Jackfruit Carnitas with Mango Salsa
Literally means ‘little meats,’ but here we use jackfruit as the base. It’s braised and fried with Mexican spices and served with a charred mango salsa, smashed avocado, and pickled cabbage. This makes a delicious meal any time of the day!
Takes
Serves 2
Ingredients
Jackfruit carne
- 1 small red onion
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ fresh red chilli
- 400 g jackfruit
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
Smashed Avocado
- 1 ripe avocado
- ½ a lime
- Pinch of salt
Charred Mango Salsa
- 1 ripe mango
- 200 g cherry tomatoes (ideally assorted colours)
- ½ red onion
- 15 g fresh coriander
- ½ a lime
Other Ingredients
- 50 g pickled cabbage (sauerkraut)
- 6 corn or wheat tacos
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients for the jackfruit carne:Peel and dice the red onion and garlic.Finely dice the red chilli.Drain, rinse, and finely chop the jackfruit.
- Fry the base flavours:Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wide-bottomed pan on high heat.Add the cumin seeds, diced onion, and chilli. Fry for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and jackfruit:Add the diced garlic and chopped jackfruit to the pan.Fry for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Incorporate the spices and liquids:Stir in the oregano, bay leaves, tamari, tomato purée, and salt.Mix well until all the flavours are evenly combined.
- Braise the mixture:Add 2 tbsp of water and allow the mixture to braise, stirring to deglaze any bits stuck to the pan.Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Make the charred mango salsa:Cut the cheeks off the mango and char them in a hot pan until golden on the flesh side.Remove the skin and cut the flesh into small pieces.Quarter the cherry tomatoes, peel and finely dice the red onion, and finely chop the coriander.Mix these ingredients together with the juice of half a lime.Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Prepare the smashed avocado:Remove the flesh from the avocado and mash it with the juice of the remaining lime half and a pinch of salt.Mash until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Char the tacos:Lightly char the corn or wheat tacos in a dry pan until slightly crispy.
- Assemble the tacos:Spread a layer of smashed avocado on each taco.Add the mango salsa, pickled cabbage, and jackfruit carne.Repeat for the remaining tacos and fillings.Serve and enjoy!
