This pomegranate jackfruit fesenjan recipe is one of our favourites! It looks so festive but has a lightness to it which also makes it a fantastic summer meal. It’s:
Delicately Sweet & Tangy
Beautifully Fragrant
Tender & Moist
And Less Than $3 A Serving!
What Is Fesenjan
Fesenjan is an Iranian stew most typically made with poultry but always including walnuts and a pomegranate syrup. To take a look at an authentic recipe, open up this Khoresh Fesenjan by Persian Mama.
Finding pomegranate syrup or molasses can be difficult if you don’t have easy access to a Middle Eastern market… BUT… that doesn’t stop us from making this beautiful fesenjan!
We make our own molasses from pomegranate juice! It takes an extra 35 minutes but it’s worth it!
*See the note in the recipe card for using store-bought molasses if you find it!
We also deviate from traditional recipes and make this fesenjan with young green jackfruit in place of the meat!
Since young jackfruit is naturally a little sweet we pair it with a spicy BBQ sauce for our Chipotle Pulled Jackfruit recipe but in this one… we embrace the sweetness! It compliments the sweet and tangy pomegranate syrup perfectly!
Recipe Cost
Another perk of using young green jackfruit is… it’s thrifty!
A can of young green jackfruit costs us either CAD $1.99 or $2.99 depending on the brand.
Making a more traditional fesenjan with just ½ pound chicken would cost at least CAD $2.95 – $4.25.
This pomegranate jackfruit fesenjan recipe serves 4 and costs us roughly…
- CAD $8.12 ($2.03/serving)! That’s our thriftiest version using our homemade veggie broth and pomegranate juice purchased at a wholesale store.
- And CAD $10.88 ($2.72/serving) using store-bought veggie broth and pomegranate juice purchased at our local grocery store.
That’s including the spiced barley we serve our fesenjan on and accounting for the higher priced jackfruit!
Buying one fresh pomegranate to top your dish with fresh arils and sprinkling with parsley adds roughly: CAD 4.61 to the recipe cost. We love having frozen pomegranate arils on hand for a thriftier option. Alternatively, you can top this dish with another fresh or dried fruit or even an extra sprinkling of toasted walnuts!
*Update: I have since found bottled pomegranate molasses at an international grocer costing CAD $3.99 for a 250ml bottle. I have also found a bottle priced at CAD $18.99 at a small organic specialty grocer. The higher priced molasses is made from just organic pomegranates and dates whereas, the lower priced bottle has more ingredients with added sugar. See the notes in the recipe card for my experience trying this recipe with the lower priced molasses.
How To Make Pomegranate Jackfruit Fesenjan
If it’s your first time making this recipe and you’re making the pomegranate molasses from scratch I suggest focusing on making the molasses first. You can cook your barley while you make the molasses but I wouldn’t try to multi-task too much until you have the hang of cooking the molasses.
Combine the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and cane sugar in a small pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the mixture has reduced to about ¼ cup and coats the back of a spoon.
Since this fesenjan is spiced with cinnamon, turmeric, and nutmeg I love adding some fragrant spice to my barley! I toss in one whole clove and a star anise pod while the barley cooks for a subtle flavour! You could use a cardamom pod or place a small cinnamon stick in the barley as it cooks. Or even… a few sprigs of thyme like we do for our Pear Barley Salad!
Then for the fesenjan… toast the walnuts for about 6 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees F. This really boosts the flavour of the nuts and adds a great toasty depth to the fesenjan. Once the nuts have cooled you will grind them to a coarse meal in a food processor or try and chop them as finely as you can by hand.
While your walnuts toast… pull your jackfruit pieces apart by hand. I like to leave them in larger chunks. A bonus of it being a fruit; is that it stays soft, moist, and tender without drying out like a meat sometimes can!
Add the diced onion to a dutch oven or large saute pan and caramelize the onion for at least 5 minutes to draw that sweet flavour out! Add your jackfruit. Then the veggie broth. Simmer for 15 minutes and then the really fun part! Add in the molasses, the ground walnuts, and the spices! Stir and cook for 5 minutes to bring all those amazing flavours together!
To serve: spoon some barley, top with fesenjan, and decorate how you please! Fresh pomegranate arils and parsley create a beautitful festive look!
How Long Does It Take
If you are like us and don’t have easy access to pomegranate molasses then this is not one of our timeliest recipes.
BUT!
This pomegranate jackfruit fesenjan recipe is SO TASTY that… well… we don’t mind spending some extra time on this creation!
So let us know in the comments below if this one will become a favourite for you too! As always, I love to hear how you get creative! Make sure to let me know if you try this with chickpeas or lentils or switch up the toppings… the possibilities are endless! Enjoy!
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Beautiful Pomegranate Fesenjan With Jackfruit
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This pomegranate jackfruit fesenjan recipe is bursting with flavour! Sweetly spiced, fragrant, tender and less than CAD $3 a serving!
Ingredients
For the Barley:
- 1 cup raw pearled barley
- 2 ½ cups water
- optional: 1 star anise pod*
- optional: 1 whole clove*
For the Pomegranate Molasses (use ¼ cup store-bought or make your own from the ingredients below):
- 1 ¼ cup pomegranate juice*
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp cane sugar
All The Rest:
- 1 cup raw walnuts (toasted, see method)
- 1 tbsp olive oil or water/broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced*
- ¼ tsp salt & pepper
- 550ml canned young green jackfruit, drained and shredded by hand
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth (homemade for extra savings)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp orange zest (fresh or frozen)
- Pinch of nutmeg
*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- If making pomegranate molasses from scratch you can cook your barley at the same time. Keep a close eye on the molasses if it is your first time making it.
