Canned Jackfruit Experiment

Visiting Asian markets can certainly be an overwhelming experience. They are full of food products and produce not very common to the average Philadelphian, and it’s hard to know where to start looking or how to use anything you find. You might have seen ripe, fresh jackfruit if you’ve visited Chinatown or Asian markets. It’s a large spiky green fruit from tropical regions used in many Asian desserts. But young green jackfruit is unripened, cut, and canned in water, and can be used in place of meat. As a vegetarian, I had heard these rumors of canned jackfruit being a great meat substitute, and I wanted to try for myself.

It’s the biggest fad in vegetarian cooking right now because the canned jackfruit just sucks up the flavors of whatever you cook it in, and the texture is perfect to replicate a kind of pulled pork! Right out of the can, it has almost no taste, so it could be marinated in anything to transform it for completely different dishes. It also lowers the calories and fat of the meal, while sacrificing some protein.

You should be able to find the canned “young green” jackfruit in water at Asian markets, two large ones in Philly are Hung Vuong, at Washington Avenue near 12th Street, and First Oriental Market, at 6th Street near Washington Avenue.

Pulled BBQ Jackfruit

-Makes about 4 servings-

Ingredients

• 2 20oz cans young green jackfruit in WATER (Important that water not syrup)
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 18oz bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Open the cans of jackfruit and drain in a colander. Pull apart the jackfruit into slightly smaller pieces with a fork, masher, or fingers. It doesn’t need to be finely shredded, it will separate more when heated. Heat up the olive oil in a wide pan and add the onions, garlic, and jackfruit. Sauté until softened. Transfer to a deeper pot and pour in BBQ sauce over the jackfruit, onions, and garlic. Turn to low heat, cover, and let simmer for 40-50 min until thickened, stirring occasionally.

That’s it! Serve on your favorite buns topped with coleslaw for a vegetarian version of this classic American meal.

Emily Kager