Jackfruit Stew ~ Vegan Pot Roast Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you use canned jackfruit as a meat substitute? ›

You can flavour the jackfruit with the same spices and flavours you would use for meats, and it has that great meaty texture. Can you use yellow jackfruit as meat? No, if you want to use jackfruit in place of meat, you should only buy green or unripe jackfruit. You'll usually find it in cans in brine.

Simply tease the raw jackfruit apart with your hands or two forks, mix with your favorite spice blend (barbecue or fajita seasonings work well), and sauté before serving in buns with slaw or in fajitas, burritos, or tamales (these are filled with jackfruit and drizzled with a bright and fresh cilantro sauce).

Jackfruit is an exotic fruit with a unique shredded meat-like texture. This makes it a popular plant-based replacement for meat in curries, tacos, or pulled meat sandwiches. Thanks to its mild flavor, jackfruit can easily be incorporated into various other recipes, appetizers, and desserts.

The boiling method creates a nice stringy texture and helps to remove any tinned or metallic taste that canned jackfruit (and other canned goods) can typically have. If you've already had jackfruit and don't think you like it, I urge you to try it prepared like this before swearing it off.

Buying canned jackfruit is much easier and all you will need to do is drain and rinse the jackfruit, remove the core and cut the pieces in half, removing any seeds as you go and then your jackfruit is ready to be used as per the instructions of the recipe.

Before you take a bite, it's helpful to know what to expect. The jackfruit texture is not dissimilar to a banana, mango, or pineapple in terms of being dense and fibrous. But the taste is quite distinctive. Some say it's sweet, and some say a jackfruit has a flavor similar to pulled pork, especially when cooked.

Some think it's sweet, while others do indeed liken it to the taste of pulled pork. This is especially true when cooked, and you'll find it used regularly in the place of pulled pork or chicken in the best vegan cookbooks.

The taste of jackfruit is described as the flavor of apples and bananas mixed together.

Jackfruit can also be harmful if you eat it with milk or carbonated drinks. It may cause digestion and skin issues. You should avoid drinking water after the consumption of jackfruit as it can lead to diarrhoea. Jackfruit is a high water content fruit that smoothes out bowel movements.

Jackfruit is a useful source of a wide variety of phytonutrients, these plant compounds are protective and may help prevent the development of certain chronic diseases, such as diabetes. They include vitamin C, carotenoids as well as polyphenols and flavonoids.

How long does canned jackfruit take to cook? ›

Leave to simmer gently, covered, for 30 mins stirring every 5-10 mins to help break down the jackfruit, then take the lid off and cook a further 10 minutes. Once cooked, use a fork to make sure all of the jackfruit is well shredded. Check seasoning and add another tbsp of bbq sauce if necessary for extra stickiness.

Jackfruit is also rich in the phytochemicals that are protective against certain cancers, as well as flavonoids and lignans that can reduce inflammation. A cup of sliced jackfruit is just 157 calories, making it a lean alternative to shredded pork or chicken, which it's often used to substitute.

Garlic and onion powder — Combined with the barbecue sauce, these make the jackfruit taste super flavorful and extra savory. Feel free to substitute in a few cloves of fresh garlic for the powder. Paprika — Adds a nice peppery flavor without too much heat.

If you buy a whole jackfruit, it may be quite tricky to break apart. It can also end up being quite sticky. Once open, you'll need to cut away the stringy parts that are between the fruits, according to food blog The Happy Foodie. These are the parts that can be used to create a pulled pork-like vegan meat.

Take canned unripe jackfruit in water or brine. Drain the liquid. If you've opted for the version in brine, give the chunks a good rinse under the tap as it can have an unpleasant taste. Then, pull the chunks apart with your fingers, to give the jackfruit a shredded texture like pulled pork, chicken or beef.

Canned jackfruit pairs well with barbeque sauce, making it a great swap for chicken or pork in a sandwich. It also works well as a star ingredient in a vegetable curry or as a vegan riff on carnitas. Recipes usually call for canned jackfruit since it's more widely available.