Young jackfruit braised in aromatic spices, herbs and coconut milk-based curry makes an excellent side dish you will truly enjoy.
What is gulai nangka Padang ?
Gulai nangka is a traditional Indonesian dish, that originated in West Sumatra, the Minang ethnic in particular. The young jackfruit is typically cooked in a flavorful coconut-milk-based curry with aromatic spices and herbs. Actually, the translation of curry may not be super accurate to describe gulai. Curry is such a general term. Gulai is not as thick and creamy as regular curry. They are usually made to go with other entrees and side dishes.
What is young jackfruit ?
Young jackfruit is basically an unripe jackfruit. When unripe, jackfruit has a neutral flavor, almost tasteless, but when cooked with other spices and seasonings, will absorb them. It has a meaty, fibrous texture that can shred like pulled pork, which also explains why they are very popular vegan dishes these days.
Nangka muda is considered a “vegetable” in Indonesia. It is cooked almost like in the presentation of curry dish or made into gudeg. Here in the U.S., (at least where I am), I can only get nangka muda packed in cans. Make sure you choose the one packed in water and not in brine.
This post was last published in 2011 and has been updated with new photos and improved recipe and cooking method on July 2023.
Gulai Nangka Padang / Gulai Cubadak (Young Jackfruit Curry)
Ingredients
- 500 gr young jackfruit
- 150 gr long beans/snake beans or use regular green beans
- 1 Tbsp dried shrimp soak in warm water
- 3 Tbsp cooking oil
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup thick coconut milk
Ingredients to grind:
- 10 shallots peeled
- 5 garlic peeled
- 12 cayenne chili pepper or use 2-3 Tbsp store-bought sambal oelek
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 5 candlenuts toasted, or use macadamia nuts
Spices:
- 2 tsp galangal powder
- 1 Tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 medium cinnamon stick
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 4 cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
Herbs:
- 5 dried bay leaves
- 5 kaffir lime leaves tear the edges to release flavor
- 2 stalks lemongrass
Seasonings:
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 1 tsp salt or more as needed
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
If using canned young jackfruit:
- I use canned young jackfruit packed in water. Don't get the want pack in brine, as it will be salty. If you can only get one packed in brine, rinse to get rid of excess brine. Drain off the liquid and briefly rinse with clean water. Canned young jackfruit usually has been precooked and not hard anymore. I don't have to boil them separately. Set aside
If using fresh raw jackfruit:
- If you use fresh raw jackfruit, after cutting them into chunks, boil them over a medium heat in a large pot of water with about 4 bay leaves and 3 kaffir lime leaves. Cook until they are soft enough but not mushy yet, about 30 minutes or so over medium heat
- Cut the long beans into 2-3 inch pieces. Same thing if you are subbing with regular green beans
Cooking:
- Preheat a large heavy-bottom pot with 3 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add the ground ingredients and dried shrimp and saute for about 3 minutes until aromatic. Add the spices and herbs and saute for another minute. Add the young jack fruit pieces followed by water, spices, herbs, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer and then partially cover to let them cook for the next 15 minutes or so or until the jackfruit is fork-tender and you can easily shred with the fork
- 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add the green bean pieces and coconut milk and cook until they are soft. Do not hard boil the coconut milk or it will "break"
- Have a taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Turn off the heat. Serve warm as part of a multicourse meal
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How to cook gulai nangka Padang
1. I use canned young jackfruit packed in water. Don’t get the want pack in brine, as it will be salty. If you can only get one packed in brine, rinse to get rid of excess brine. Drain off the liquid and briefly rinse with clean water. Canned young jackfruit usually has been precooked and not hard anymore. I don’t have to boil them separately. Set aside
2. Preheat a large heavy-bottom pot with 3 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add the ground ingredients and dried shrimp and saute for about 3 minutes until aromatic. 
3. Add the spices and herbs and saute for another minute. 
4. Add the young jack fruit pieces followed by water, spices, herbs, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer and then partially cover to let them cook for the next 15 minutes or so or until the jackfruit is fork-tender and you can easily shred it with the fork
5. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add the green bean pieces and coconut milk and cook until they are soft. Do not hard boil the coconut milk or it will “break”
6. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Turn off the heat. Serve warm as part of a multicourse meal
How to keep leftover
Leftovers can be kept in an air-tight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. For longer storage, you can portion them out and store them in a serving size portion in a freezer-friendly bag and keep them in the freezer for up to one month. You can reheat with or without thawing on the stove or in the microwave.
Did you make this gulai nangka Padang recipe?
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2 comments
I was so excited to find this recipe. Love it! Especially excited to find an authentic Indonesian recipe feasible for a Westerner.
It was straightforward and I enjoyed it. Plus my kitchen smelled amazing! Unfortunately I did have to make two changes that I think diluted the final flavor. First of all, I removed the cardamom, bay leaves and cloves before adding the jackfruit and water. It seemed like they’d be impossible to find later. But it made me sad because I knew they had more flavor to give. When do you do it?
Also, 4 cups of water didn’t nearly cover the jackfruit so I added 2 more cups. I just assumed they had all to be at least touching the water? Again, I think it diluted the flavor.
Any advice?
Hi Jelena, You definitely want to keep the spices and herbs in there until the end of cooking. I know it may be hard to find later. Another option is you can put the spices and herbs in the cheesecloth and tied them up and you can toss it in the end of cooking. AND my apology that I just realized I made a mistake by typing in 1 kg for Jackfruit. It supposed to be 1 pound (lb), which is about 450-500 gr for jackfruit. doh! If you ended up adding more water, you can always add more seasonings to match up