Something I always tried to do when I wrote a menu was add some vegetarian options. I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy the food at my restaurants. I suppose that was a huge thing that drew me to the culinary field; food makes people happy, eating with friends and family make people happy. The fact that I can cook pretty well and can juggle all of the business responsibilities didn’t hurt either. So, to my vegetarian friends, here they are, Jackfruit tacos. Enjoy.
Jack Fruit Marinade:
30 oz canned jackfruit, drained
3 dried guajillo peppers
4 c water
1 tbs yellow onion, minced
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/3 tsp cumin
1/2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp Spanish Paprika
1 c pineapple juice
Salt and pepper to taste
The Spicy Salsa:
1/4 yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 bunch cilantro, rough chopped
1 jalapeno, stem removed
3 red Thai chilis, stems removed
1 small orange habanero, stem removed
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 – 28 oz can diced petite tomatoes
1/4 c water
Salt and white pepper to taste
Simple Guacamole:
4 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 tbs lime juice
Salt to taste
Cilantro Aioli:
1 c mayo
1 c cilantro, fine minced
1 tsp lime juice
The Rest:
24 corn tortillas, 2 per taco
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c milk or water
1 1/2 c AP flour (all purpose)
1 tsp salt
Eggs, amt will depend on who wants one on their taco
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 1/2 c queso fresco, finely crumbled
1/2 c fresh cilantro, minced
3 fresh jalapenos, thin sliced
First, boil the guajillo peppers in 4 c water, pressing them down into the water periodically. Boil for 30 – 45 minutes until the peppers have softened. Transfer to a blender along with 1/4 c of the boiling liquid. Add the rest of the marinade ingrdients. Puree until sauce is smooth. Set aside.
Start getting the jackfruit ready by transferring it to a steamer pot. Steam for 30 minutes. Once tender, transfer to a baking dish and break up jackfruit with a whisk or fork. Pour marinade over fruit and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
Meanwhile, get the other stuff ready. Soften the tortillas by dipping them in a little hot oil, or cooking them in a nonstick pan with some nonstick cooking spray. Wrap them up in a clean kitchen towel and set aside. The salsa is simple, transfer all of the ingredients to a blender and you can either pulse or puree, depending on your own preferred texture. Transfer to jars and refrigerate until ready to use. Make the easy guac by combining the avocados, lime juice and salt in a bowl and smashing everything up with a whisk or fork. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Now, it’s time for the aioli. Normally, I would tell you to simply mix it all together, but if you want a finer cilantro, add mayo and cilantro to a food processor and pulse. Once done, mix in the lime juice and transfer to a squirt bottle. Refrigerate until ready to use. Let’s get those onion strings ready. If you can multitask in the kitchen, it’s best to do this while the jackfruit is cooking. Set your deep fryer to 325. Submerge onion strings in milk. Set a plate out with the flour and mix in the salt. In small batches, dredge some of the wet onions through the flour. Deep fry for only a few seconds until they turn golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Once done, set aside. You can also fry up the eggs for whomever wants one on their tacos at this time. Add 1 tbs oil to a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Crack 1 egg and allow to cook until the outer edges are white. Flip over and cook to desired donness. Transfer to a plate and repeat.
While you are getting the last few toppings made, you can start cooking the jackfruit. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the other tbs of oil and the jackfruit and marinade. Use a wooden spoon to push the fruit around every so often. You don’t want to stir it too much. Let it sit for a few minutes at a time until the edges start to crisp and the sugars in the pineapple juice caramelize on the fruit. This is going to take roughly 45 minutes of cooking time. Once done, you can assemble the tacos. With this recipe the picture is pretty self explanatory, there are many ways to prepare these little meatless tacos. You can even make it buffet style and let everyone create their own.
Girl-Chef Tastes 