Green jackfruit is a great vegetarian alternative in curry. It has a great texture and absorbs the full flavours in the sauce. It’s sold in Asian markets or online. Make sure that you are purchasing the young green jackfruit in brine, not ripe and yellow in syrup. Pan fried tofu or tempeh can also be used.

Many vegetables taste great in curries, so swap and change depending on what’s in season. Carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, courgette, aubergine, potato and asparagus are a few suggestions.

When going to the trouble of making your own curry paste, double or triple the paste recipe, divide and freeze the remaining batches for a quick meal another time.

THAI GREEN CURRY WITH GREEN JACKFRUIT

For the Thai green curry paste:

½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds 
4 long green chillies, seeds removed and chopped 
3 small round shallots
3 garlic cloves, peeled 
2 kaffir lime leaves
5cm (2 inch) piece of galangal sliced, or ginger peeled and sliced
2 tsp lime zest (keep the juice for the curry)
2 pieces of fresh lemongrass, bottom white bit only, thinly sliced 
20g fresh coriander
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp salt 

For the curry:

1 tbsp rapeseed oil
the Thai green curry paste you have just made (full amount)
2 tsp palm sugar or coconut sugar
400ml coconut milk
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
100g mushrooms, quartered or smaller if large 
100g French bean, stems removed and sliced into 5cm (2 inch) pieces
200ml water
565g tin green jackfruit, drained, rinsed and cut into 1.25cm (½ inch) pieces 
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce 
4 kaffir lime leaves
25 leaves of Thai basil, torn  
salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan and sauté the curry paste for 1 minute. Add the sugar, 100ml of the coconut milk and the onion, red pepper, mushrooms, and French beans. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining coconut milk and water, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are nearly tender, about 10 minutes. Add the green jackfruit and cook for 5 more minutes.  

Next, stir in the tamari, lime leaves and Thai basil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be a bit spicy, creamy, sweet and salty. The juice of the zested lime can also be added. Serve with jasmine rice.

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