My niece Raya very capably and efficiently conjured up these delicious jackfruit tacos, based on a recipe by Jocelyn Ramirez, in a basic Airbnb kitchen we were staying at in the lovely San Ynez vineyard country.
In this recipe I have slightly altered the ingredients for the Indian palate.
Raya's Jackfruit Tacos
Ingredients
- 600 gm jackfruit, canned (1½ cans, available online)
- 8-9 pods garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- Oil
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1 tsp jeera or cumin powder
- ½ tsp hing or asafetida
- 1 tsp chilly flakes or more
- ½ tsp oregano powder
- Pinch black pepper powder
- 1 tsp dhania or coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Cheese, grated
- Salsa (please see recipe below)
- Chopped onions, for garnish
- Shredded lettuce for serving
- Corn or flour tortillas
For the salsa
- 3 large ripe tomatoes
- 2 onions chopped
- 4 tbsp chopped green dhania or coriander or cilantro
- Salt
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch jeera or cumin powder
- 2-3 chipotle chiles, available online
Method
For the salsa
- Roast the tomatoes over a grill or in the oven till done and slightly charred.
- Grind roasted tomatoes with the lemon juice, cumin, chiles and salt in a blender.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the ground tomato for 5 minutes or so till the colour changes.
- Take off heat.
Season with cilantro and onions.
For the jackfruit stuffing
- Drain the water from the jackfruit tin.
- In a bowl, mince the drained jackfruit with a fork and remove any hard portions.
Season with the spices and half of the orange juice. - In a frying pan, heat the oil and saute the garlic, onions and jackfruit for 25-30 minutes till lightly browned.
Take off heat and add the remaining orange juice and mix. - Warm the tortilla for a minute or two on a tava.
Place 3-4 tbsp of the jackfruit filling in the centre of the tortilla and add a dollop or two of salsa and garnish with onions, cheese, lettuce and additional cilantro.
Note: For vegan tacos, omit the cheese.
For Jain tacos, omit the onions and garlic.
Meat eaters might enjoy adding fried strips of ¼ kg chicken breasts to the stuffing.
Those on a diabetic diet might consider swapping the tortillas for rotis or millet rotis.
