Jackfruit is truly a jack-of-all-trades, great in everything from desserts to savory curries. In this recipe from Indian Accent, the hit restaurant with locations in both New Delhi and NYC, green jackfruit is cooked down in aromatic spices and chiles into a taco filling that looks and tastes just like pulled pork. These are Indian tacos like you've never had before.
Although you may be finding jackfruit everywhere from Asian grocery stores to Whole Foods these days, you don't want the vibrant, yellow, sweet fruit. For this recipe, you're looking for the underripe fruit that's just now coming into season. And if you can't find any, canned will work just fine. You won't believe it's not pork.
To learn more, read "Return of the Jack."
Pulled Jackfruit Tacos
Recipe adapted from Manish Mehrotra, Indian Accent, NYC
Yield: 16 tacos
Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus cooling time
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes, plus cooling time
Ingredients
10 ounces fresh or canned green jackfruit, cleaned
1½ teaspoons ground turmeric, divided
1 teaspoon red chile powder, divided
Kosher salt, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced onion, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon minced serrano chile
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
6 curry leaves, roughly torn
¾ cup water
2 tablespoons minced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped toasted almonds
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon minced cilantro
½ teaspoon garam masala
16 small flour tortillas
Julienned red Thai chile, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish
16 potato papads, julienned and fried according to package instructions
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, toss the jackfruit with ½ teaspoon each of the turmeric and chile powder, and salt to coat.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the jackfruit and cook, stirring often, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the jackfruit to a bowl to cool, then shred.
3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger, garlic, chile, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cook until the onions have softened, 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of the ground turmeric and ½ teaspoon of the chile powder with the water, tomatoes, cumin and coriander. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the shredded jackfruit to the pan, along with the tamarind paste. Cook until most of the water is absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the almonds, lime juice, cilantro and garam masala.
5. Using a 3-inch ring cutter, cut out circles from the tortillas to form mini tacos. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling onto each tortilla round. Garnish with minced onions, Thai chiles, grated Parmesan and fried papads, then serve.
