Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 40 minutes minutes
Sichuan peppers are sun dried and before using them the inner seed needs to be discarded. Use only the petal/outer husk. If you intend to buy an uncut and/or uncleaned raw jackfruit, this is the process to be followed to clean it. Cover your working space/kitchen counter with plenty of old newspapers and keep extra handy to be used to clean off the ever-oozing sap. Keep bowls to collect the cleaned fruit (in one or more bowls) and the discarded pith and peel (in another bowl) Place coconut oil (or any cooking oil) handy in a small bowl to dip your fingers into. Sharpen your knife before you begin and rub its blade with some oil. Then proceed to oil your hands very well. Holding the raw jackfruit firmly down on the old newspapers cut off the stem and then the fruit vertically to yield two portions. Immediately a thick sap will begin to ooze out of the fruit. This sticky, white sap is what necessitates the coconut oil to be applied. Rub off as much as possible with some old newspaper bundled up into a ball. Proceed to cut the fruit into quarters and slice off the pith (the centre, hard white portion) leaving a thin layer that will hold the segments in place beneath. You will notice that the seeds are tender too. Slice off the outer poky/spiky peel off and discard. Cut the cleaned fruit into chunks or shreds depending on what kind of recipe you will be using it for. Large chunks are easier to store and suitable for curries, smaller cubes are ideal for pickles and shreds are great for sautes.