Jackfruit is a large, thorny fruit that grows in tropical and subtropical climate areas, mainly India and Bangladesh. The oval fruits grow directly on the trunk of trees and are the largest tree fruits in the world, weighing up to 45 kg. They are rich in nutrients and contain large amounts of potassium, B vitamins and proteins. The seeds of the fruits are often eaten, and the fruit can also be used as a substitute for pork in many vegan dishes.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Finding the Jackfruit
Step 1. Look for jackfruit at local grocery stores
Before preparing and eating this fruit, you need to find a store that sells it. Unfortunately it is not very common in Italian supermarkets, so you will not be able to find it at Conad, Esselunga or Coop. Try looking for it in the fresh produce sections of stores that are organic or healthy foods. You may find canned or dried jackfruit in supermarket sections dedicated to exotic products.
- For example, an exotic fruit shop might sell jackfruit;
- Continue your search from all the local greengrocers.
Step 2. Look in stores that specialize in products that come from Asia
Often there you will find specialties that are not seen in supermarkets, such as jackfruit. If there are more of these stores in your area, look for one that specializes in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine, as you will have the best chance of finding a Jack.
To find an Asian food store in your area, search the internet or ask at local grocery and Asian food restaurants
Step 3. Order the jackfruit on the internet
While you can't use online shopping as the primary sourcing method for jackfruit, especially if you want fresh fruit, you can find it in many different forms on the internet. Online food retailers such as YPFarms and JirosGarden can offer better products than other retail giants. Before buying a jack, make sure you know the website's return policies in case the fruit arrives rotten or damaged.
For example, Amazon in some states sells jackfruit in the food section in various forms: dried, canned, or as a fresh whole fruit. Fresh jackfruits are delivered in two days
Method 2 of 3: Prepare the Jackfruit
Step 1. Cut a raw jackfruit
If you want to prepare this raw fruit for yourself, as an experiment or because you like it, you have to do it in a particular way. Take a sharp kitchen knife and cut it in half.
You will see a large, white central stem; cut it into small pieces and remove it
Step 2. Take out the seeds
To do this, you need to firmly hold the outside of one half. You will notice that some parts of the fruit are clearly visible (they vaguely resemble pork); take one part and pull it out of the rest of the fruit. Open it and extract the seeds.
- Repeat this until all the seeds have been extracted from both halves of the jackfruit.
- Jackfruit produces a very sticky resin that sticks to hands, clothes, knife and cutting board, making it difficult to cut the fruit. To avoid this problem, wet your hands and knife with vegetable oil, which will dissolve the resin.
Step 3. Boil or roast the jackfruit
This fruit is delicious and tastes somewhere between banana and pineapple, with hints of mango. The edible parts are the seeds and the pulp that protects them. In some parts of Asia, the seeds are considered a delicacy, even if they have no flavor. They have the consistency of boiled potatoes after 10-15 minutes of cooking and are eaten directly. If you prefer a harder consistency, roast the seeds in the oven at 200 ° C for 20 minutes.
- It is difficult to peel jackfruit properly; the outside is prickly, thick and once opened it hides a rubbery, sticky and hard to cut inside (as described above). When people refer to jackfruit as a fruit, they mean the delicious, fragrant pulp that protects the seeds, while when they consider it a vegetable, they mean the unripe jackfruits that are sold canned and have the texture of pork, used as a substitute for meat in vegan recipes.
- For this reason, it's easier to buy canned ready-made jackfruit from specialty stores than to cut a fruit yourself. In Southeast Asian cuisine, jackfruit is commonly used as a vegetable in curry or cooked in a pan. In this case, the whole fruit is cooked after removing the thorny outer skin.
Step 4. Start by boiling the unripe jackfruit for 30-40 minutes
When they are soft enough, you can cook them in a pan or use them as a meat substitute in vegan recipes.
Step 5. Roast the jackfruit seeds in a cast iron pan
In Southeast Asian cuisine, these seeds are often cooked on a charcoal grill and eaten hot. This type of preparation gives the fruit a delicious smoky aroma. To replicate this type of cooking without using a grill, you can roast the seeds in a cast iron pan. The heat from the pan allows the seeds to be thoroughly cooked.
Place the seeds in the oven at 200 ° C. Check them every five minutes. They will be ready when they open and the pulp comes out
Method 3 of 3: Put the Jackfruit on your plates
Step 1. Use the jackfruit to make a spicy salad
If you're looking to combine jackfruit with other healthy veggies, you can put canned jackfruit in a spicy salad with chillies, scallions, and other spices. Buy a tin of unripe jackfruit in water and cook the contents over low heat in a saucepan for 4-5 hours to soften the pulp.
Once the jackfruit is cooked, you can easily cut it with a fork or spoon
Step 2. Cook the fruit in a pan
Use vegetable oil or butter to sauté 3-4 chillies, 5-6 cloves of garlic, and white shallot tops for about five minutes. Add the jackfruit and 1/2 cup of fish sauce, then continue to cook for another two minutes.
Cut two scallops into cubes and fry them in vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes. Dry the shellfish, let them cool, then combine them with the rest of the ingredients. Add a few fresh mint leaves and fresh coriander, then serve immediately
Step 3. Treat the jackfruit like pork and eat it in a bun
This fruit is a meat substitute often used in vegan recipes, because its texture when cooked and shredded is similar to that of shredded pork. To make a jackfruit "pork" sandwich, purchase 3 x 500g cans of jackfruit; remove the seeds and cut the fruit into strips. Fry half an onion and three cloves of garlic in a pan, then add the jackfruit, a teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon and a half of liquid smoke.
Do not buy canned jackfruit, as it is too sweet and will cover all other flavors in the bun
Step 4. Add the spices to the pan
Continue to cook the onion, garlic, and jackfruit preparation as you add various spices, such as cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Add a cup of vegetable stock and sauté the jackfruit for 10-15 minutes, until it has absorbed all the liquid.
- Set the oven to 200 ° C and spread the jackfruit on a baking sheet. Press it with a spatula until it has the texture of pulled pork. Add 120ml of barbecue sauce, then cook for 30-35 minutes.
- Once the jackfruit is lightly browned, remove the pan from the oven and put the preparation into a bun with a spoon. Serve it when it has cooled down.
Step 5. Prepare the jackfruit as a substitute for fish in a "salad and tuna" sandwich
Buy a box of jackfruit preserved in water and cut it with a fork. Sauté it in a pan with butter or vegetable oil.
While the jackfruit is cooking, add chopped onions and garlic to the pan
Step 6. Add beans and other ingredients
While the jackfruit continues to cook, mash 1 cup of the beans in a bowl with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, pickles, mayonnaise, and half a teaspoon of dried tarragon.
