Tuesday, December 8, 2009

vegan carne asada

i finally found young jackfruit at my local asian market! i had been hunting it down for a while now, as i have seen many recipes that use it for pulled pork sandwiches. it has a nice shredded texture, which i thought would lend itself well to some cruelty-free carne asada. the result was pretty good - not spot on, but a nice substitute. be sure and get the young jackfruit in brine - the ripe kind will be sweet and not a good match for this recipe.


  • 1 20 oz. can young jackfruit
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon bragg's aminos
  • 1 cup water
for the marinade:
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (1-2 limes)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • small handful cilantro, shredded
mix the marinade ingredients together in shallow dish and set aside. in a non-stick skillet,
sauté the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. when garlic starts to brown, add in the drained jackfruit and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes. add in the water and braggs, lower the heat, and let simmer for approximately 45 minutes (or until liquid has evaporated).

move the jackfruit to the marinade dish, and let sit for several hours. before serving, fire the skillet back up to high and sauté the jackfruit (no marinade). if it hasn't started to shred, use a fork to pull the jackfruit apart so it resembles carne asada. i added a pinch of turmeric and cumin at this point to give it a little color, but that's completely optional. continue cooking until the jackfruit starts to brown a little on the ends - the crunch is totally worth it.

i served over spanish rice with salsa, but next time i will try tacos!

11 comments:

Megan said...

Thanks for posting this! I've had a can of young jackfruit sitting in the pantry for a long time, and have been waiting for the perfect-sounding recipe. I'll definitely be giving this a try!

-Megan of This Vegan House

Happy Older Hippie Woman! said...

How different! I like it!!!

Lauren said...

I don't think I've had a jackfruit, but it sounds great! I love Mexican food!

Bianca said...

I've seen a few jackfruit recipes, and they always intrigue me. I'd really like to try it...especially if its the texture of pulled pork!

Mike K said...

This sounds really good! I see canned jackfruit at Asian markets, but I've no idea what to do with it. I love the idea of making vegan carne asada - must try it!

Jen Treehugger said...

I've never had jackfruit - never even seen it in the shops! Will keep my eyes peeled for a tin next time I'm in the Asian supermarket.
:)

Hannah said...

Ohh, jackfruit- I've been meaning to hunt that down for a year or two now, but have yet to seriously look. I'm so curious... This recipe sure sounds good!

Veggie Belly said...

brilliant!! ive eaten some very yummy jackfruit preparations in Asia. what a great meat substitute! ive book marked this to try.

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

this sounds good - i don't think i've ever seen jackfruit over here, not sure if it's available!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Jackfruit is pretty amazing stuff!

Usha said...

What an unique use of jackfruit,sounds interesting !