How to cook fresh jackfruit?

For delicious, tender pulled jackfruit to use in your favorite recipes, follow this step-by-step tutorial on how to cook jackfruit.

If you’ve ever opened a can of jackfruit, you know how challenging it can be to transform the tough, briny triangles into tender, pulled jackfruit that can be used in tacos, barbecue sandwiches, and other dishes. When I first tried it, I was astounded at what a little preparation and delectable sauce could do for canned jackfruit.

If your family enjoys jackfruit as much as mine does, you should bookmark this step-by-step tutorial on how to prepare it, including instructions on how to freeze it.

Since this procedure requires some work, I advise making a large quantity and freezing it into individual bags for quick meal preparation. Although the entire process requires some time, it is simple and hands-off. It works flawlessly to produce the best-tasting jackfruit, which you can use in sandwiches, tacos, bowls, and anywhere else you want to enjoy the texture of pulled jackfruit.

What to serve with jackfruit carnitas

You can eat carnitas on their own or topped with salsas like guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa roja, or verde.

Some people enjoy adding chopped cilantro, white onions, or queso fresco cheese. Additionally, you can serve your jackfruit carnitas with cool Mexican beverages like mangonadas and cantaritos.

How to bake or roast jackfruit

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Shred the jackfruit with two forks and place it on a lined baking tray.

Drizzle with oil and season with salt, pepper, and any herbs and spices you like – you can also incorporate other vegetables or pulses, such as chickpeas here.

Roast in the oven for 30-40 mins, forking halfway through.

Serve with buns, pita bread, baked potatoes, or a side of fries.

Make your favorite slow cooker recipe (opens in new tab) jackfruit-friendly by omitting the meat or primary vegetable.

Mix everything together in the bowl of a slow cooker, and cook on high for two to three hours. Then, shred the jackfruit. Serve with rice, bread, or seasonal vegetables.

First of all, if you are able to obtain a fresh jackfruit, be aware that it contains natural latex. If you are allergic to latex, make sure to wear gloves when handling it.

What you plan to do with the jackfruit and whether you purchase a young (yellow) or an older (green) fruit will determine how you prepare it.

As with any tropical fruit, ripe jackfruits have yellowish, spiky skin and can be consumed for breakfast, a snack, or in desserts.

Depending on the size of the jackfruit, you might be able to purchase this already cut into wedges; if not, follow these steps instead:

The inside of jackfruit is quite sticky, so it’s recommended to oil a sharp cooks knife to make the process easier – some recommend oiling the outside of the fruit too.

Carefully, but firmly cut the fruit in half lengthwise, and then quarter.

Remove the tough core to make it easier, this will reveal the bright yellow fruit pods – which are what you’re going to eat. Pluck the pods out, removing the fibrous skin on the outside, and the seed on the inside, and wash under cold water.

The seeds are also edible and many people boil these and add to curries or stews, or roast them as a snack.

Young jackfruit, which has pale flesh and a less-developed flavor and is much tougher, is primarily used in cooking because it is excellent at retaining strong flavors. It is the young, green jackfruit, which has a texture similar to that of meat. It’s frequently available in tins from companies like Biona, Cooks and Co., and Natures Charm in the UK, making it ideal for a quick meal fix.

Young jackfruit are just as simple to prepare as ripe ones, but they are much stickier and contain more resin, which can stain.

As with ripe jackfruit, oil your knife, this time a sharp pairing or serrated knife. You can also lightly oil the hand that will be touching the fruit, or wear gloves.

This time, instead of cutting it in half, treat it more like pineapple and cut away the skin.

Slice into smaller wedges, lengthwise, and remove the woody center. Slice the wedges into cubes and rinse under water.

If you’re looking for jackfruit recipes, we’ve been hard at work creating a few genuine staple meal suggestions that put this exotic ingredient front and center.

An excellent vegan (opens in new tab) variation on this traditional American dish is pulled pork made from jackfruit. The fruit has a fantastic fibrous texture that really holds the sauce. In order to make this recipe as simple as possible, we decided to use canned jackfruit.

Find the recipe for tacos with jackfruit pulled pork (opens in new tab).

Jackfruit can be used for pretty much anything that can be done with shredded meat. When made with jackfruit, this Chinese classic is delectable and ready in no time.

Get the recipe: Hoisin pancakes (opens in new tab)

Although it is relatively new to us, jackfruit was first grown in India about 6000 years ago. The national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is this tasty favorite. Additionally, Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand grow it. It can also be grown in some southern regions of America because it prefers warm climates.

A mature jack tree can produce up to 500 jackfruits in a single year, and they can reach heights of up to 80 feet. The jackfruit is the largest fruit that is grown on trees; some can grow to a whopping 1 meter in length and weigh up to 50 kg. The fleshy pods inside are bright yellow and sweet when they are mature. They have a distinct mild flavor that is almost a cross between a number of tropical fruits, including banana, pineapple, and mango.

Fresh jackfruit is uncommon in the UK; you might find it in Asian supermarkets or on specialty market stalls in larger cities, but not at your neighborhood Sainsbury’s or Tesco. Nevertheless, young, or unripened, jackfruit is now widely available in tins, and you can find them on the shelves of supermarkets all over the nation.

What is Jackfruit and How Can You Use It?

The jackfruit tree bears the largest fruit in the world, which typically weighs at least 40 pounds. Don’t worry, unless you really want to be a kitchen hero, I’m not asking you to carry the weight of a kindergartener home from the grocery store.

Instead, young green jackfruit is sold canned in brine in many stores and this is the type of jackfruit that you’ll want to grab as a meat substitute.

Think of jackfruit like papaya; there is a stark difference between unripe green papaya that’s used in papaya salad and ripe papaya that’s enjoyed as a juicy, sweet fruit. Jackfruit is similar. You’ll want to seek out the unripe canned jackfruit that’s packed in either water or brine and ensure that it’s not packed in syrup.

A completely different way to enjoy this fruit is sweet jackfruit, which has a mild mango-like flavor. Ripe jackfruit can be added to smoothies, ice cream, desserts, and other dishes. Ripe jackfruit is typically located in the frozen food section, but Asian markets and well-stocked grocery stores occasionally have it canned in syrup. The sweet, syrupy kind won’t work in these savory recipes.

Similar to tofu, young green jackfruit, like that in the can below, depends entirely on the seasonings and ingredients you use to cook it. The real advantage of jackfruit is how adaptable it is to any flavor profile you want to create.

It’s fantastic in tacos, as carnitas, in bowls, or anywhere you like a stringy, meat-like texture, but I love it best as a pulled pork-like BBQ sandwich.

Nowadays, most well-stocked grocery stores carry jackfruit. However, because the price is so much lower than what I can find at my neighborhood grocery store, I almost always buy jackfruit from Trader Joe’s or a nearby Asian grocery store. These cans are only $1. 99 compared to $3-4 each at my grocery store.

Additionally, there is pre-prepared jackfruit available, such as that produced by Upton’s Naturals. This variety of jackfruit has already been prepared, so it cannot be used for this kind of preparation. You won’t need to perform any additional preparation if you choose that kind.

You can find it on Amazon as well if you don’t have a well-stocked grocery store or Trader Joe’s near you.

When you open the jackfruit after grabbing it, it ought to resemble the image above. This jackfruit prep school is what you need to create delicious jackfruit, which isn’t exactly appetizing, is it?

How to Process Young Jackfruit For Cooking