This week
I was joining Foodtryb Mystery Ingredient Challenge, I had no idea what I
would get until I received the meat-free bundles from Jack and Bry ! I’ve tried many
vegan meat brands but this is my first time to have the one made from jackfruit.
The fact is jackfruit has been commonly used as meat substitute in Southeast
and South Asian for ages but just became a new vegan miracle to the West in recent
years. Don’t think I ever tasted jackfruit before (although it’s one of the
seasonal fruits in Taiwan, we called it ‘Boluomi’ 菠蘿蜜 in Mandarin.) so I am really curious about how it tastes
like.
I
decided to use Jack and Bry's burgers to create Japanese sushi sandwich ‘Onigirazu’
おにぎらず, and I have to say these jackfruit smash burgers really impressed me! Basically
they already came with smoky flavour, the texture is firm enough hence the meat
wouldn’t fall apart when pan-frying. The ingredients contain beetroot juice extract,
I think that’s why they are reddish like real meat. It’s very meaty and
surprisingly juicy, can’t really tell I am actually eating meatless sushi
sandwich!
Ingredients (Serving 2)
-2 Jack and Bry jackfruit burgers.
-2-4 sheets nori seaweed.
-100-150g cooked short-grain rice.
-Toasted sesame seeds to garnish.
Other fillings
-Stir-fried shredded carrots.
-Little gem lettuce.
To make the
sauce for burger
-2 tbsp honey.
-2 tbsp soy sauce.
-2 tbsp mirin.
To cook the burgers
1. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat, pan fry jackfruit
burgers for about 7-10 minutes until golden on both sides.
2. Pour the sauce in, cook for a further 3 minutes over medium
low heat, ensure the burgers are coated in a thick sauce.
To assemble
1. Lay a large piece of cling film wrap on a working surface, place
a sheet of nori seaweed on top with shiny side down, keep one of the corners point
up.
2. Evenly spread a thin layer of cooked rice in the centre of
the nori sheet, then place lettuce, jackfruit burger, stir-fried shredded carrots,
and another layer of cooked rice on top.
3. Fold up the corners of nori sheet with cling film to
completely seal, if one nori sheet is unable to enclose the rice, then use two.
(that’s what I did.) Gently press down to help nori seaweed stick to the rice and
seal tightly.
4. Repeat with another one, let rest for 5 minutes.
5. Slice in half, drizzle with remaining sauce and sprinkle with
sesame seeds.
6. Remove cling film warp and enjoy!
Meanwhile I've also tried Jack and Bry jackfruit sausages and mince:
Jackfruit Sausages with Egg Fried Rice
The texture of sausage is also firm with same smoky taste like burger, just at different form. It even has 'skin' to keep the meat not fall apart from pan-frying. I think it tastes quite similar like REAL sausage!
Jackfruit Mince Dan Dan Noodles
I have to say their mince looks quite funny before cooking...(doesn't look tasty at all) I've tried to use jackfruit mince to make Dan Dan noodles, I think their mince is the product I like the least.
Jackfruit Mince Paratha Wrap
The next day I used mince again but made a paratha wrap which I think it tasted better. The mince came with the same smoky flavour but the texture is less firm so you can feel it's not real meat at every bite. That's why I decided to mix the mince with carrots and sweetcorn to give it more crunchy texture.
I was very impressed about jackfruit made vegan meat and I think I prefer their burgers and sausages more, rather than the mince. Overall it's a great meat substitutes and I would definitely consider to repeat buying.
Have you also tried jackfruit vegan meat? Let me know how do you usually cook it?
