CURRIED, COCONUT CHICKEN (JACKFRUIT)!!

Jackfruit. What the heck is it? Well, it's a big, green, spiky fruit that grows on trees, originates from Asia and is referred to as vegetable meat. It's also found in other parts of the world including right here in St. Catharines , except here it 's found on the shelves, in a can, at Freshco. I'll take what I can get.  

  I've come across it in a few recipes to substitute meat. I was super intrigued and set about to hunt down this coveted and somewhat elusive jackfruit. After talking to a few employees and a manager at two different grocery stores (yeah I know, I looked really hard)and getting screw ball  looks that told me to go smoke another one, I gave up. I thought I was doomed to a life without jackfruit.  This didn't bother me tooo much, I mean,  I didn't reeaaally know what I was missing. Alright, I lie. I was pissed off. How could we not have jackfruit around here?  A fruit that has the texture of meat?  No soy? No gluten?  It sounded amazing , and I desperately wanted it.   

 One particularly mild day, Athena and I decided to walk down to Freshco. This isn't our usual grocery store and we thought it might be neat to check it out.  The first isle we went down was the international isle. I stopped  to browse , I let me eyes scan the wide array of interesting canned and jarred international foods,  and  then,  just like that,  I spotted it, jackfruit! I squealed with delight (probably a little too loud), grabbed Athena by the jacket and said "I've found jackfruit! Do you know what this means"?  Haha! yeah, I went a bit nuts, but I'll tell you what it means, it means a lot of experimenting  in t he kitchen with some very successful  and delicious results! 

I'll share with you my favourite so far:

CURRIED, COCONUT CHICKEN  (JACKFRUIT)!!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

1 onion , chopped

1 red or yellow pepper or half of each , chopped

2 cans of young green jackfruit in brine , chopped (make sure you don't get the one in syrup)!

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons curry powder

Raw Jackfruit.

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 can light coconut milk

1 tablespoon real maple syrup

1 -1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste it you choose)

WHAT TO DO:

Curried, Coconut Jackfruit simmering away. I used both red and yellow peppers.

#1 In a large frying pan  (I like cast iron) melt coconut oil and saute onion and red or yellow pepper until soft. 

#2 Drain, rinse and roughly chop jackfruit into small, chunks, and add in to the pan along with the garlic and spices. Stir well, until jackfruit is thoroughly coated with the spices.

#3 Add coconut milk and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover, stirring occasionally. 

#4 once it starts to thicken up add  salt.

Mmmm Curried, Coconut jackfruit over rice!!

#5 serve over  any grain you prefer. I had left over sushi rice in the fridge and it was incredibly tasty paired with that.

This dish taste even better the second day, as the jackfruit has had time to soak up all the flavouring of the spices! Mmmm!

NOTE:

#1  By using light coconut milk instead of regular and using jackfruit instead of chicken you're cutting back on a lot of fat. You're also saving a chicken! So if you're looking for healthier , leaner and more compassionate options, this recipe is definitely worth a try!

#2 It really does taste and has a texture similar to chicken!