So having tried Jackfruit from Sainsbury's and then it cooked properly from Vegivores in Reading Market, I thought it was about time I tried to make some of my own. After all the Sainsbury's version wasn't great (see my review) and I can't rely on waiting for Vegivores to have it on their menu each week.
I had seen that Waitrose were offering it in a can in their stores. This led me onto a wild goose chase! I scoured store after store, none of my local Waitroses had it. I checked every supermarket near me, sometimes twice to make sure I hadn't missed it. I didn't want a full shop from The Vegan Kind online Supermarket or Ocado and frankly I couldn't afford it.
After a few months, having come home to visit my family, my Mum went into her local Waitrose and found it straightaway. A little bit on the expensive side but what can you expect from something not so well known, shipped from the Caribbean and bought from Waitrose? £3 was worth the wait and for the rarity of it, I'm happy to pay for a couple of cans as a treat.
Now it was competition of the recipe, I had one from Little Miss Meat Free which came in a magazine from an old Ocado shop. I then checked online too, Minimalist Baker also had a recipe that was a bit more up my alley. Full of BBQ sauce, spices and seasoning rather than Worcester Sauce with Onions and Garlic.
The recipe I ended up with is this one... https://minimalistbaker.com/bbq-jackfruit-sandwiches-with-avocado-slaw/
Just without it being a Sandwich or including the Avocado slaw or adding Cashews! I just wanted the Jackfruit recipe part, I didn't have Buns and I'm not a huge fan of coleslaw. I am more of a wrap kind of person, they're a lot more flexible!
Anyway, this recipe is a huge hit and with it only including 7 ingredients plus the star of the show, it is super easy to make. You should have most of the ingredients anyway, they are spice shelf must haves.
Being a novice cook, this is actually something that can be made with ease (I really didn't think I would be able to make things like this!). It consists of covering the Jackfruit with spices and simmering, adding the BBQ sauce and water to the pan then letting it simmer for 20 minutes. All you have to do after that is pull it apart with two forks to create the "pulled Pork" look.
I had the Jackfruit in a wrap with Spinach, Sweetcorn and the most perfectly ripe Avocado I've ever had. I used one of the B Free Quinoa and Chia Seed Wraps, they are a good size for having a decent fill plus 6 in a pack rather than 4. (Always looking for deals, although I could have made my own for an even better one...) I should have heated the B Free wrap up a bit though, as they can crack when wrapping it all together.
The combination was a match made in heaven. The Jackfruit was hands down the best thing I've ever made from scratch, packed full of flavour and melt in the mouth. It pulled apart so easily, being complimented by the Avocado made it beautiful.
Seriously good food. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day as part of a Salad, with the other half of my tasty Avocado. It is just as juicy, flavoursome and tender the next day as it was in my dreamy wrap. Good hot or cold!
My advice for this recipe is this...
It says 2 cans of Jackfruit for the amount of spices and BBQ sauce etc, however I used one can with the same amount of spices and sauce described in the recipe. So for a more packed full flavour when you're making for more than 2 people, go for 2 cans with double the seasoning and sauce. Trust me, it's worth it!
Also, the amount of water is really not something that can be measured, you want to do it by eye and go for it being a little watery but only so much that it will reduce.
This is it for this "recipe", it isn't mine to share but I like to happily share with you my results as new cook and the link to it so you can give it a try. I urge you to experiment too, however good luck with the search for Jackfruit! The easiest route to find the good stuff is to buy it with an Ocado shop or from the Vegan Kind supermarket.
Happy simmering!