A Caribbean style inspired alternative to regular mashed potatoes. Made from roasting and then mashing the breadfruit with plant based milk, vegan butter and lightly seasoned.
Here is another breadfruit recipe coming your way, that one is delicious and pairs well with a number of meat based and vegan dishes.
I didn't want the last half of my breadfruit to go to waste (trust me, it's WAY too expensive to do that).
Instead, I wanted to show you another away to prepare breadfruit by making it into a mash. Yes, this is a great alternative to regular old potatoes.
We already have a tutorial on how to Roast Breadfruit, a Breadfruit Pie recipe and some Breadfruit Fries which makes a great snack.
The only difference with my recipe is that I do like to, infact I totally recommend to roast the breadfruit first before turning it into mash.
Of course, if you are pushed for time you might want to skip roasting and instead boil or steam the breadfruit instead (not the best in overall taste though).
However, there's a reason why recipes call for roasting first and that is because the roasting process actually helps to caramelise the vegetable or fruit (in this case) which helps to bring out its natural sweetness.
This process helps to yield more depth in flavour compared to what you would get from for example choosing the boiling/steamed method.
Besides, I am slightly biased as I do LOVE the taste of roasted breadfruit. Although the entire roasting process may take up to 1 hour and 30 minutes I promise it is worth it.
What to do with breadfruit?
Breadfruit is extremely versatile, you can eat it in its savory state, where you can make any of the following;
- Mash (similar to mashed potatoes)
- Roast it (in the oven or on an open flame)
- Fry it (self-explanatory)
- Air fry (A healthier alternative to frying in copious amounts of oil)
- pickle it (As a side dish for a main meal)
On the other hand, you can also turn it into a sweet treat by making something like a cake, flan or even pone from it.
You only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe and thankfully most of the work is taken up with roasting the breadfruit followed by peeling it and removing the core (the heart as we call it).
To yield that super creamy potato consistency, this is achieved by adding some vegan butter along with some neutral tasting plant based milk.
I like to use Almond Milk for most (if not all) of my mash recipes but feel free to use another vegan milk if you want to.
Bitter breadfruit
Okay, for those of you who were raised eating breadfruit. I think it's safe to say that you have probably tasted some bitter breadfruit in your lifetime which sadly can be quite offputting.
It is important to select breadfruit when it ripe, well I am not an expert however, I'm going to share the times where I was unfortunate enough to have tasted bitter breadfruit and what I believe may have been the cause.
If the breadfruit has been mishandled that's a good sign that once it is cooked it will have some dark spots which are guaranteed to taste bitter.
By mishandled I mean, someone could have dropped it, it might have been poorly packed in transit and so fourtg.
Sometimes you can physically inspect the breadfruit and just know by feeling some soft spots that the breadfruit is no good.
Also, if it has an mould, weeps and/or unusual discoloration on it that's another sign. Also cutting into a breadfruit that is sticky or has some residue.
Breadfruit when cutting into that is off in colour is another indication of its poor state. It should be "yellow" if it a yellow heart breadfruit or "white" if it is a white heart breadfruit.
Others say, that if the core/the heart isn't cut of completely (yes I removed the rest of mine, as the picture does show some still left behind) it can cause bitterness too but I cannot confirm this.
The steps
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F/gas mark 4
- Rub olive oil all over the breadfruit then wrap it in aluminium foil (you can wrap it with a layer of parchment paper first if you want to.
- Place the wrapped breadfruit in the centre of the oven rack.
- Roast the breadfruit for 1 - 1½ hours.
- Carefully remove the breadfruit from the oven and allow it to cool enough to be handled (to don't want it to be completely cold).
- Cut the breadfruit into 2 halves so you are left with 2 quarters.
- Remove the core (aka the heart) then peel each quarter.
- Chop the breadfruit into medium sized squares then place in a large bowl.
- Use an electric hand held whisk/stick blender to make the mash.
- Add the milk in increments until the breadfruit becomes fluffy and creamy (you might not use all of the milk).
- Add the butter, thyme, onion and garlic granules, black pepper and pink salt to taste.
Notes and tips
- If possible, get a "yellow heart" breadfruit for this recipe as it is naturally sweeter in taste.
- If you are pushed for time you can boil or steam rather than roast the breadfruit until tender instead but roasting will yield the best flavour.
- You can get breadfruit from any market/supermarket that is frequented by Caribbean/Latino/Polynesian people (they call it 'ulu).
- This recipe is freezer friendly (up to one month), just thaw out completely before re-heating.
- Any leftover breadfruit can be refrigerated for 24 hours (I haven't tasted it for longer).
- Feel free to add any additional ingredients such as vegan cheese, chives etc...
- Use a serrated knife to remove the peel and to cut out the core/heart.
More mash recipes to try
- Dominican Mangu (Mashed green plantain)
- Mashed Sweet Plantains
- Mashed Potato Stuffing
- Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes
- Caribbean Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Green Banana Mash
Recipes to pair this with
- Jamaican Steamed Cabbage
- Callaloo
- Slow Cooker Black Beans
- Caribbean Baked Fish
- Curried Butter Beans
- Creamy Coconut Chicken
- Jamaican Stew Peas
**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**
Roasted Mashed Breadfruit
Ingredients
To roast the breadfruit
- ½ breadfruit mature/ripe
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil (14-16g)
To make the mash
- 1 cup almond milk (235ml)
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter (28g)
- 1 teaspoon thyme (2g) fresh if possible but dried works too
- ½ teaspoon onion granules (1g) or powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic granules (1.5g) or powder
- black pepper and pink salt to taste
Instructions
To roast the breadfruit
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F/gas mark 4
- Rub olive oil all over the breadfruit then wrap it in aluminium foil (you can wrap it with a layer of parchment paper first if you want to.
- Place the wrapped breadfruit in the centre of the oven rack.
- Roast the breadfruit for 1 - 1½ hours.
- Carefully remove the breadfruit from the oven and allow it to cool enough to be handled (to don't want it to be completely cold).
- Cut the breadfruit into 2 halves so you are left with 2 quarters.
- Remove the core (aka the heart) then peel each quarter.
To make the mash
- Chop the breadfruit into medium sized squares then place in a large bowl.
- Use an electric hand held whisk/stick blender to make the mash.
- Add the milk in increments until the breadfruit becomes fluffy and creamy (you might not use all of the milk).
- Add the butter, thyme, onion and garlic granules, black pepper and pink salt to taste.
Notes
- If possible, get a "yellow heart" breadfruit for this recipe as it is naturally sweeter in taste.
- If you are pushed for time you can boil or steam rather than roast the breadfruit until tender instead but roasting will yield the best flavour.
- You can get breadfruit from any market/supermarket that is frequented by Caribbean/Latino/Polynesian people (they call it 'ulu).
- This recipe is freezer friendly (up to one month), just thaw out completely before re-heating.
- Any leftover breadfruit can be refrigerated for 24 hours (I haven't tasted it for longer).
- Feel free to add any additional ingredients such as vegan cheese, chives etc...
- Use a serrated knife to remove the peel and to cut out the core/heart.
Leave a Reply