Jackfruit Carnitas
for Environment 911
April 09, 2021
I’ve been trying out putting jackfruit in tacos for a while now, and have been slowly tweaking the recipes. For this one, I wanted to go more of a crispy carnitas style, instead of the ‘pulled-pork’ type style I usually make, and kick up the spice.
I find that jackfruit holds spice and marinade so well, and while real carnitas take a lot longer to sit and cook, jackfruit you can toss in sprinkle with spice and you’re good!
Top these in tacos however you’d like - I used coleslaw and vegan lime crema. But you don’t even need to make them into tacos. The next time I do it, I’m going to throw them in a salad, and maybe make a breakfast burrito!
Makes Approx. 2 Cups
INGREDIENTS:
- approx. 400g of jackfruit (in water) - drained and pressed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large shallot or small red onion – finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp of Braggs liquid amino (or low sodium soy sauce)
- ½ tsp brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut and breakdown the jackfruit as much as possible. There are a few tough parts that usually need to be chopped. Depending on the brand, some jackfruit may be wetter than others, so you can press it the way you would with tofu.
Mix the brown sugar, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, chilli powder and oregano in a small bowl together.
In a cast iron pan (or other large skillet), heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat.
Sauté the onion or shallot for 2 minutes, before adding the minced garlic, until onions are soft and garlic is fragrant.
Add the jackfruit and the Braggs/soy, and stir to mix with the onion and garlic. Continue to cook for a few minutes to make sure any extra water is evaporating, and then add the 2nd tbsp of olive oil, and sprinkle with the spice/sugar mix, stirring until well coated.
After a minute or two of cooking, and when it seems to be crisping up, taste for seasoning and add more as necessary.
If you really want a bit of extra crisp, and you’re using a cast iron pan, you can broil the mix for a minute or two (or place it on a baking sheet and do the same).
Serve on tacos, or in whatever vessel you like!