For The Spiced Barley:
- Rinse your barley under cold running water to wash off some of the starch.
- Add to a dry medium sized pan and toast the barley, stirring, for about 3 minutes to deepen its flavour.
- Add the water, spices, and a pinch of salt if you’d like. Stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cover with the lid and cook at a gentle simmer for about 25 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the barley is tender.
- Fluff with a fork and remove the spices before serving.
For Homemade Pomegranate Molasses:
- Combine the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a small pot.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer with the lid off, stirring periodically and keeping an eye on the heat. You want the juice to be bubbling very gently (if the liquid is completely still increase the heat a bit but if it is boiling too rapidly decrease the heat).
- Simmer for about 30 minutes until it has been reduced to about ¼ cup. It is done when you can dip a spoon in and the molasses leaves a coating on the back of the spoon (see photo in blog post). It can turn from done to overdone very quickly so watch it closely in the last 10 minutes of the cooking time. The bubbles will start looking thicker and if it seems like it might be close to done and you start smelling it becoming more pronounced, take it off the heat right away. If it gets overdone the colour will really darken and it will become very sticky and difficult to use so I would prefer to take it off the heat 1 minute early than overcook it by 1 minute (you can pour it into a heat proof measuring cup and if it has reduced to about ¼ cup it is done. If it is still measuring about ½ cup you can return it to the pot for a few more minutes).
- Remove from the heat until ready to add it to the jackfruit walnut mixture. I like to pour it into a glass measuring cup to cool down outside of the hot pot.
For the rest:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and toast the walnuts for 6-8 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
- To prepare the jackfruit; drain the liquid and roughly pull the pieces apart with your hands (you want it a little chunkier than a pulled pork texture).
- Heat a dutch oven or a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil or a couple of tablespoons of water or broth to saute the onion. Add the diced onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes to get some caramelization.
- Add the jackfruit. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Then add the 1 ½ cups of broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on if your pan or dutch oven has one.
- Meanwhile, grind the cooled walnuts in a food processor until they resemble a coarse meal (try not to over process them into a paste). Or, chop them as finely as you can by hand.
- Once the jackfruit has cooked for 15 minutes and the pomegranate molasses is done; add the molasses, walnuts, cinnamon, turmeric, and orange zest to the jackfruit. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes to blend the flavours.
- Serve with barley or grain of choice, fresh pomegranate arils, and parsley!
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $8.12 with pomegranate juice bought at our wholesale store, homemade broth, and barley. CAD $10.88 with pomegranate juice from our local grocery store, store-bought broth, and barley. Extra $4.61 for a fresh pomegranate and ½ cup chopped parsley for the topping.
Cost Comparison: $1.99 – $2.99 for the jackfruit vs. $2.95 – $4.25 for ½ lb chicken breast.
If you can find frozen pomegranate arils with the frozen fruit at your local grocery store it can be a more cost effective way to top this dish. Fresh pomegranate will be tastier but it is costly for us and not always available so frozen pomegranate can be nice to have. Alternatively, this is still very tasty without the extra pomegranate topping. Feel free to get creative and sprinkle another fruit or seed or extra walnut pieces on top.
*Update: I recently found pomegranate molasses at an International grocer costing CAD $3.99 for 250ml. I used about 70ml of the bottled molasses and found that the colour of the dish was lighter. The bottled molasses also didn’t thicken the dish as much so I had to cook it longer to reduce the liquid. You can keep these points in mind if using a bottled molasses. Perhaps start with a lesser amount of broth or simmer the jackfruit uncovered to encourage more liquid to evaporate.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Iranian
angiesrecipes
What an exotic and yummy stew! I have never had jackfruit prepared this way…fascinating!
Kathryn Alexandre
Thank you so much! We’re glad it caught your eye! We love the texture the jackfruit gives to this. And the flavours are certainly exotic and yummy!!
Jules
A friend if mine was moving out and gave me some random items from her pantry and in the box was a can of young green jackfruit. Didn’t know what to make with it but came across your recipe and thought I would give it a go. And wow it was unbelievable! So much flavour and my apartment smelled amazing. My partner loved it as well. Thank you so much for this and will definitely be adding this to our regular rotation!
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh wow what a little gift to get and have to learn how to use it! Jackfruit is a pretty cool ingredient so I’m glad it landed in your pantry and you found this recipe. I had a similar scenario where a friend gave me a bunch of pantry items and dried chickpeas were in there. I had no idea how to cook them because I had only ever used canned chickpeas and now I buy dried beans all the time. I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish and kudos for being pretty adventurous!
Laurel
Had company over this evening and wanted to make something special and remembered this recipe that you shared a while back (I saved it!!) It turned out delicious and everyone was raving about it and they even asked for the recipe! So tasty Kathryn thank you!!!!!!
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh great! I agree this is a meal that feels so special and pretty! I’m really glad that you found an ocassion to make it and everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for remembering it and leaving me a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it!