Kathaler Beej or Jackfruit Seeds is an extremely nutritious and healthy plant based ingredient that always pack a punch. This Kathal Bichir tarkari is a simple curry made in Bengali style using mustard paste or shorshe bata.
Jackfruit is superfood and eaten as a vegetable when unripened. Once the jackfruit ripens, it becomes very sweet and is often relished as an exotic tropical fruit. The seeds of the ripened jackfruit is what’s used here. Once cooked they become soft and has nutty flavour to it. They have a white outer layer which needs to be peeled off as a part of its preparation. If you have never cooked jackfruit seeds or kanthal er beej at home, I will take you through step by step of its preparation here.
How to buy Jackfruit Seeds or Kathal er Bichi?
Jackfruit seeds from ripened jackfruits are removed from the fruit and then sun dried to increase their shelf life. This is usually done by the vegetable sellers at their end. So during buying make sure that the seeds are completely dried up.
They should have a translucent white skin and inside the brown layer should be partly visible. The seeds should not be moist to touch or have black moldy surface.
Once you bring some home, keep the seeds in a cool and dry place. You can also refrigerate them in case you aren’t planning to cook them immediately.
How to prep Jackfruit Seeds before cooking?
- Wash the seeds thoroughly and lay them out to dry on a kitchen towel
- Peel the white skin off to get brown skinned jackfruit seeds
- You can either boil them in a saucepan with some salt or you can pressure cook them for a couple of minutes. Either way we are looking to par boil them or half cook them.
- Once done, discard the remaining cooking liquid and keep the cooked jackfruit seeds aside
- Now as per your dish, you can split them in halves or slice them up for stir fries
How to make Kathal Bichir tarkari – Ingredients list
- Jackfruit Seeds or Kanthal er Beej – pre-cooked & peeled – cut in halves
- Mustard Oil
- Whole spices like Nigella seeds, Mustard Seeds, Poppy Seeds
- Powdered spices like Turmeric Powder
- Salt & Sugar
- Green Chilies
Step-by-step instructions for this Jackfruit Seeds curry recipe in Bengali style
- Grind together mustard seeds, poppy seeds, salt, turmeric powder and mustard oil with little water
- Heat oil in a pan and temper with nigella seeds and green chilies
- As they splutter, drop the halved pre-cooked kathaler bichi and saute them for a couple of minutes
- Now add the prepared mustard seeds paste along with some water for gravy
- Season with salt and sugar and allow it to simmer till the gravy is reduced to desired consistency
- In case you would like to add some richness to the dish, pour some coconut milk before turning off the heat. This would bring down the pungency of the mustard seeds as well
- Serve this hot with some rice
Health benefits of Jackfruit Seeds
Jackfruit seeds are extremely beneficial to those who are looking to lose weight. These seeds are rich in terms of dietary fibre and vitamins. Those who are suffering for constipation or irritable bowel movement should definitely include jackfruit seeds in their diet. However, those suffering from ailments of kidney should avoid jackfruit seeds as they are rich in potassium which can cause problems.
Jackfruit seeds are a good source of plant based high quality protein with absolutely no cholesterol. It is good for muscle building as well.
If you are looking for more Jackfruit recipes, here’s few from my Blog
- Korma-style Kathal Ki Sabji Recipe
- Kathal ke Kebab | Vegan Jackfruit Kebab Recipe
- Instant Pot Niramish Echorer Dalna | Jackfruit Curry Recipe
Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear about it.
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I have over 300+ Bengali Recipes on my Blog which offers a wide variety of unique as well as everyday cooking dishes. Starting from classic and traditional Bengali Ranna Recipes to contemporary Bengali dishes which are more suited to modern-day hectic lifestyles.
Kathaler Beej or Jackfruit Seeds is an extremely nutritious and healthy plant based ingredient that always pack a punch. This Kathal Bichir tarkari is a simple curry made in Bengali style using mustard paste or shorshe bata.
- 200 gms Jackfruit Seeds or Kanthal er Beej – pre-cooked & peeled – cut in halves
- 1 tbsp Mustard Oil
- ¼ tsp Nigella seeds or Kalo Jeere (Kalonji)
- 2 tbsp Mustard Seeds Black & Yellow combined
- 2 tbsp Poppy Seeds
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt & Sugar As per taste
- 2 Green Chilies
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Grind together mustard seeds, poppy seeds, salt, turmeric powder and mustard oil with little water
-
Heat oil in a pan and temper with nigella seeds and green chilies
-
As they splutter, drop the halved pre-cooked kathaler bichi and saute them for a couple of minutes
-
Now add the prepared mustard seeds paste along with some water for gravy
-
Season with salt and sugar and allow it to simmer till the gravy is reduced to desired consistency
-
In case you would like to add some richness to the dish, pour some coconut milk before turning off the heat. This would bring down the pungency of the mustard seeds as well
-
Serve this hot with some rice
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