• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
That Girl Cooks Healthy
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    • FAQ/Disclaimer
    • Work With Me
  • Recipe Index
  • Health guidance
    • My Caribbean
  • My E-book
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Me
    • FAQ/Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Work With Me
  • Recipes
  • Health guidance
  • My E-book
  • ×

    BLANK » Recipe Index » Caribbean Dishes

    Curry Jackfruit Run Down

    Last Updated January 8, 2023. Published February 1, 2020 By Charla 6 Comments

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Flipboard
    • Mix
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Curry jackfruit run down is a vegan version of Jamaican mackerel rundown

    A vegan version of a Jamaican classic dish called Run Down. The delicious and fragrant one pot dish consists of seasoned shredded young green Jackfruit that is cooked down in coconut sauce and served with green banana. Perfect to make a head of time or during weeknights.

    plate of food with dutch pot in the background

    Curry jackfruit run down is a vegan version of Jamaican mackerel rundown

    If you like all things coconut, curry combined with Jackfruit then this dish is for you. It's a vegan friendly dish that's generously seasoned, cooked down to bring out the flavour some more and served with green banana.

    What is Run Down

    Run down aka run dung or sometimes referred fling mi a far and fling mi for is a stew made from coconut milk. Run down generally is a seafood base dish, where salted mackerel is used. However, you can use crab, snapper, saltfish or cod in place of mackerel.

    To run down simply means to simmer down in coconut milk, the fish and seasoning are cook down until the coconut sauce starts to thicken.

    I believe this dish is also eaten in certain parts of the Caribbean and various latin American countries as well.

    Run down is traditionally eaten for breakfast, however there's no qualms with eating it any other time of the day. It is normally accompanied with green banana.

    However, you can consume it along with more foods such dumpling and ground provisions (yam, cassava, sweet potato etc..)

    If you are unsure of how to boil green banana then this should aid you in doing so. Okay, so this is totally off topic but I even added jackfruit to my Jamaican Pumpkin Soup recipe.

    plate of food with green bananas

    Preparing ital run down

    As you can see and from reading the paragraph above, my run down looks remotely different from the description that I have given.

    I decided to jazz things up a bit and pay homage to my vegan followers (even if you aren't vegan but love vegan food like I do) by making some ital curry run down.

    My version is a Curry Jackfruit Run Down uses young green Jackfruit instead which appears to be the latest contemporary meat substitute.

    I wanted to challenge myself and make a vegan style run down since there doesn't seem to be many recipes out there.

    Another must try is my vegan version of Brown Stew Jackfruit which is sooo tasty!

    Plus I had two unused cans of Jackfruit in my cupboard which had been gathering dust.

    Jackfruit is very easy to manipulate into meat.

    It looks and behaves like shredded meat but tastes BLAND when unseasoned. Of course being Caribbean I had to jazz up things with some flavour and flare to make it taste AH-MAZING!

    Based on feedback I think I hit the jackpot with this curry jackfruit recipe.

    I highly recommend using my homemade Jamaican Curry Powder and homemade All Purpose Seasoning Recipe

    How to Make Curry Jackfruit Run Down

    steps 1-2 shredding the jackfruit

    • Remove the core from the chunks of jackfruit and shred it, it should pull apart with ease using a fork or fingers and set aside.
    • Heat the oil in a dutch pot/oven/casserole dish on medium heat.

    steps 3-4 sauteing onions and curry powder

    • Saute the onion, scallion, garlic and ginger until soft and translucent
    • Add the curry and proceed to cook the curry powder with the onions etc.. for 2 minutes.

    steps 5-6 adding black pepper and pimento

    • Fold in the tomatoes then add the other seasoning - pimento, all purpose seasoning, thyme, black pepper, scotch bonnet (if using).

    steps 7-8 adding thyme

    • Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a rolling boil and add ½ teaspoon more of curry powder for an extra kick.

    steps 9-10 adding jackfruit to dutch pot

    • Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the milk thickens slightly.
    • Fold in the jackfruit  then leave to simmer further for another 10-15 minutes.
    • Do a taste test and add pink salt and any additional all purpose seasoning/black pepper to taste and serve.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is there a substitute for Jackfruit?

    No, there is no direct 1 to 1 substitute for Jackfruit

    Can I Make The Recipe Ahead of Time?

    Yes, you can core and shred the Jackfruit ahead of time if you wish. Alternatively, you can allow the curry coconut sauce to simmer down set aside and simply add the Jackfruit whenever you are ready.

    Is it okay To Freeze This Recipe?

    You can curry up the Jackfruit and freeze any leftovers BUT DON'T freeze the green banana. Only make what you will need.

    Notes and Tips

    • Make sure the jackfruit you are using is "green" "young" you don't want the sweet stuff which is used for desserts.
    • Jackfruit comes in its own water make sure to thoroughly rinse off your jackfruit or better still leave it to soak for a while if possible.
    • To shred the jackfruit you need to cut the core and discard (the thickish triangle part) then pull apart the stringy bits.
    • I used my own homemade curry powder and all purpose seasoning which I will leave the link to.
    • If you cannot get hold of pimento berries use ground allspice instead
    • Fresh thyme is more fragrant but dried works too.
    • If you don't care for heat/spiciness omit the scotch bonnet pepper or use a chilli/habanero instead if you can't source scotch bonnet.
    • Make sure the coconut milk is full fat or else the milk will not thicken up.

