
Among the Minangese (West Sumatrans), jackfruit is called cubadak. When other Indonesians call this fruit nangka. The unripe or green jackfruit is mostly cooked for veggie dishes while the ripe one (with yellow part inside) is used for desserts.
Gulai cubadak or nangka is common to be sold at any Padang restaurants in the country. Along with beef rendang, egg balado, red crackers and cassava balado crackers, it is served to complete ketupat or lontong sayur Padang. A typical of one dish meal in Indonesia.
When I served my lontong sayur Padang, I didn’t add red and cassava crackers. Instead, I had garlic crackers and made sambal lado mudo (green chilies sambal). For this recipe, I used shrimp and please make sure to check the Cook’s Note for people who want to make the broth from beef.
Gulai Cubadak (Nangka)
- Minangese Green Jackfruit Curry -
Serve: 6 portion
Ingredients:
500 g frozen/canned green jackfruit, thawed/drained and cut into smaller pieces
12 stalks long beans, cut into 3 cm length
150 g white cabbage, roughly cut
150 g peeled and deveined shrimps (most recipes call for beef such as flanks, skirts, beef marrows, ribs)
1250 mL thin coconut milk
500 mL thick coconut milk
1 turmeric leaf (optional)
1 lemongrass, take the white part and bruise
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 asam kandis (I used kokkam or gorakha, can be found at Indian/Caribbean markets)
Spices to be ground:
8 shallots (I used 4 bigger size shallots)
6 garlic
1/4 cup dried shrimp (ebi)
5 red cayenne peppers (you can add more)
3 cm long turmeric, toasted and peeled
3 cm long ginger, scrapped
3 cm galangal, peeled
seasalt to season
Methods:
1. Cook jackfruit in boiling water about 15 minutes or tender. Drain.
2. In a dutch oven, add thin coconut, ground spices, kaffir lime leaves turmeric leaf, and asam kandis. Bring to a boil.
3. Add cooked jackfruit and let for another boil.
4. Add shrimp, long beans, cabbage and thick coconut milk. Cook for another boil and all veggies are done. Remove from heat.
5. Serving sugestion: In a bowl, cut lontong into bite size, ladle jackfruit curry over, add some beef rendang and crackers.
Cook’s Note:
If you are allergy to shellfish, you can omit the shrimps and substitute for beef.
Make the beef broth first by boiling flank/marrow/rib in water. You may use the beef up to 500 g to get stronger beef taste and reduce the amount of thin coconut in the recipe.




Indonesia Eats is written and photographed by Pepy Nasution; an Indonesian-born Winnipeg (Canada)-based food photographer.








Nice! I am impress that you can find jack fruit there to make this dish. Perfect indeed with 'lontong/ketupat'
I don't think I can find Nangka here.. or have I not noticed… hmmm.. would love to try this out!!
@Lia: last summer, I found fresh nangka for purchased at Asian markets. Now, I only see the frozen or can ones.@mycookinghut: you will probably find unripe nangka in can.
We call this nangka! But in a curry?! That's new to me! Sounds wonderful though.
Nice! I am impress that you can find jack fruit there to make this dish. Perfect indeed with 'lontong/ketupat'
A beautifully presented dish, delicious too.
I don't think I can find Nangka here.. or have I not noticed… hmmm.. would love to try this out!!
@Lia: last summer, I found fresh nangka for purchased at Asian markets. Now, I only see the frozen or can ones.
@mycookinghut: you will probably find unripe nangka in can.
We call this nangka! But in a curry?! That's new to me! Sounds wonderful though.
wah tropical fruit curry! a unique and tasty combination
A beautifully presented dish, delicious too.
Can't find green jackfruit! I want to try this curry.
I have not tried this but it looks very delicious. I love curry. This would be very good with rice…..yum
wah tropical fruit curry! a unique and tasty combination
I've never had jackfruit but it sounds so lovely in this curry! Love the color of it!
Can't find green jackfruit! I want to try this curry.
I have not tried this but it looks very delicious. I love curry. This would be very good with rice…..yum
I've never had jackfruit but it sounds so lovely in this curry! Love the color of it!
This sounds fascinating and I've never heard of anything like it.
Yum! I have seen this selling in the Malay store in M'sia.
This sounds fascinating and I've never heard of anything like it.
Yum! I have seen this selling in the Malay store in M'sia.
This looks wonderful…and very unique flavors
This looks wonderful…and very unique flavors