To begin making the Kathal Biryani Recipe (Raw Jackfruit Biryani), first prep all the ingredients and keep ready/
To cut raw jackfruit. grease hands and the knife that we are going to use to cut, with oil. This important tip ensures that the hands don’t get sticky from the natural fruit latex/sap present in the fruit does not get onto your hands and makes the cutting process hassle-free.
Keep a bowl of water mixed with some salt to put the cut raw jackfruit pieces to avoid discolouration of the fruit. Cut the the jackfruit in half, discard the skin and start making 1 inch pieces and soak them in the salted water. Keep aside.
To begin making the jackfruit biryani, heat ghee in a pressure cooker over medium heat; add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute until the onions turn slightly caramelised. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes.
Next add all the whole spices along with bay leaf in the remaining ghee. Allow them to sizzle and the aromas to come through
Stir in the chopped jackfruit/kathal pieces, yogurt, coriander powder, red chilli powder, nutmeg powder, saffron strands and and mix everything well so that the curd mixes well with the kathal. Give it one brisk boil and stir in the mint leaves and salt to taste.
Add the washed jeera rice over the jackfruit masala, give it a stir and add 4 cups of water.
Cover the pressure cooker and cook on high heat till you hear two whistles. After two whistles, turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Once done, allow the pressure to release naturally and the biryani to rest.
Open the cooker after the resting period and give the Kathal Biryani/Jackfruit Biryani a gentle stir, to combine all the masala and jackfruit into the rice.
To caramelise the onions; heat oil in a pan over medium heat; add the sliced onions and keeps sautéing on low to medium heat until the onions get caramelised and crisp. Transfer to a bowl and keep aside. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. A good idea to do this while the biryani is cooking and cooling down.
For Garnish, heat ghee in a pan; add the cashew nuts and roast them on medium heat until golden and crisp. Towards the end add the raisins and stir for a few seconds.
Gently stir the caramelised onions, raisins, cashew nuts and mint leaves into the Kathal Biryani and serve hot with a raita and salan.
Serve the Kathal Biryani as a one dish meal for a weeknight dinner or as a party food along with Sweet & Spicy Coriander Tadka Raita and Mirchi Ka Salan Recipe for a sumptuous meal.