Pulled Jackfruit Burger with Coleslaw
Pulled jackfruit and homemade smoky barbecue sauce make for a winning combination in this vegan burger recipe from The Plant Power Doctor.
From the book
The Plant Power Doctor
A British GP breaks down the science behind plant based diets
Accessible information, meal plans, and simple ingredient switches
Tasty, nutritious and easy recipes to fit around your daily life
Introduction
Jackfruit is a member of the fig family and is grown on trees. It has a sweet and fruity flavour and is fantastically stringy, so it is an ideal swap for meat like pulled pork or shredded chicken. I’ve grilled the jackfruit here to give it some char and more depth of flavour but this step can be missed out.
If you add chipotle to this, it would also make a great filling for tacos. Here, I’ve made my BBQ sauce from scratch but if you are short of time, you may want to use a shop-bought option instead.
Ingredients
| For the jackfruit: | |
| 2 tins | young or unripe jackfruit, drained |
| 1 tbsp | olive oil (optional) |
| For the BBQ sauce: | |
| 300ml | passata |
| 1 tsp | molasses or black treacle |
| 1 tbsp | maple syrup |
| 2 tsp | cider vinegar |
| 1 tbsp | soy sauce |
| 1 tsp | garlic powder |
| 1 | garlic clove, grated |
| 1 tsp | dried oregano |
| A few dashes of | hot sauce |
| ½ | onion, studded with 5 cloves |
| A few drops of | liquid smoke |
| salt and pepper | |
| For the coleslaw: | |
| ½ | small white or Savoy cabbage, finely shredded |
| 1 | carrot, coarsely grated |
| 1 | onion, finely sliced |
| A small bunch of | coriander |
| zest and juice of 1 lime | |
| To serve: | |
| 4 | wholemeal vegan burger buns |
| 4 | large floppy green lettuce leaves |
| sliced gherkins | |
| 4 | slices tomato |
Method
First make the BBQ sauce. Put all the ingredients except the liquid smoke into a saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook until the sauce is well reduced and thick – it should be thick enough that it leaves a trail on the base of the pan when you scrape a spoon across it. When then sauce is ready, remove from the heat and discard the onion and cloves.
Next make the coleslaw. Sprinkle the cabbage, carrot and onion with salt and leave to stand in a colander for 30 minutes. Drain and toss with the coriander, lime zest and juice. Season with a little more salt and pepper if necessary. Set aside.
Heat a non-stick pan or griddle. Drain your jackfruit and toss in the olive oil, if using. