While we aren’t vegetarians, we definitely enjoy meat-free meals, especially when they’re easy, quick, and delicious – like these BBQ (jackfruit) sammies on homemade sourdough biscuits, topped with spiralized carrot slaw!
We’d heard that jackfruit was used as a meat analog in various dishes, including curries and BBQ. It wasn’t until we picked up a frozen curry meal with jackfruit at Trader Joe’s recently that we really came to appreciate how good it is as a meat substitute. If you’re unfamiliar with jackfruit, it’s a a really cool-looking tropical fruit that can either be used while still green (as a meat substitute) or ripe (also delicious, especially in that Filipino dessert delight called Halo-Halo).
Our helpful checker at Trader Joe’s mentioned that they sell canned green jackfruit there, too, so on our next trip, we picked some up. To use it, you just drain, rinse, and pull it apart so that it resembles pulled meat. Add your favorite sauce, heat it through, et violà: sandwich filling ready to be piled onto a bun or curry ready to be spooned over rice, quinoa, or veggie noodles!
Our base layer for this meal was sourdough biscuits made with the help of our ever-ready starter, Audrey II. Audrey is extra happy and active in the warmth of summer months and we’re challenged to find ways to use the starter quickly enough…but how can you go wrong with biscuits, right? We just split a biscuit, piled on the jackfruit BBQ, and then topped it with a quick carrot slaw (just carrots because I’d used up the last of the cabbage earlier) made using this Easy Coleslaw Dressing recipe. I subbed Vegenaise for the mayo and it came out great, too.
It may seem like a light meal since there’s no meat, but it’s surprisingly satisfying; to me, comparable to a meal with meat as far as how long it kept me feeling full, and I suspect that the fiber is probably primarily responsible.
Verdict: green jackfruit as a meat analog is definitely a winner. Stay tuned to see our next jackfruit-based vegetarian meal!
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