My first taste of jackfruit was at a vegan restaurant in Asheville, NC. It appeared twice on the menu, as pulled “pork” and krabby cakes. Hubby and I ordered both and were blown away by its utter deliciousness and versatility in two fairly disparate recipes. The unripe fruit has a stringy texture that mimics meat and becomes infused with the flavor of any dish.
Native to Southeast Asia, its popularity as a vegan meat substitute is bringing jackfruit to the shelves of mainstream chains. It’s super easy to cook with, but the method is not intuitive if it’s new to your palate.
Before we demystify this intriguing ingredient, note that the jackfruit used in cooking is unripe and usually packed in brine. The ripe fruit is usually packed in syrup rather than brine, and is more suitable as a dessert. We’ll start with the former.
Basic BBQ Jackfruit
20 oz can of green jackfruit in brine (or 2 cups frozen)
1 tbsp EVOO or other oil
1 med onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
2/3 cup prepared BBQ sauce*
1/2 cup water (or broth, wine, beer)
Drain and rinse the jackfruit if you’re using canned. No need to thaw if it’s frozen. Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add jackfruit and sauté another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let set until cool enough to handle.
Shred jackfruit using your hands or two forks. Add sauce and liquid, stir well and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes adding liquid if it gets too thick. Serve on a roll with onions, pickles and slaw.
*You can use just about any sauce and liquid combo. I’ve done miso & teriyaki, red wine & marinara, beer & enchilada sauce, and green curry. Refrigerate overnight to really deepen the flavor.
On to some show and tell inspired by my discovery of an actual, whole jackfruit at Charlotte’s mother of all international groceries, Super G. Even the smallest half weighed in at almost 7 pounds, but I brought it home to play. Before slicing:
Cut crosswise:
Pods with seeds
The seeds are edible and taste remarkably like chestnuts when roasted:
Jackfruit is good for you.
One cup of sliced fruit provides the following nutrients (3):
- Calories: 155
- Carbs: 40 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
- Vitamin A: 10% of the RDI
- Vitamin C: 18% of the RDI
- Riboflavin: 11% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 15% of the RDI
- Potassium: 14% of the RDI
- Copper: 15% of the RDI
- Manganese: 16% of the RDI
The flavor of ripe jackfruit is exquisite: I’d describe it as a combo of mango, banana and peach with a texture similar to a sweet pepper.
Have you ever tried this fascinating fruit? What’s for dinner at your place?