Ever since I tried the amazing jackfruit nachos at Sage Bistro I’ve been dying to try my hand at cooking with jackfruit at home. I finally found some canned jackfruit at a local indian market. I’m not really sure if restaurants use canned jackfruit or fresh but I plan on asking next time I eat at Sage. For now, I figured canned would be ok for experimenting with some new recipes.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I opened the can but was happy to see that the jackfruit cam in large chunks which would be easy to shred. You can see there are these little seeds throughout the meat and I wasn’t really sure if I should remove those or not. Also, there seemed to be a core to the jackfruit chunks which was firmer so I cut those off.
I decided my first experiment with using the jackfruit would be for taco meat, similar to how it was used on the nachos that were so impressive. Using two forks, I held the chunk still with one and pulled the other fork along the edge of the jackfruit chunk in order to create strands of the jackfruit meat which would create the shredded chicken-like texture for the tacos.
Everything after that was identical to the way I have always made taco meat, which is to start by sautéing onions, garlic and meat then adding spices with some liquid to simmer until the flavors meld.
The jackfruit taco meat turned out wonderful! Even my husband agreed the texture was a lot like shredded chicken and the flavor was delicious as usual. I can’t wait to try using jackfruit in other recipes. Next on my list are pulled “pork” sandwiches and teriyaki style tacos so make sure and check back for those recipes.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion
2 cloves garlic
2 cans of jackfruit
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 vegetable broth or water
8 small corn tortillas
ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS
Cashew queso
Guacamole
Vegan chili or black beans
Pico de gallo
DIRECTIONS
1. Saute onions and garlic with the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until they start to brown on the edges.
2. While the onions cook, rinse and drain the jackfruit. Cut the core off of the jackfruit chunks. Using two forks, shred the jackfruit meat, removing the seed pods.
3. Add the shredded jackfruit and all the spices to the pan with the vegetable broth or water. You want enough liquid so that the spices are evenly distributed throughout the jackfruit and so it can simmer without burning but not so much that it turns into soup! Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Heat the corn tortillas. I have a gas stove and I like to cook them directly over an open flame so that the edges will char a little bit. Be sure to use tongs for this so you don’t burn your fingers! Alternatively, you can wrap them in a slightly dampened paper towel and heat them in the microwave for about 10 seconds. The dampness will help keep them from drying out and cracking. Tortillas can also be doubled up to help prevent them from breaking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Passionate about cooking and vegan cuisine, Taylor started her website What Vegetarians Eat, to share recipes and ideas with others who may be curious about eating “more veggies and less animals.” When she’s not cooking up vegan culinary creations, Taylor can be found coding websites, playing music and teaching yoga.
This recipe was originally posted on Taylor’s blog, WhatVegetariansEat.com.
No Comments