Jack Curry (Unripe)

Ingredients

• 1 medium fruit (or as needed) Unripe jackfruit (Select a firm, unripe green jackfruit. Oil your hands and knife before cutting to manage the sticky sap. Peel, core, and cut into rough chunks as you would for a vegetable curry.)
• 1 teaspoon (whole or coarsely crushed) Black pepper (Use whole black peppercorns for frying and grinding into the spice paste.)
• 4 whole dried chillies Dried red chillies (The original specifies three or four; use three for less heat or four for more. These are fried and ground into the spice paste.)
• 1 small handful Carapala leaves (curry leaves) (Carapala leaves are identified as curry leaves (Murraya koenigii). This portion is fried and ground into the spice paste.)
• 2 tablespoons Red pulse (dholl / red lentils) (Also known as dholl or toor dal. Used as a thickening and flavouring agent in the spice paste.)
• 1 teaspoon Black pulse (black lentils / urad dal) (The original specifies one teaspoon. Urad dal (whole black lentils) is the closest modern equivalent.)
• 1 tablespoon Ghee (or melted butter) (Used for frying the spices and pulses for the paste. Melted unsalted butter may be substituted.)
• 480 ml (approximately two-fifths of a Madras measure) Water (Two-fifths of a traditional Madras measure is approximately 480 ml or 2 cups. Use this to boil the jackfruit.)
• 2 fresh chillies, slit lengthways Red-green chillies (fresh chillies) (The original calls for 'red green chillies', understood as fresh chillies that may be partially ripened. Added whole or slit at the final stage.)
• 0.25 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing) (The original spelling 'assifœtida' refers to asafoetida, also known as hing. Use a small pinch to a quarter teaspoon; it is very pungent.)
• 1 small handful Carapala leaves (curry leaves) for finishing (This second portion of curry leaves is fried separately in ghee and added at the end to finish the curry.)
• 1 tablespoon Ghee (or melted butter) for finishing (Used to fry the finishing curry leaves and chillies before adding to the curry.)

Instructions

1. 1Oil your hands and a large knife generously with a neutral oil before handling the jackfruit, as the raw fruit exudes a very sticky white sap. Cut the unripe jackfruit into manageable sections, remove the outer skin and the fibrous core, then chop the flesh into rough 3–4 cm chunks. Keep the pieces in a bowl of water with a little oil added to prevent sticking together while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. 2Place a small frying pan or a ladle (as the original specifies 'a spoon') over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of ghee or melted butter. Once the ghee is hot and shimmering, add the black pepper, 3–4 dried red chillies, a small handful of curry leaves (carapala leaves), the red pulse (dholl / red lentils), and the teaspoon of black pulse (urad dal). Stir constantly and fry for 2–3 minutes until the lentils turn golden and the spices are fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
3. 3Once the fried spices and pulses have cooled slightly, transfer them to a mortar and pestle or a small blender. Grind them into a coarse paste, adding a splash of water if needed to help the blending. Drain the jackfruit pieces and place them in a large pot. Add the ground spice paste and mix thoroughly so all the jackfruit pieces are evenly coated.
4. 4Pour approximately 480 ml (2 cups) of water — representing two-fifths of a Madras measure — into the pot with the spice-coated jackfruit. Place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. As the curry heats, you will notice it rising or foaming up — this is what the original text calls 'fermenting'. Each time it rises vigorously to the top of the pot, stir it down and allow it to rise again. Do this a total of three times. This process helps develop the flavour and ensures the jackfruit is thoroughly cooked. The total boiling time will typically be around 30–40 minutes. Keep the heat at a steady medium so it continues to bubble and rise. Add a little more water if it begins to dry out before the third rise.
5. 5While the curry is in its final rise, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add the fresh red-green chillies (slit lengthways), a small pinch to a quarter teaspoon of asafoetida (hing), and a fresh small handful of curry leaves (carapala leaves). Fry for 1–2 minutes until the curry leaves are crisp and the chillies have softened. Immediately pour this entire mixture — including the ghee — into the simmering curry and stir to combine.
6. 6After adding the fried finishing aromatics, bring the entire curry back to a steady boil over medium heat and let it boil for exactly five minutes, stirring occasionally. This final boil melds all the flavours together and finishes the cooking. After five minutes, remove from the heat. The curry is now ready to serve.