Chef Kunal Kapur shares ‘easy hack’ to cut complex vegetables like jackfruit, coconut, broccoli and cabbage

Cutting tough veggies can feel harder than cooking them, but Chef Kunal Kapur’s new hack shows a simple way to slice coconut, cabbage, broccoli and jackfruit.

Many home cooks struggle with chopping tough vegetables, especially ones with dense layers or hard cores. From broccoli to cabbage and even jackfruit, the prep often takes more time than the cooking itself. To simplify your kitchen routine, Chef Kunal Kapur shared in his November 26 Instagram post an easy method to cut them with minimal effort.

Chef Kunal Kapur shares easy techniques for chopping tough vegetables and coconuts. (Instagram/@chefkunal)

In his video, Chef Kunal explained that people often hesitate before buying these ingredients because of the effort involved in chopping them, and his video aims to make the process easier for everyone.

1. Coconut

Chef Kunal explained that many people in North India struggle to prepare coconut chutney because removing the flesh is difficult. Holding up a whole coconut, he pointed out the three natural lines running across it. He advised firmly hitting along these lines, which causes the coconut to crack open cleanly in the middle.

Next, he placed one half directly on the stove. The heat causes the tough outer shell to separate from the inner flesh, making it easy to scoop out the coconut with minimal effort.

2. Broccoli

According to Chef Kunal, the most valuable part of broccoli is the flower head, while the lower stalk can also be used in several ways. He began by removing the leaves and then cutting off the very bottom part of the stem, which he said is usually fibrous.

He cautioned against cutting broccoli from the top (the flower head) and instead suggested separating each floret from the stems individually. He then peeled the stems using a small knife and sliced them either into long pieces or round shapes, so nothing goes to waste.

3. Cabbage

Chef Kunal started by removing the loose outer leaves of the cabbage. Whether you want to shred or dice it, he said the technique remains the same.

He sliced the cabbage from the centre in a circular motion to divide it into two halves. Inside, a stem-like portion becomes visible, this needs to be removed. Once that’s out, he flattened the cabbage using his hands and then shredded or diced it as needed.

4. Jackfruit

For jackfruit, Kunal began with an important precaution: “Before cutting jackfruit, take a big deep plate and fill it with cold water,” he said. He recommended adding a pinch of salt and turmeric to the water to prevent oxidation, which causes the fruit to turn black when exposed to air.

He then suggested applying oil to the non-knife hand as well as on the knife blade to prevent the sticky sap from clinging.

Kunal advised cutting from the top and then slicing from the middle, working piece by piece. He stressed the importance of keeping the central stem intact because removing it too early will cause the fruit to fall apart.