JACKFRUIT TACOS
So I know I’m a little late to the party, but Jackfruit tacos? Deliciousio!
Young jackfruit braised has been hailed the ultimate vegan ‘pulled pork’ and alike. To be honest, I’ve was never into pork, even when I ate meat many ions ago.. but jackfruit on the other hand. Oh yes.
It does shred apart in a similar way so has a similar texture, except it’s lighter, fresher, not porky. Which for me is a plus, but of course many vegetarians love meat, choosing not to eat for moral and health reasons. So I will say, for those people.. My entire family wolfed these down, all meat lovers.
I’ve been meaning to make these for a while. Took me a while to figure out where to jackfruit that wasn’t in syrup. For these you need young jackfruit, so tinned is the only real option. As it turns out you can order pretty much anything online and so that’s what I’d suggest doing.*
I used some of my favourite smoked Mexican chilies to season the jackfruit, a little coconut sugar to balance and cooked for a long time, about 2 hours. In which time your jackfruit needs very little attention.
The sides and condiments that make up the perfect taco I admit do require a little more effort, but not a huuge amount, so don’t fret.
What I really love about Mexican food, is the fresh salsas and the spice! (Doh, no kidding). So for these tacos I made chipotle cashew cream, quick pickled onions and a fresh tomato habanero salsa, plus sliced avocado, shredded cabbage and served with both warm corn tortillas and lettuce leaves to wrap. I suggest serving both, it looks pretty and there’s a different satisfaction with eating this each way. Crunchy freshness with the leaves contrasting the warm jackfruit, and corn super satisfaction with the tortillas.*
You can either assemble these and serve a beautiful platter for guests and family to tuck in to. Or it can be fun to place out all the seperate toppings and let people assemble themselves at the table.
Jackfruit Tacos
serves 2
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 x 480g tin jackfruit, drained and rinse
1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika*
1 heaped teaspoon ground ancho chilli
½-1 teaspoon chipotle powder (depending how hot you like it)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
approx 500ml water
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
salt to taste
Heat a large saucepan, add the coconut oil then onion, cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes, add the garlic, cook for another 2 minutes, then your spices and mix through. Add the jackfruit, mix to coat and then cover with the water. Cover the pan and cook for two hours, checking every now and then, if it looks a little dry add more water. Remove the lid, stir through your coconut sugar, a good pinch of salt and continue to cook for another 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the jackfruit is coated with a thick sauce, taste for seasoning.
Tomato salsa
3 plum tomatoes
1 small white onion
½ clove garlic
¼- ½ habanero / 1 jalapeno
juice 1 lime
25ml olive oil
small bunch coriander
salt to taste
I love the flavour of habanero chilli and if you’re making a bigger batch you can use the whole chilli, but it is very hot. You may prefer to use a jalapeño or serrano pepper that’s a little more mild.
Burn your chilli over an open flame until charred all over, deseed. - this is a hot chilli so add a little at a time. Blend the ingredients or chop finely, mix and taste for seasoning and heat levels.
Quick pickled onions
1 white or red onion
pinch salt
150ml rice vinegar
Finely slice the onion, (a mandolin comes in handy here). Place in a bowl or jar, mix through a pinch of salt, this will draw out the moisture and soften the onion. Let sit for 30 minutes, cover with vinegar and set aside while you prepare the jackfruit.
Chipotle cashew crema
100g cashews, soaked for 4 hours minimum
100g water
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 heaped tsp capers
2 clove garlic
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp ground chipotle
juice 1- 2 lime
Drain and rinse the cashews. Blend all the ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth and taste for seasoning.
To finish you tacos..
Sliced avocado, finely sliced red cabbage, fresh lime to squeeze, lettuce leaves & corn tortillas* to wrap. - Heat briefly over open flame or in a pan, careful not to burn yourself or the tacos!
*Cool chile is very nice Mexican food producer, here you can find Mexican smoked paprika, my favourite when making Mexican recipes. It’s smoky with a little kick. They also sell a great range of other Mexican chillies and spices, whole or ground. If you buy whole you can grind yourself in a spice grinder. They sell freshly made corn tortillas and masa harina (a specific corn flour for tortillas) so you can make your own!