Let me share some tips on how to prepare jackfruit and how to make it taste better. It’s loved for it’s meaty texture and perfect for making your favorite savory dishes without meat.
Drain the jackfruit from the cans. Place in a colander or strainer and thoroughly rinse with cold water. Drain off excess water.
Place the jackfruit pieces in a large pot and cover with at least a couple inch of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the boiled jackfruit.
Place it back into the pot and cover with a few inches of water.
Add 1/2 medium white onion, 3 garlic cloves, 4 whole peppercorns, 1 bay leaf and 1 Tablespoon of vegetable bouillon powder or vegan broth paste.
Bring to a gentle boil. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Drain off the broth and discard. DO NOT rinse the cooked jackfruit.
Allow to cool down until cooled down enough that you can handle it.
Once cooled down you can pull apart to shred it. Remove any hard pieces and discard them. The seeds are edible so you can remove the hard outer shell and cut or slice and mix in with the shredded jackfruit.
Now you're ready to cook the prepared jackfruit in all of your favorite vegan meat recipes.
Notes
How to Prepare Dried Jackfruit
Please notice that these instructions are for preparing dried young jackfruit, not for the sweet fruit pods.
Thoroughly rinse the dried jackfruit inside a colander and with cool water.
Drain off excess water and place inside a pot.
Cover with a few inches of water.
Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the jackfruit shreds are well hydrated.
Drain and rinse again under cold water. Squeeze out as you’re rinsing.
Place back inside the pot and repeat the process.
If you’d like you can also add the onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf and vegetable bouillon powder. Different brands of dried jackfruit may be bland or a little tart once hydrated. Taste it and see if it could benefit from the seasonings.
Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Now it’s ready to use.