    Jackfruit curry in a dutch pot

    Other Vegan Curry Recipes You Make Like

    • Vegan Caribbean Plantain Curry
    • Caribbean Curried Butter beans
    • Caribbean Potato Curry
    • Gungo Peas Coconut Curry
    • Vegan Black Bean Curry
    • Curried Jackfruit

    **Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

    Run down plated up with banana

    Curry Jackfruit Run Down

    A meat free twist of the infamous Jamaican mackerel run down dish
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Entree
    Cuisine: Jamaican
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 289kcal
    Author: Charla

    Ingredients

    • 2 cans jackfruit drained and rinsed
    • 1 tablespoon curry powder see post for recipe link
    • 1 medium onion chopped
    • 2 scallion chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves minced
    • 2 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
    • 6 pimento berries or ½ teaspoon ground allspice
    • 4 sprigs thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
    • 1 can full fat coconut milk
    • 1 tsp all purpose seasoning see post for recipe link
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 medium tomatoes chopped
    • additional pink salt/black pepper/all purpose seasoning to taste
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
    • scotch bonnet (small amount for spice) optional

    Instructions

    • Remove the core from the chunks of jackfruit and shred it, it should pull apart with ease using a fork or fingers and set aside.
    • Heat the oil in a dutch pot/oven/casserole dish on medium heat.
    • Saute the onion, scallion, garlic and ginger until soft and translucent.
    • Add the curry and proceed to cook the curry powder with the onions etc.. for 2 minutes.
    • Fold in the tomatoes then add the other seasoning - pimento, all purpose seasoning, thyme, black pepper, scotch bonnet (if using).

    • Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a rolling boil and add ½ teaspoon more of curry powder for an extra kick.

    • Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the milk thickens slightly.
    • Fold in the jackfruit  then leave to simmer further for another 10-15 minutes.

    • Do a taste test and add pink salt and any additional all purpose seasoning/black pepper to taste and serve.

    Notes

    • Make sure the jackfruit you are using is "green" "young" you don't want the sweet stuff which is used for desserts.
    • Jackfruit comes in its own water make sure to thoroughly rinse off your jackfruit or better still leave it to soak for a while if possible.
    • To shred the jackfruit you need to cut the core and discard (the thickish triangle part) then pull apart the stringy bits.
    • I used my own homemade curry powder and all purpose seasoning which I will leave the link to.
    • If you cannot get hold of pimento berries use ground allspice instead
    • Fresh thyme is more fragrant but dried works too
    • If you don't care for heat/spiciness omit the scotch bonnet pepper or use a chilli/habarnero instead if you can't source scotch bonnet.
    • Make sure the coconut milk is full fat or else the milk will not thicken up

    Nutrition

    Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 596IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!
    « Green Banana Mash (Green Fig)(Vegan, Paleo + Gluten Free)
    Vegan Instant Pot Rice Pudding »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Flipboard
    • Mix

    About Charla

    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dee

      October 11, 2020 at 8:52 pm

      5 stars
      I just tried this and it came out great! My husband and I went plant based 2 months ago. It's been challenging finding Caribbean recipes so thank you! Love your site.
      Dee

      Reply
      • Charla

        October 11, 2020 at 8:55 pm

        I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed this dish. I have a substantial amount of vegan/plant based recipes on my website that I think you may enjoy, feel free to browse.

        Reply
    2. Patrea

      March 09, 2020 at 4:00 pm

      Can I use breadfruit instead, it is very hard to find jackfruit in my country

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 09, 2020 at 4:03 pm

        Unfortunately, there isn't a substitute for Jackfruit

        Reply
    3. Evie Costellia

      February 05, 2020 at 8:24 pm

      5 stars
      Give thanks! I prepared this last night. It was amazing! This is by far the easiest jackfruit recipe I’ve ever tried. Most recipes require a lot to go from the jackfruit taste to something that replaces meat. Jackfruit just works for rundown. I paired it with cornmeal dumplings and green banana. I will definitely return to this dish. Thanks again! Bless!

      Reply
      • Charla

        February 05, 2020 at 10:11 pm

        Thank you so much Evie. I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Greetings

    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes. Learn more about me

    JOIN MY MAILING LIST AND BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN I POST EXCLUSIVE HEALTHY RECIPES.

    Featured recipes

    seasoning pureed in a jar

    Strictly Caribbean Green Seasoning

    refried peas with plantain chips

    Jamaican Refried Gungo Peas (Refried Beans)

    Caribbean Plantain Chow Chow Curry (Chayote Stir Fry)

    tall glasses of lemonade

    Jamaican Lemonade

    Tamarind Chicken (Caribbean Style)

    salad in a clear bowl

    Green Fig Salad (Green Banana Salad) (Vegan)

    More

    Featured in

    Top Choice Recipes

    Over head shake shot

    Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake

    cheese balls in a white plate

    Cassava Balls (Vegan, Gluten Free)

    plantain pie

    Plantain pie

    overhead shot of stew

    Slow Cooker Lamb Stew (Gluten free, Low Carb)

    Curry goat in a casserole dish

    Slow Cooker Curry Goat (Coconut Milk Version)

    cupping the discs

    Baked Tostones (Air Fryer Tostones Option)

    Orange Mango Smoothie (Vegan, Dairy Free)

    shrimp on a baking tray with dip

    Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp

    Footer

    Featured In

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Copyright © 2020