Thai Jackfruit Curry with Cashews

"We can share the curry, we can share the liime...we can share those cashews of yours, 'cause we done shared all of miiiine..."

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Anyway, jackfruit is one of those "exotic" ingredients that occasionally pop up in recipes on vegan internet forums, and I have to confess that I never really knew what it was. A lot of people seem to use it to simulate things like pulled pork or taco meat, and since I never really liked that sort of stuff before I was vegan, the temptation to replicate it was nonexistent. Besides which, I'd never seen it in a store, so it hadn't occurred to me to explore its possibilities; in short, I didn't know jackfruit about jackfruit.

Well, on a recent trip to our truly epic local Indian market, I spied some in the frozen food section, thought, "What the hell?" and into the basket it went. Back at home, I went in search of a suitable recipe, and found a Thai-style curry that seemed like just the thing. While I was cooking, we did a bit of research, and learned that jackfruit grows on trees, is a distant cousin of the mulberry, and is the national fruit of Bangladesh. It's also fricking huge; in fact, it's the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, growing to a diameter of about 10 inches - impressive, no?

Knowledge may be power, but this information didn't tell me what to expect from the finished product, and I don't mind admitting that the whole cooking process was a pretty exciting proposition (hey, I take my thrills where I find them, okay?). In the end, it cooked up pretty quickly - on a par with other, more typical stirfry ingredients - with a texture that was somewhat starchy, not unlike a sweet potato, or maybe cassava root, but firmer and more fibrous. It isn't very strongly flavored, so it blended nicely with the lemongrass, basil and coconut elements; ladled on top of vermicelli noodles, it was a nice change from the more Indian-influenced curries I generally favor. Overall, a success; now I'm contemplating what interesting fate might be suitable for the package that's still in the freezer; suggestions are welcome!

Thai Jackfruit Curry with Cashews
Spice Paste
Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. Thai green curry paste
~ 3 tbsp. soy sauce
~ 1 tsp. hot chili oil
~ 1 tsp. dried lemongrass
~ 1 tsp. dried mint
~ 2 tsp. sugar
~ 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
~ 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
~ Juice and pulp of one large lime (or 2 small)

Directions
~ Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl or beaker and set aside.

The Vegetables
~ 2 tbsp. canola or other mild oil
~ 2 cups yellow onion, cut in large dice
~ 1 cup red bell pepper, sliced
~ 1 package frozen jackfruit, thawed and chopped into 1" pieces
~ 2 cups mushrooms, thickly sliced
~ 2 cups broccoli, cut into medium-size florets
~ 1/4 cup dry white wine
~ 1 cup coconut milk
~ 2 cups fresh basil leaves, chopped
~ 1 cup roasted cashews, halved

Directions
~ In a large, deep skillet or (preferably) wok, heat the oil and saute the onions over medium-high heat about 3 minutes, until softened but not clear.
~ Raise the heat to high, then add the bell pepper and jackfruit and stir-fry another few minutes. Add splashes of the wine as the pan starts to get dry.
~ Add the mushroom and broccoli, and continue cooking about 5-7 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green is the jackfruit has begun to brown.
~ Pour in the spice paste and the coconut milk, combine thoroughly, and cook 5 minutes more.
~ Add the chopped basil and cashews, mix thoroughly, and serve hot over jasmine rice or vermicelli noodles.