Sri Lankan Polos Curry with Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cans young green jackfruit in brine, drained
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 tbsp coconut or neutral oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 tbsp Sri Lankan roasted curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 12 curry leaves
• 1 pandan or bay leaf
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Salt

Steps

1. Rinse the jackfruit thoroughly and squeeze it dry in a towel. Canned jackfruit tastes strongly of brine, and that flavour will not cook out later.
2. Cut away the hard core pieces and tear the rest into rough chunks with your fingers.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes, until deep golden, then add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves, and pandan for 1 minute.
4. Add the roasted curry powder, turmeric, and chili powder and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the spices darken and smell toasted.
5. Roasted Sri Lankan curry powder is already dark; go by smell rather than colour here, and pull it off the moment it turns fragrant rather than acrid.
6. Add the jackfruit and turn it in the spices for 3 minutes, then add 1 cup water and the tamarind.
7. Simmer covered for 25 minutes, until the jackfruit is completely tender and pulls apart into strands under a spoon.
8. Add the coconut milk and simmer gently for 10 minutes more, without boiling, until the curry is thick and dark. Serve with rice cooked in salted water and lime wedges.

Allergen note: Contains coconut.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.