Byari Jackfruit Biryani

Enjoy this vegan biryani recipe to celebrate the best of Indian cuisine variances. This Byari jackfruit biryani is a perfect vegan gluten-free way to celebrate any occasion you have a good gathering of family and friends.

Most Indian occasions and gatherings will see the huge biriyani pot taking the centre spot. One of our favourites for a New Year’s Eve gathering is to make biryani.  One of the best biryani that I have made ever is Byari jackfruit biryani. Made in a south Indian Byari style, this jackfruit biryani reminded many of my omni friends about the lamb biryani they have loved. The young jackfruit is a delightful medium to carry the flavours and the texture similar to meat probably works best to make this a perfect vegan biryani option.

What is byari biryani?

Byari or Beary is a community from Dakshina Kannada. This is along the southern coastal region that spans from above the Malabar area up to the Konkan region. Blessed with the beautiful coastal cuisine and the influences of Arabian cuisine, abundant whole spices and coconut, this biryani style evolved very similar to the Malabar ones. Typically this is made as a meat-based recipe.  Mild in flavours compare to the fiery biryani counterparts the biryani flavours are predominately that of fennel and coconut. topped with roasted onions and dry fruits, this Byari biryani is cooked on coal embers. The short-grain rice cooked in steam is also a feature of this style of biryani.

How to pick young jackfruit?

Since we are making this a meatless vegan biryani, we have chosen tender jackfruit to replace the meat elements. Younger jackfruit is when the jackfruit has just formed the spikes on the rind but has not formed the seeds inside making it completely edible except for the rind (see the curry link below that we make with it). Firstly the ripe ones are huge while the young ones will be one-fourth the size of the ripe ones.  The next factor to look for is the bright green colour and firm-to-press texture. You don’t want one that shows black blemishes or sinks when you press. If freshly cut you can see the latex oozing from the stalk and the flesh is white without any yellow tinge.

Ways to prepare the jackfruit ready for the biryani

Once you have the jackfruit, prepare the floor with kitchen tissue or disposable paper. oil on your hands. Slice the jackfruit in half. There will be a bit of the latex oozing out, best to wipe it off with a kitchen tissue. Cut the flesh into chunks. Now slice off the rind to remove the spiky green exterior. Keep the cut pieces in water to prevent browning. It is best to drain and cook immediately to avoid excessive brown colour forming.

Can we use canned jackfruit?

Canned jackfruit is certainly an easier method than starting from scratch to make this biryani. Most of the canned jackfruits are done in brine. Drain the jackfruit pieces and wash them well to remove as much as possible. Watch the salt you add to the biryani taking into account the salt that may be in the jackfruit. Also, add the jackfruit after the base masala has bubbled and started boiling so it doesn’t disintegrate and break into pieces.

Why did we make this biryani vegan?

We were going to make this classic neat-based recipe swapped with jackfruit, so why not go all out and make a vegan biryani? This was my thought when I started to try this biryani for the first time. Over some time, it became quite natural to have this as a vegan recipe. Also, it feels very natural to have the coconut oil to cook this recipe as the addition of coconut ground into a paste is natural for it. If you use coconut yoghurt, the raita as well becomes vegan.

Ingredients to make Byari jackfruit biryani.

Jackfruit: the young jackfruit is used as a meat replacement in this Byari-style biryani. The young jackfruit cooks to a slightly flaky meaty texture and looks a lot like it. Flavour wise it is a bland vegetable hence, takes up all the flavours that biryani masala provides.

Short grain rice: most styles of South Indian biryanis use short grain rice as that is the staple. I have used Sona masoori rice for this recipe. This is a slightly fragrant rice that cooks perfectly in steam method. The usual water ratio is 1:3 but here we use 1:2 as it gets cooked twice

Onion: the layers of the caramelised onion are so fragrant in this biryani. Usually, a light rose coloured onion I used, but try can swap it with Spanish red too. Slice them thin and equally to get a perfect browning. The onions also turn sweet upon caramelising

Oil: I have chosen coconut oil to do this recipe. Ghee is the usual medium for cooking this biryani. Coconut oil is equally fragrant and sits well with the masala. You can use any neutral oil in its place too.

