The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budget-friendly recipes and cooking tips. Check back weekly for something new to try in the kitchen, or if you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to culture@ufvcascade.ca.
This quick, easy, and delicious sandwich is the ultimate comfort food. It’s perfect for vegetarians, vegans, and meat lovers alike. The jackfruit tree is in the Moraceae family, which includes other plants like the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit trees. It is often used as a meat alternative in vegetarian cooking because when this fruit is cooked down, it mimics the texture of pulled pork. The young jackfruit specifically is almost tasteless and soaks up whatever spices and sauces it is cooked with. You can find young, canned jackfruit in most international aisles of conventional grocery stores for less than $2 each, making this an incredibly cheap meal for students on a budget. There are many recipes for how to cook this fruit; however, many suggest cooking it in the oven or a slow cooker for many hours. Here’s a quick stovetop option that will take less than 20 minutes to prepare but with the same pay off. Serve on a toasted bun and enjoy!
Cook time: 20 minutes. Serves: 2.
Ingredients:
20 oz. can of young, green jackfruit in brine
1/3 – 1/2 cup BBQ sauce of choice
1/2 tsp vegetable oil or cooking oil of choice
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread of choice
Sandwich fixings of choice
Method:
1) Begin by draining and rinsing the canned jackfruit.
2) Heat the oil in a large saucepan before adding in the jackfruit to brown.
3) After sauteeing the jackfruit for a few minutes, add about a 1/2 inch of water in the pan and cover. This will help heat the jackfruit through and begin to soften it.
4) Continue cooking over medium heat, allowing the water to mostly evaporate. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
5) Once the jackfruit is soft, use a fork or potato masher to slowly pull apart the pieces of jackfruit. I find a potato masher works best for this particular recipe because we are not “slow cooking” it.
6) Once the jackfruit is pulled apart, add half the BBQ sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of water. Stir into jackfruit to coat evenly. Try not to stir it around too much; this will allow bits of the jackfruit to get crispy on the bottom of the pan. This will take about 10 minutes.
7) Add the rest of the BBQ sauce and continue cooking until there is no excess water in the pan. I prefer when the jackfruit is really well cooked and the fruit is falling apart and tender.
8)Add your choice of sandwich fixings to your bun and add the BBQ jackfruit to it. This goes well with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cheese or dairy-free alternatives. Enjoy!
BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich (Sydney Marchand)
Sydney is a BA English major, creative writing student, who has been a content contributor for The Cascade and is now the Opinion editor. In 7th grade, she won $100 in a writing contest but hasn’t made an earning from writing since. In the meantime, she is hoping that her half-written novels will write themselves, be published, and help pay the bills.
