Pulled Jackfruit: A Vegan Essential
Pulled Jackfruit has become very on trend in the vegan world…and with good reason. Jackfruit are the biggest fruit in the world and they look like a cross between a lychee and a rugby ball. They are incredibly good for you. I remember when I lived in Birmingham (UK) the streets would be lined with these strange looking fruits and I had no idea what they were or how much I would become obsessed with them. Now that I live in rural France they’re are incredibly hard to get hold of, I’ve never seen fresh Jackfruit but they’re available tinned in big cities, my nearest is Toulouse.
Tinned Jackfruit come can be sweet (in syrup) or savoury (in Brine or water). I’ve been experimenting with several dishes using it which I’ll mention in later blog posts but I had to start with my pulled Jackfruit recipe. The beauty of cooking with Jackfruit is its meaty texture and the way that it absorbs flavours. I remember eating pulled pork before I became vegetarian and enjoying it but I think pulled Jackfruit is much better and I don’t know why anyone would use pork now!
Pulled Jackfruit: a vegan essential
Ingredients
- 2 tins Jackfruit in Brine or water
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup I use homemade but shop bought is fine.
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp agave syrup or maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp vegetable bouillon
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Begin by draining the Jackfruit and placing it in a slower cooker with the other ingredients. If you don’t have a slow cooker you can place in a casserole dish with a lid on cook at 150 degrees celcius for 2 hours, stirring occassionally. If it looks too dry just add a little water.
- Mix well to ensure that all the Jackfruit is coated by the marinade.
- Put in the slow cooker for at least 1 hour…longer if you have time.
- When the cooking time is up empty the ingredients into a bowl and then ‘pull’ the Jackfruit apart.
- Serve in a bun with coleslaw and vegan mayonnaise