Ginger and garlic: these are essential ingredients in any biryani. The combination is classic to most Indian dishes. I prefer freshly pounded ones to pre-crushed paste.

Herbs: The two main herbs used in this biryani are mint leaves and coriander leaves. They are best used fresh. If you are using dried mint half the quantity is enough.

Spices: there are whole and ground spices used in this recipe. The ground spices are turmeric powder and garam masala.

Poppy seeds
Coconut and coconut yogurt

Let’s make this vegan biryani

A couple of processes happen simultaneously in cooking this biryani.

Marinate the jackfruit: make a mix of turmeric powder, salt and a tbsp of yogurt. Add the chunks of jackfruit into it and toss it well. The pieces of jackfruit need to be coated with this mix. Cover and set it aside.

Roast the onions: peel and thinly slice the onions. Heat the coconut oil and add the onions on low heat. Let this slowly caramelise to a deep brown colour.

Cook the rice: wash the rice for about times. Soak it with water for 10 minutes.  Drain the rice and add it to the rice cooker with star anise cardamom, cinnamon stick and salt. Add a tbsp of coconut oil, 2 times water and set the rice to cook for about 15 minutes till half cooked   As a result you want half-cooked rice, not one that is fully cooked.

Grind the coconut masala paste: grind together freshly grated coconut, poppy seeds and fennel. Make this a fairly smooth paste. Set it aside till needed.

Cook the masala: into a big pot add a a few tbsp of coconut oil. A cup of roasted onions, whole spices, salt and garam masala is added to this. Mix well so the masala incorporates well. Add crushed garlic, green chillies mint and coriander leaves. Saute this for a minute. Now add the marinated jackfruit. Add yoghurt and mix well. Cover and let this cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes open and mix this masala well. Add the coconut paste and mix well. Cover and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Layer the biryani: remove half of the cooked jackfruit masala with enough gravy. Fluff the rice that is half cooked. Add a thick layer of rice (almost half the quantity)to the existing layer of masala. Now spread the jackfruit masala evenly on top of the gravy. Spread another evenly layer of rice on top. Sprinkle one-half of the roasted onions on top. Cover with a clean banana leaf.

Cook in dum: Place a tight lid and let this cook for about 20 minutes on the lowest heat. The gravy from the jackfruit will help to further cook flavour and steam the rice. If the lid doesn’t feel tight,  make a small lump of dough with wheat flour and water and use this as a seal to keep the lid tight.

Opening the dum: after 20 minutes, crack open the seal and open the lid. Remove the banana leaf and the biryani is ready.

Mixing the biryani: Mix one side at a time to serve the biryani. sometimes they just do different layers separately on a plate and serve. This is up to you.

What to serve with jackfruit biryani?

Byari biryani is best served with a classic raita of mixed vegetables or just onion. A small bowl of salan (gravy), papadam and pickle is served along with it. To wash down this incredible biryani a gentle tea similar to sulaimani is served at the end along with a dessert of fruit platter or a semiya payasam.

More jackfruit recipes.

There are so many lovely recipes with jackfruit. We have published a few on this blog so far.

Sweet jackfruit fritters

Jackfruit tea cake

Pongal with ripe jackfruit

Jackfruit rind curry

Stay connected

The Byari jackfruit biryani is a must-try recipe for a celebratory meal. Be it any occasion, don’t miss making a biryani.
We have some other biryani recipes you may like to try.

Chettinad mushroom biryani

Quick aloo dum biryani and

Malabar vegetable biryani

Each of these recipes is unique in its way. After trying this Byari jackfruit biryani we have done as a vegan recipe, let us know your feedback in the comments.
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