Jackfruit Curry With Sweet Potato & Chickpeas: Vegan

Jackfruit Curry With Sweet Potato And Chickpeas.

A Vegan, Gluten Free Curry With Coconut Milk, Spinach And Lime.

Serves 4. Ready In About 45 Minutes, Once The Chickpeas Are Cooked.

2 FREE Yoga Classes + 10 At HALF Price (New Or 3 Mths Lapsed)

Jackfruit curry served with red rice.

Introduction to my jackfruit curry

This jackfruit curry is fresh jackfruit, sweet potato and chickpeas, cooked in coconut milk with fresh tomatoes, cumin and mustard seeds, curry leaves, garlic, ginger, turmeric, smoked paprika, garam masala and a little cayenne. Baby spinach goes in at the end, and a squeeze of lime lifts it just before serving. It’s vegan and gluten free, serves 4, and takes about 45 minutes once the chickpeas are cooked.

The recipe came from a friend, who grows jackfruit as well as cooks it. I love it because it’s tasty and filling, with an interesting and different sweet taste that comes from the jackfruit.

We prefer to serve it with red rice. It also goes beautifully with a banana smoothie made from silken tofu, banana and soy milk.

Jackfruit grows right here in the Greater Darwin region, in the rural areas around Coolalinga, where Flametree has a studio, and around Humpty Doo and Howard Springs. In tropical places like Darwin, it’s often grown in large backyard gardens too.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us. Or chat with me at a Flametree yoga or meditation class via these timetables.

Ingredients for jackfruit curry

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish. It serves 4.

The curry

Half a medium sized fresh jackfruit, cut up and shredded
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into small pieces
1 cup of dried chickpeas. Boil them in water for about 1.5 hours before you start
1 can of coconut milk
4 large fresh tomatoes
1 red capsicum, diced
1 packet of baby spinach
1 cup of water

Fresh jackfruit, chickpeas, coconut milk, red capsicum and onion.

Sweet potato cut into small pieces, with fresh tomatoes.

The base

1 tablespoon of oil, for frying
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic
A 2 inch piece of ginger, chopped
4 to 6 curry leaves, dried or fresh

The spices

1 to 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1 to 2 teaspoons of brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of fresh turmeric, or the same amount of ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1½ teaspoons of garam masala
Salt to taste, ½ to 1 teaspoon

The ground spices, measured out.

To finish

1 tablespoon of lime juice
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped

My key tip: how to cut a jackfruit

A jackfruit has a very thick, hard skin, and the inside is sticky. Put a little oil on the knife, and use a large, sharp carving knife. It makes the job dramatically easier than using a smaller knife, or a knife with no oil on it. Cut up and shred the jackfruit before you start cooking.

How to make jackfruit curry

Use these steps to make this jackfruit, sweet potato and chickpea curry.

Step 1: Start the spices and the onion

Heat the oil in a large pan.
Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves, and cook until the seeds pop.
Add the onion and cook it until it’s softened.

Onion, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds in the hot oil.

Step 2: Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric

Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric.
Cook, stirring so they don’t burn.

Step 3: Add the spices

Add the smoked paprika, cayenne and garam masala, and stir for 20 to 30 seconds, so everything is coated.
Then add the water.

Step 4: Add the coconut milk, jackfruit and sweet potato

Pour in the coconut milk.
Add the shredded jackfruit, the small pieces of sweet potato, the chickpeas and the capsicum.
Stir and cook until the sweet potato is soft.

Jackfruit, sweet potato and capsicum simmering in the coconut milk.

Step 5: Add the tomato and spinach

Add the tomatoes and the spinach.
Cook for a few more minutes, until the spinach wilts.

Baby spinach, coriander and lime to finish.

Step 6: Finish and serve

Stir in the lime juice.
Add salt to taste.
Scatter the chopped coriander on top, and serve with red rice.

Serve it with red rice.

Is this jackfruit curry vegan and gluten free?

Yes, it’s vegan. There’s no meat, dairy or egg. The coconut milk makes it creamy.

The main ingredients are all naturally gluten free. Check the labels on your masala and other spice mixes to be sure.

What does jackfruit taste like in a curry?

It has a distinct sweet taste. That sweetness is what makes this curry different from other vegetable curries, and it’s a big part of why I love it.

Where does jackfruit grow around Darwin?

Jackfruit is grown in the rural areas of Greater Darwin, including Coolalinga, Humpty Doo and Howard Springs. In tropical places like Darwin, people often grow it in large backyard gardens too. The friend who gave me this recipe grows jackfruit as well as cooks it.

How much protein is in chickpeas?

Cooked chickpeas have about 8.9 g of protein and 7.6 g of fibre in every 100 g, according to the USDA FoodData Central database. They add plant protein to this curry, alongside the jackfruit and sweet potato.

Jackfruit curry: quick questions answered

What do you serve jackfruit curry with?

I serve it with red rice. It also goes well with a banana smoothie made from silken tofu, banana and soy milk.

With a banana smoothie of silken tofu, banana and soy milk.

Is it very spicy?

It has ¾ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, so it has a gentle warmth. Use less cayenne for a milder curry.

Can I use ground turmeric instead of fresh?

Yes. Use 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric.

Can I use dried curry leaves?

Yes. Dried or fresh both work. Use 4 to 6 leaves.

How many does it serve, and how long does it take?

It serves 4, and takes about 45 minutes. Cook the chickpeas first: dried chickpeas need about 1.5 hours of boiling.

How long does jackfruit curry keep?

It keeps for 3 or 4 days in the fridge, and it can be frozen for a long time.

Can I swap the jackfruit for something else?

I haven’t tried any swaps, and I wouldn’t recommend them. Jackfruit is such a distinct fruit that it really makes this curry.

What’s the best way to cut a jackfruit?

Oil a large, sharp carving knife before you start. The skin is very thick and hard, and the fruit is sticky, so the oil makes it dramatically easier.

When does the spinach go in?

Near the end, with the tomatoes. Cook a few more minutes until it wilts, then stir in the lime juice just before serving.

More Flametree curry recipes

Try my black bean curry with sweet potato and spinach, my chickpea and lentil curry, or my pumpkin dahl with chickpeas.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

Top yoga & meditation retreats, classes, & videos

Meanwhile, start or re-start yoga or meditation with one of the HALF price deals below, or check out the retreat deals.

Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.