If you’ve seen a real-life, whole jackfruit at the grocery store, you’ve probably been (at least a little) intimidated by its size. How on Earth does one go about cooking such a gigantic fruit?!
The Jackfruit Company meal starters were created to remove this barrier, and make it easier than ever to enjoy delicious, nutritious jackfruit at home. They heat up in a snap, and are ready to serve as part of a tasty and balanced meatless meal.
However, we do have a few tips to help you get it right—and, to help you prepare for our Meatless May Recipe Challenge on Instagram, we’re sharing them here.
Tip 1: Know your jack!
We produce both frozen Ripe Jackfruit (which is just ripe jackfruit pods, no other ingredients added) and meal starters, entrees, and Smoked Pulled Jackfruit made with young jackfruit (also known as green jackfruit, or unripe jackfruit.) While ripe jackfruit is tropically sweet, young jackfruit has a mild flavor and hearty, meaty texture that make it a great whole-food plant-based meat alternative. If you’re new to cooking with jackfruit, we recommend using only young jackfruit (not ripe) in savory dishes. Save the ripe jackfruit for smoothies, baking and desserts—or just enjoy it on its own.
Tip 2: Break up larger pieces.
Due to the minimally processed nature of our jackfruit meal starters, the size and shape of the jackfruit pieces can vary. In order to heat the jackfruit evenly, we recommend first breaking up larger pieces. An easy way to do this is to shred the jackfruit using two forks.
Tip 3: Consider your seasonings.
Our collection of jackfruit meal starters offers a wealth of flavor inspiration. For optimal enjoyment, we recommend pairing your jackfruit with ingredients that complement the seasonings. Our ever-popular BBQ Jackfruit is a delicious addition to sandwiches, pizzas, salads and more. Tex-Mex Jackfruit makes an unbeatable taco, quesadilla or burrito. Curry Jackfruit is amazing in a spicy stew or naan wrap, and Teriyaki Jackfruit will complete the Asian-style grain bowl of your dreams. Try Lemon Garlic Jackfruit as part of a Mediterranean mezze platter, or over pasta. Smoked Pulled Jackfruit is a super-versatile option that works equally well as a stand-alone entrée (think: barbecue platter with sides) or an ingredient in a more complicated recipe. Last but not least, our Lightly Seasoned Jackfruit was made for the home chef who likes to put their personal spin on a dish. It pretty much goes with anything, so feel free to get creative!
Those are just a few ideas to help get you started—but really, the options are limitless. No matter which flavor you choose to whip up first, we encourage you to think outside the can—because unlike other brands, our jackfruit is never canned. This makes for a higher quality product with a fresher flavor, that is easier to prepare. (And stay tuned, as we will soon be launching a new line of jackfruit products that are even easier to enjoy!)
