup). prepared as per the instructions given above. thin coconut milk should look as below, watered down.
  2. Place the same pan you used to temper over medium heat.
  3. Add the Jackfruit pods(with the seeds removed, I have shown above how to do this).
  4. Followed by turmeric powder(1/2 tsp), curry powder(1 and 1/2 tsp), mustard seed(1/2 tsp), garlic(3 cloves sliced), finely sliced onion(1 large), Pandan leaf(2″), curry leaves(4-5 leaves), pepper(1/2 to 1 tsp), cinnamon stick(1″ piece), salt(1/2 tsp, adjust later).
  5. Pour in the thin coconut milk, and mix gently.
  6. Leave the curry to cook slightly covered until the liquid is reduced and the Jackfruit turns soft, this would take 20-25 minutes over the low-medium fire.
  7. Once the jackfruit turn semi-soft, pour in the thick coconut milk.
  8. ( should you feel 1 cup of thick milk is too much, adjust accordingly but the curry should be thick and creamy).
  9. Reduce the heat and let the curry simmer until the gravy is reduced and you reach the correct consistency for the jackfruit.
  10. This would be a thick mushy Jackfruit curry.
  11. Season with salt if necessary, add the tempered ingredients and slowly mix the tempered ingredients into the curry.
  12. Do not overmix.
  13. Serve while still warm with your favourite rice and curry dishes.

Notes

Read me before trying out the recipe!

For those of you who are not familiar with cooking a jackfruit curry, the following recipe instructions can be confusing.

For this purpose, let me write a brief summary of how the recipe has been written below.

First- the recipe instructions begin with a detailed description of how to clean the jackfruit with images to it.

Second– I have written the ingredients for the jackfruit curry, the ingredients are separated into two, for tempering and then for cooking.

Third-  you would find the complete method of cooking,

In the method of cooking, you get a detailed instruction on how to use the tempering ingredient to make the fried spice mix we pour on top of the jackfruit curry once the curry is cooked(see image).

Then I give you the instructions to follow on how to cook the jackfruit curry using coconut milk which is the reason the curry is so creamy. 

Just to remove any confusion in which stage of the jackfruit this white curry(kirikos)is made. here it is,

The fruit is adaptable and resourceful that it can be cooked at any stage except when it's extremely ripe where the fruit turns an almost dark yellow and you can't miss the sweet odour it puts out. 

At this ripe stage, you eat it like any other ripe fruit.

I'm cooking the jackfruit when it's still young and seeds have formed.

The really young/green jackfruit that has not formed the seeds, can also be turned to a delicious curry which in Sinhalese we call polos curry(polos ambula).


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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1301Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 214mgCarbohydrates: 253gFiber: 18gSugar: 202gProtein: 28g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

Did you make this recipe?

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Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love to the best of my ability with you in mind.
It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

All I ask is that you do not save it on any apps, recipe boxes or online groups which will affect me as a food blogger and the growth of this blog.

I would appreciate it if you only share the link rather than the full recipe. 

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Sharmila

Saturday 20th of March 2021

Can you use canned jackfruit for this and how much of it would it be?

jehan

Monday 22nd of March 2021

yes, you can use canned jackfruit as long as it's not ripe. this recipe is for 20-25 pods. not sure how many pods are there in a canned version. regards J

Liam

Saturday 22nd of August 2020

hi Jehan, Thanks for the great recipe. This sounds delicious! I'm a bit unsure about what's happening with the jackfruit seeds above. Can you please clarify - Under 'Cooking the jackfruit curry' above, when I 'add the jackfruit pods', do I also add the seeds? If not, what should I do with the seeds after they have been boiled, skins removed and crushed? Thanks for sharing the recipe, Liam

jehan

Saturday 22nd of August 2020

Hi Liam, Thank you for sending me this question, I can see where the confusion comes and it's totally my fault.

I have done the corrections now so the instructions are clear, apologies for the mistake.

To be clear, 1. the seeds are first removed from the Jackfruit pods. 2. They are then rinsed and then slightly crushed, this will help you to remove the outer skin of the seed which is then added to the clay pot with the Jackfruit to cook together. There is no need to boil the seeds for this recipe(my mistake was adding these instructions which were for another Jackfruit post I wrote recently to this post as I was cross-referencing both recipes side by side).

I will repeat the instructions again, all you have to do for this Jackfruit recipe is crush the seeds slightly, remove the whitish skin and cook with the jackfruit itself.

Hope this helps, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you should need further clarifications. Editing the recipe as I reply to you. Thanks and regards, J

Vicki Lester

Saturday 30th of May 2020

Wonderful. Thank you so much for the clear instructions on preparing the jackfruit. They grow in abundance in my garden in northern Australia but I am only just learning how to use them. Lovely recipe too.

jehan

Saturday 30th of May 2020

Hi Vicki, thank you and you are most welcome. I hope you get a chance to make the kirikos Jackfruit curry.regards J

Karen

Wednesday 16th of January 2019

Mmm, this is so yummy! I adapted a little to the ingredients I had. Pre-prepared Jackfruit is now on our supermarket shelves in the UK (thank you Tesco for Thai Spiced Jackfruit). It is expensive but I added a tin of chickpeas and some medjool dates to your recipe to pad it out a little. I added to the garnish too with coriander leaf, toasted almond flakes and chickpeas shallow fried with sugar, salt and smoked paprika. Thank you for your fabulous recipe!

jehan

Monday 21st of January 2019

sounds amazing Karen. would love to see the finished results. thank you for reaching out and letting me know.

Jonathan Bryant

Saturday 21st of July 2018

This reads horribly. There’s a lot of wading through. Please list the ingredients in a more apparent way.

jehan

Sunday 22nd of July 2018

Hi Jonathan Bryant, how are you? Thank you for taking the time to send me a message regarding your thought on the following recipe. can you give me more details on which part of the recipe, you're finding "horrible to read"? so I can help you with it? I will go through the ingredient list and check if there are any errors done but this is the standard ingredient list that all of us food bloggers follow. let me know what I can do to make reading the recipe more user friendly.thank you.

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