Vegan Pulled Jackfruit Burgers

Jackfruit

What’s jackfruit?

Have you ever heard about jackfruit? It’s a less known kind of a tropical fruit, originally coming from Southeast Asia, As it gets more and more popular, growing of jackfruit spread to other parts of the world, mostly to the South and Southeast Africa and also Brasil.

Jakfruit is a huge fruit. It is actually the biggest fruit in the world. It can also be super heavy. According to Guinness, the biggest piece ever was found in India and it weighed 42.72 kg! It was 57.15 cm long and had a circumference of 132.08 centimeters! But it usually doesn’t grow that big. In supermarkets, you can find pieces heavy no more than 10 kg.

Jackfruit tastes different every time. It depends how ripe it is. When it’s very ripe, its taste is sweet, similar to pineapple. It is suitable to use a ripe jackfruit for desserts and sweet dishes. When it’s just picked from a tree, it’s unripe and its taste is quite bland, reminding a taste of cooked potato. In this case, because of its mild and chewy flavour, it is perfect for use in all kinds of savory dishes. In most of the cases, you find unripe jackfruit in supermarket shelves and in canes. The ripe jackfruit is usually soused in a sweet syrup.

Why is jackfruit so popular among vegans?

Jackfruit has recently become quite popular among vegans. Over the last year, its popularity increased by 131%. Some call a jackfruit a miracle for vegans. Why? Firstly, a jackfruit has a texture very similar to pulled pork (or meat in general). Secondly, vegans and vegetarians use a jackfruit as a substitute for pulled pork because of its taste. Not all vegans don’t eat meat because they don’t like the taste. The chose not to eat meat for other reasons. So why not use something which reminds meat so much?

A jackfruit became an amazing substitute for the meat using for tacos, pulled pork sandwiches or burgers. When it’s unripe, it has no strong flavour and it can be easily mixed with other herbs or spices. It is also very versatile and easy to prepare.

Many vegans who try to reduce an intake of soy, bean-based products or tempeh, often cook with a jackfruit. It is also a great source of iron and calcium, which sometimes lack in a vegan diet. It also contains potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin A, C, and B-complex (especially vitamin B6 – 25% dietary value). On the other hand, a jackfruit is not very rich in protein. There is only 1.7 g protein in 100 g of a jackfruit. This problem can be overcome by mixing with chickpeas, quinoa or lentils.

Because of its ‘meaty’ taste, it is recommended for everyone who just starts with a vegan diet. If you cant find a jackfruit in your local store or nearby supermarket, don’t worry. It’s super easy to grow your own jackfruits. The plant has fruits throughout all year. It survives indoor or outdoor in warmer climates. It is robust against pests and disease.

Vegan pulled jackfruit burgers

Vegan Pulled Jackfruit Burgers

cooking time: 15 min

baking time: 30 min

servings: 2

Ingredients:

For pulled jackfruit:

2 tablespoons olive oil (or oil from a can)

1 red onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can jackfruit (I used Nature’s Charm Jackfruit Confit) or 200 g fresh jackfruit

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 cup water or vegetable stock

1/2 cup vegan barbecue sauce

For burger:

2 buns

homemade sauerkraut salad (purple sauerkraut, cucumber, carrot, apple cider vinegar)

lettuce

tomato

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven for 180ºC.
2. Start cutting a jackfruit if you use a fresh one: Oil a knife and cut a jackfruit in half. Take the core out and take all the fruits out. Push them out and remove seeds.
3. In a larger saucepan heat olive oil or use an oil from the canned jackfruit (I used the canned jackfruit from Nature’s Charm). Add diced onion and garlic and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it turns golden.
4. Add jackfruit and all the spices. Stir it for another 3 minutes until it sticks together.
5. Pour water or vegetable stock in the saucepan and cook the mix for 10 minutes until most of the liquid evaporates.
6. Transfer the mix into a baking sheet and spread the jackfruit evenly over the baking sheet. Bake it for 15 minutes until the jackfruit turns lightly brown.
7. Pour barbecue sauce over the baked jackfruit, mix it together and bake for another 15 minutes.
8. Prepare buns: put 2 lettuce cups at the bottom and add a slice of a bigger tomato.
9. Put some homemade sauerkraut salad: Peel and slice 1/2 cucumber and 1 carrot and mix it with purple sauerkraut. Put a few drops of apple cider vinegar.
10. Put the baked jackfruit mix on the top and cover with the second half of the bun.
11. Enjoy your pulled jackfruit burger!

Vegan pulled jackfruit burgers

Pulled jackfruit burgers