Jackfruit, native to southeast Asia, is trendy meat alternative in Las Vegas
Move over tofu and tempeh. Step aside quinoa and lentils.
Enter jackfruit, the monstrous southeast Asian relative of the fig and the breadfruit is being hailed as the ultimate meat substitute.
“People in the raw food movement have been more familiar with it for a longer period of time than the cooked vegans,” says Lou V, co-owner of the Go Vegan Cafe. “But it’s definitely up and coming, and is one of the newest and most popular ingredients to use. A lot of restaurants that serve everything to their guests are finding it easy to incorporate some vegan dishes (to the menu) with it.”
Stephen Galadau, owner of Owl on Russell Road, said his carnivore-friendly tavern began offering the fruit as an outreach to vegan customers. But he says his chef’s yellow curry jackfruit tacos have found a broader audience.
“I had to stop selling them to non-vegans because I would run out,” he laughs. “Now I buy 15 pounds of jackfruit a week, so I can start selling them again to non-vegans. It’s insane.”
Casino restaurants haven’t been as quick to embrace the ingredient. But the Stratosphere is looking for ways to incorporate it into all of its restaurants’ menus.
“We’re constantly trying to reinvent the vegan dish or vegetarian dish, especially at (the formal revolving restaurant) Top of the World, where we always have vegan entrees and vegetarian entrees available,” the resort’s executive chef Rick Giffen says.
“We brought some jackfruit in about a month ago, and we’re going to be putting some things on our summer menus with it.”
Jackfruit is a fierce looking fruit native to southeast Asia. Covered in prickly spikes, it can grow to 80 pounds.
When cooking with it, the main rule of thumb is that age matters. The younger, green specimens are often described as flavorless, and easily absorb the taste of other ingredients. This and its meaty texture — reminiscent of artichoke hearts — make it a perfect meat substitute. As the fruit ripens, however, it develops a sweet, tangy taste, somewhere between a citrus fruit and pineapple.
Canned jackfruit is usually packed in brine when young, and syrup when ripe. Fresh specimens can be found, whole or cut into large segments, at Asian supermarkets throughout the valley, including 99 Ranch Market.
Because of the dramatic change in taste over the life of the fruit, the ripeness makes a big difference in how a dish made with it will taste. Some say the sweetness is always present to at least some degree.
“There’s a sweet note that goes throughout,” says V, whose restaurant uses the canned green variety. “So there’s still a little of sweetness to it, even though we put a lot of savory herbs and spices to it.” Fortunately, some recipes are more forgiving than others in this regard.
Whether you’re trying to cut back on meat, or you just want to experience a new Asian fruit, there are plenty of ways to explore jackfruit in the Las Vegas Valley. If you want to experiment with it at home, here’s a recipe from Giffen and the team at the Stratosphere.
ASIAN JACKFRUIT LETTUCE WRAPS WITH COCONUT HOISIN
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
2 pounds cleaned and chopped unripened jackfruit (fresh or canned in brine)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons sambal chili sauce
Pinch salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce (preferably 3 Crab brand)
2 tablespoons ponzu sauce
1 sliced fresh jalapeno
12 iceberg or butter lettuce cups
1½ cups rinsed mung bean sprouts
12 sprigs cilantro sprigs
Coconut hoisin sauce (recipe follows)
Heat saute pan and add coconut and sesame oils and then shallots, jackfruit, ginger, garlic, sambal, salt and pepper. Cook mixture until tender, then deglaze pan with fish sauce and ponzu. Simmer until liquid is reduced, then fold in fresh jalapeno and scoop into lettuce cups; garnish with bean sprouts and cilantro. Serve with coconut hoisin sauce.
Coconut hoisin sauce:
1 cup hoisin
½ cup Coco Lopez cream of coconut
1 tablespoon green curry paste
2 ounces honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
Whisk all ingredients very well until smooth and well blended.
Makes 1 pint.
Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.
WHERE TO FIND JACKFRUIT IN LAS VEGAS
BBQ pulled jack sandwich: Go Vegan Café (5875 S. Rainbow Blvd.) may have more jackfruit preparations on its menu than any restaurant in town. But the one that best embraces the fruit's natural flavor is this sandwich, served with coleslaw and pickles between a pair of hearty sopapillas. The texture is reminiscent of pulled pork, and the natural sugar and tanginess of the fruit lend themselves to barbecue.
Pizza: Another reason to visit the Go Vegan Café, the chef uses the same Mexican preparation of jackfruit on these faux-cheese pizzas she does in her tacos and enchiladas. The flavor and texture are reminiscent of spiced black beans.
Smoothie: For a sweet jackfruit treat, try it in a smoothie at Chinatown's Bambu (4810 Spring Moutnain Road), which takes full advantage of the ripe fruit's sugar, but only hints at its tartness. Go Vegan Café also offers a jackfruit, coconut and durian smoothie. But the almost offensively pungent durian makes it a very acquired taste.
Tacos: By far the most popular preparation of jackfruit. The spicy yellow curry version at Owl (3990 West Russell Road) uses canned fruit in a traditional Indian recipe. You can also find an east-meets-west take on them at downtown's VegeNation (616 Carson Ave.) that combines traditional Southwest seasoning with a touch of Korean barbecue. While they use fresh young fruit, they soak it for 10-24 hours in barbecue sauce to add a sugary tart kick.
Curry: The valley's definitive Thai restaurant Lotus of Siam (653 East Sahara Ave.) offers two jackfruit dishes on its popular northern Thai menu. But this is traditional, not trendy, and neither is either remotely sweet or remotely vegetarian. Kang ka noon, for example, is described as a northern style curry, but features the fruit and your choice of pork or chicken in a thin spicy broth seasoned with a variety of Thai spices. It comes with a side of sticky rice.
