This sabji was born partly out of necessity. I was out of fresh vegetables -- heck, I had even used up the last of my onions making dal and a spinach sauce - but I wanted more veggies. A can of young jackfruit in brine and a small serving of all-purpose curry base came to my rescue. Even the spice blend was left over from another recipe.
Servings: 4 (77 calories) as a side dish
Base sauce
1/2 t mustard oil
1 medium onion, diced, or 1 c AP curry base
1/4 t salt
3 cloves garlic, pureed
1/2 T ginger paste
2 T tomato paste
1 can (10.5 oz) young jackfruit in brine, drained and chopped into 1/2 to 1" chunks
Whole spices
1 bay leaf
3 black cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick (about 3" long)
2 t panch phoron (below)
Ground spices
1 t ground cumin
1 t Kashmiri chili or paprika/cayenne blend
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t turmeric
Saute the whole spices in mustard oil until the cumin and mustard in the panch phoron begin to pop. Add the onion, if using, and sprinkle with salt; saute until partially translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, tomato paste and saute for 1-2 more minutes. Toss in the ground spices, stir to combine. Add the AP base or up to 1/2 c water and the jackfruit. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Panch Phoron (Untoasted Bengali Five-Spice Blend)
2 t fennel seeds
2 t cumin seeds
2 t nigella seeds
1 t fenugreek seeds
1 t mustard seeds or ajwain
Combine and set aside. No need for roasting or toasting.