India has been cooking jackfruit long before the world caught on — from mustard oil curries in the east to coconut-based preparations in the south. The smell of raw kathal hitting a hot pan. The sticky sweetness of a ripe pod is slow-simmered in jaggery. These are the recipes that define how each region does it best.
1. Lucknow’s Royal Kathal Biryani
Lucknow’s biryani is all about restraint. Fragrant rice. Slow heat. Layers built with patience. Swap the mutton for kathal, and the magic stays completely intact.
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 45 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500g raw jackfruit, cut into chunks
- 2 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 mins
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup curd
- Saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
- 2 tbsp ghee + 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp biryani masala
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 4 green cardamoms, 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick
- A handful of fresh mint leaves
- 1 tsp rose water
- Salt to taste
Method
- Parboil jackfruit in salted water for 10 mins. Drain.
- Fry onions until deep golden. Set half aside for layering.
- Sauté whole spices and ginger-garlic paste in ghee. Add jackfruit, curd, and masalas. Cook 10 mins.
- Parboil rice until 70% done. Drain.
- Layer the jackfruit masala, then the rice, in a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Top with fried onions, mint, saffron milk and rose water.
- Seal and dum cook on low heat for 20 mins. Serve hot.
2. Bengal’s Sunday Echorer Torkari
A Bengali Sunday without Echorer Torkari feels incomplete. Young jackfruit, potatoes and the warm crackle of panch phoron — simple, deeply comforting and unmistakably Bengali.
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 400g raw jackfruit, cut into medium pieces
- 2 potatoes, cut into cubes
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 green chillies, slit
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- Salt to taste
Method
- Parboil jackfruit in salted water for 10 mins. Drain.
- Heat mustard oil until smoking. Lower heat.
- Add panch phoron and bay leaves. Let them splutter.
- Add potatoes and fry until lightly golden.
- Add jackfruit, ginger paste, turmeric and chilli powder. Mix well.
- Add ½ cup water, salt and sugar. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 mins.
- Serve hot with steamed rice.
3. Kerala’s Crispy Chakka Cutlet
Crisp on the outside, spiced on the inside and served with coconut chutney on the side. Kerala’s jackfruit cutlet is the starter you didn’t know you needed.
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 300g raw jackfruit, boiled and mashed
- 2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 8-10 curry leaves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- Breadcrumbs for coating
- Oil for shallow frying
- Salt to taste
Method
- Mix mashed jackfruit and potato.
- Add green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, garam masala, pepper and salt. Mix well.
- Shape into round or oval cutlets.
- Coat each cutlet evenly in breadcrumbs.
- Shallow-fry over medium heat until golden and crisp on both sides.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney.
4. Bihar’s Festive Kathal Malpua
Sweet, syrup-soaked and fried to a golden crisp. Bihar’s festive malpua gets a gorgeous seasonal twist with ripe jackfruit folded right into the batter.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup ripe jackfruit pulp, mashed
- ½ cup maida
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- Ghee or oil for frying
- Sugar syrup for serving
Method
- Blend jackfruit pulp, maida, milk, sugar, cardamom and fennel into a smooth batter.
- Rest the batter for 10 mins.
- Heat the ghee in a flat pan on medium heat.
- Pour a small ladle of batter and spread gently into a round shape.
- Fry until golden on both sides.
- Dip in warm sugar syrup. Serve hot.
5. Maharashtra’s Creamy Phansachi Basundi
Slow-reduced milk, fragrant cardamom and sweet ripe jackfruit. Maharashtra’s festive basundi is rich, indulgent and worth every stir.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 40 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 litre of full-fat milk
- 1 cup ripe jackfruit pods, roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- A pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
- Pistachios and almonds for garnish
Method
- Bring milk to a boil in a heavy pan. Lower heat.
- Simmer and stir frequently until the milk has reduced to half. This takes about 30 mins.
- Add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron milk. Stir well.
- Fold in the jackfruit pieces gently.
- Cook for 5 more mins. Remove from heat.
- Serve warm or chilled, garnished with pistachios and almonds.
How do you like your jackfruit — raw and spiced or ripe and sweet? Tell us in the comments below.
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