I got another one for you. Jackfruit. The product of a tree that is related to the fig. This one staple in my home is literally the go-to for many who are looking to switch to an alternative to buying meat. If you haven’t heard of it by now – well now you know. I was crazy enough to hit up a local Asian market in Atlanta to grab a whole jackfruit to cut up myself. They are huge and you may need some newspaper.
Jackfruit is infamous in the “vegan” community and is most notorious for being used in vegan “pulled pork” recipes, taco recipes, and stir-fry recipes. It can be used for SO many things. My favorites are bbq sandwiches, apart of stewed tomatoes and rice, and as of late – “chickn” nuggets. Yes, I spelled chicken incorrectly on purpose. As a mother of little people under the age of six – I am always looking for ways to incorporate good and tasty meals for my children to enjoy as well as meals that can easily prepped and cooked. These nuggets are a hit with the babies.
I thrived in my kitchen and decided to try homemade fried jackfruit. We’ve had fried jackfruit before from a local Black-owned vegan restaurant in my area. They were good. Since there isn’t a decent Asian market near me that sell Jackfruit, I ordered two cases of six cans instead off Amazon.
Fried Jackfruit Nuggets recipe
I used 3 main ingredients to achieve this meal (along with a few seasonings). You can literally find all ingredients in your local area stores.
Ingredients
- (2) Cans Young Jackfruit.
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk.
- Asian Garlic Chilli Sauce.
- Garbanzo Bean Flour.
- All Purpose Flour.
- Grapeseed Oil.
*Seasonings used: Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chilli Powder, Tumeric, dried Dill.
How to cook
- Prep your jackfruit. I did so by draining and rinsing the jackfruit pieces under water. I then placed the jackfruit into a large zip lock bag – add a cup of unsweetened coconut milk, pepper, and garlic chiili sauce (depends on how much kick you desire) – I used maybe two teaspoons since the children would be eating this as well. Seal bag and shake to mix the “marinade” together and coat the jackfruit. Leave in fridge for 30min-1 hour.
- Prep your dry batter. Take a bowl and mix garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour and all purpose flour together. Add your seasonings then mix. Begin to generously coat your jackfruit in the flour. Sidenote: I don’t know about you all but this portion reminded me of my southern country family coating livers and gizards to fry — OMG disgusting. lol.
- You can use your preferred frying oil – I chose to use grapeseed oil. Add your jackfruit piece by piece the oil and allow to fry on both sides for 5-8 minutes depending on how golden you’d like your nuggets. I fried for about 5-6 minutes each side.
- Remove from oil and sit on microfiber cloth or parchment paper to allow excess oil to drain off. sprinkle with lemon juice and if you’re feeling bougie, dress it up with some parsley. Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce. I used Organicville’s Original BBQ Sauce.
Hit up the market and make this happen in your kitchens.
