Vegan Emirati Thareed is a comforting vegetable-and-broth dish layered over thin regag bread. This version uses Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit in place of meat, adding tender shredded texture to the spiced vegetable broth before it is spooned generously over the bread.
Recipe at a glance
Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Featured product: Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit
What is Emirati thareed?
Thareed is a traditional bread-and-stew style dish in which thin bread is layered or torn into a serving dish and topped with a flavourful broth and vegetables.
In this vegan version, shredded Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit replaces the meat component. It cooks directly in the vegetable broth alongside loomi, warming spices and tender vegetables, then the finished thareed is served over regag bread so the bread can absorb the broth.
Ingredients
For the thareed
- Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit, shredded
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3–5 cm ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 400 g pumpkin or butternut squash
- 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 200 g courgette
- 200 g aubergine
- 100 g carrot
- 500 g potatoes
- 1–2 green chillies
- 2 dried limes / loomi
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp bzar spice blend
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp ground chilli
- 2–4 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp salt
- 500 ml water, with more if needed
For the bzar
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp cardamom seeds
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
For the regag
- 300 ml all-purpose flour
- 250 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
How to make Vegan Emirati Thareed
1. Prepare the bzar
Grind the black peppercorns, cumin, cloves and cardamom seeds. Combine them with the ground cinnamon and grated nutmeg to make the bzar spice blend.
2. Build the flavour base
Heat the olive oil and cook the onion and aubergine until they begin to soften.
Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking until the mixture is softened and beginning to brown.
Stir in the tomato purée.
3. Add the vegetables and spices
Add the spices, loomi, carrot, potato and pumpkin to the flavour base.
Pour in 500 ml water and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit
Add the shredded Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit in place of meat and allow it to cook in the spiced vegetable broth.
The shredded jackfruit should become integrated with the vegetables and broth while retaining its fibrous texture.
5. Finish the thareed
Add the courgette and continue cooking until tender.
Adjust the salt and chilli to taste. Add more water only if needed to maintain the desired broth consistency.
6. Make the regag
Mix the all-purpose flour, water and salt into a smooth batter.
Cook thin portions in a very hot pan until the regag is cooked through with lightly browned areas.
7. Assemble and serve
Tear or layer the freshly cooked regag bread in the serving dish.
Spoon the rich vegetable and jackfruit thareed over the bread, allowing the regag to absorb the fragrant broth.
Serve warm.
Why use Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit in thareed?
Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit works naturally in savoury dishes because its tender, fibrous texture can be shredded and cooked directly in sauces and broths.
In this Vegan Emirati Thareed, it replaces the meat component while allowing the vegetables, loomi and spice blend to remain central to the flavour of the dish.
Serving ideas
Serve the thareed warm as soon as it has been spooned over the regag so the bread absorbs some of the broth while retaining visible torn edges and texture.
For a generous family-style presentation, place the regag in a large serving dish first and spoon the vegetable-and-jackfruit mixture evenly over the top.
Tips for making the thareed
Use the vegetables in the order given so the firmer carrot, potato and pumpkin have time to cook before the courgette is added.
Keep the jackfruit shredded rather than finely chopped so its fibrous texture remains visible in the finished dish.
Watch the broth consistency while the vegetables cook. The dish needs enough liquid to soak into the regag when served.
Cook the regag thinly in a very hot pan. It should remain much thinner than naan or other thick flatbreads.
Add the courgette towards the end of cooking so it becomes tender without disappearing into the broth.
Frequently asked questions
What is vegan thareed made with?
This Vegan Emirati Thareed combines vegetables, warming spices, loomi, shredded Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit and a savoury broth. It is served over thin regag bread, which absorbs the broth as the dish rests.
What replaces meat in this Vegan Emirati Thareed?
The recipe uses Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit in place of meat. The jackfruit is shredded and added directly to the vegetable-and-broth base during cooking.
When should I add the jackfruit?
Add the shredded Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit after the spices, loomi, carrot, potato and pumpkin have simmered in 500 ml water for 20 minutes.
What is regag bread?
Regag is a very thin bread used here as the base for the thareed. The batter is made with all-purpose flour, water and salt, then cooked in thin portions in a very hot pan.
Why is the regag served underneath the stew?
Layering or tearing the regag beneath the thareed allows the bread to soak up the fragrant vegetable broth while remaining part of the finished dish.
Can I make the thareed without regag?
Regag is part of the approved serving style for this recipe and gives thareed its characteristic bread-and-broth presentation. This campaign therefore keeps the regag as part of the finished dish.
Make it with Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit
Bring this comforting Vegan Emirati Thareed to your table with Heritage Organic Young Jackfruit, warming spices, tender vegetables and freshly cooked regag.
Save this recipe for later and try it at home.
Explore Heritage Organic products at heritageorganic.ae.
