Jackfruit Stew (Brown Stew Jackfruit)

Love green jackfruit? if so, then you are going to love this Caribbean inspired brown stew recipe. Shredded jackfruit  generously seasoned with fragrant spices, then cooked down to yield a finger licking flavour. Completely vegan friendly too!!

It's not actually Jackfruit stew, this is more of a brown stew recipe but the search term for the former is more popular which is why I used that title instead.

Let's get down to business, the Caribbean is home to some of the most amazing brown stew recipes - brown stew fish, brown stew chicken, brown stew turkey neck and so fourth.

While all of those recipes taste amazing, they aren't vegan friendly. I wanted to switch things up by doing a meatless brown stew dish instead.

Banana blossom just didn't quite cut it, so after doing lots of trial and error with jackfruit, jackfruit is the winner.

Veganizing brown stew

You won't miss the meat in this dish and if you are a vegan then brace yourself for this meat free goodness.

If you haven't cooked with jackfruit before, more specifically young jackfruit. It's the savoury counterpart to the sweet stuff and is very meaty in texture.

I've previously used jackfruit in my Curried Jackfruit and Run Down Recipe before using 2 different methods - whole jackfruit and shredded.

Cooking the recipe

Since toying around with jackfruit I prefer to shred the jackfruit by removing the core first of all. This is optional though, you don't have to follow suite, you can keep the jackfruit intact instead.

As with any brown stew recipe, browning is essential. You can do the browning process in 2 ways - caramelizing the sugar/burnt sugar or using browning sauce.

Sometimes I use both methods depending on the need and what the recipe is to hand. Along as you sear the jackfruit using either method, this will result in something tasteful.

As with any brown stew recipe, you can throw in some bell peppers, pimento, tomatoes and so fourth.

One thing I did differently because this is a vegan recipe is to use vegetable broth mixed with water.

I did this because jackfruit is very fresh (bland) and needs more of a helping hand in the seasoning/flavour department.

The steps

• Place the jackfruit in a large bowl, if you are shredding the jackfruit then you will need to slice off the core and discard it, then using your hands or a pair of sterilised kitchen scissors to shred the jackfruit.
• Season the jackfruit with the browning, all purpose seasoning, paprika, onion powder, garlic granules, pink salt and black pepper, making sure all of the jackfruit is coated then set aside.
• Heat a skillet on medium heat with olive oil, then proceed to saute the onion and garlic until transparent.

• Add the cho cho and the jackfruit, then proceed to sear the jackfruit for several minutes.
• Add the tomato puree/paste, hot sauce, pimento berries, thyme and another splash of browning sauce (only do this if you are using my homemade version).
• Pour in the hot water and the vegetable broth then stir so everything is evenly combined.
• Bring the skillet to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes, if the liquids levels reduce too much, add a splash of water to replenish.
• Once cooked, do a taste test and add additional pink salt and black pepper if required.
• Discard the thyme stems and serve.

Notes and tips 

• This is the recipe for my Homemade Browning sauce.
• If you aren't using my homemade browning sauce and use the store bought kind DON'T use 3 tablespoons,1-2 teaspoon is enough.
• Again, see my Homemade All Purpose Seasoning and Vegetable Broth recipe.
• You don't have to shred the jackfruit, this is an optional step, you can cook them whole if you wish.
• Pimento is known as Allspice.
• If you can't get hold of cho cho (chayote, christophine) use zucchini (courgettes) or bell peppers.
• Any leftover jackfruit can be frozen for up to a month.

Side servings to accompany this dish

• Roasted Breadfruit
• Callaloo
• Oven Baked Cho Cho
• Rice and Peas
• Mashed Plantains
• Mashed Yam
• Steamed Cabbage

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