Polos (Sri Lankan Young Jackfruit Curry)
A classic Sri Lankan coconut curry using young (green) jackfruit simmered in spiced coconut milk until tender and richly flavored. Serve with steamed rice, string hoppers or hopper pancakes.
AI image1 hr 5 min
start to finish
20 min
hands on
Some skill
difficulty
4
servings
Ingredients
Contains tree-nut. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.
Roughly, per serving
330 kcal6g protein22g carbs24g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
Prepare the jackfruit: drain the canned jackfruit, rinse under cold water, pull apart and shred pieces with two forks so they resemble pulled meat.
Reserve the coconut milk: shake the can, pour off about 100 ml into a small bowl and set aside; use the remaining (≈300 ml) for cooking.
Heat a heavy pan over medium heat and add the coconut oil.
When the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves and let them sizzle and pop briefly.
Add the sliced onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly golden.
Add the minced garlic, minced ginger and slit green chilies and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Stir in the roasted curry powder, turmeric, chili powder and ground black pepper and cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.
Add the chopped tomato and cook until it breaks down and the oil begins to separate slightly from the mixture.
Add the shredded jackfruit and toss to coat thoroughly with the spiced onion-tomato base.
Pour in the reserved coconut milk (≈300 ml), the 1/2 cup water and the tamarind paste mixture, then stir in jaggery and salt. Bring to a gentle boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the jackfruit is tender and the sauce has thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the reserved thick coconut milk (≈100 ml), simmer 3–4 minutes just to heat through and soften flavors, then taste and adjust salt, tamarind or jaggery as needed.
Turn off the heat, scatter chopped coriander if using, and serve hot with steamed rice, string hoppers or hoppers.
Worth knowing
- Canned young jackfruit in brine is the easiest option; if using fresh, cut into pieces and pressure-cook or simmer in water until tender (30–40 minutes) before shredding.
- If you don't have Sri Lankan roasted curry powder, use Madras curry powder and taste as you go — Sri Lankan curry powders tend to be warm and aromatic.
- For a more pronounced tempering finish, heat 1 tsp coconut oil until smoking, add a few curry leaves and pour over the finished curry.
- Polos keeps well: refrigerate up to 3–4 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat gently (the coconut fat may solidify and will melt on reheating).
- Adjust the tamarind and jaggery to strike a balance of tang and sweetness typical of Sri Lankan curries.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
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More Sri Lankan cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Sri Lankan cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegan and vegetarian and gluten-free and dairy-free as listed.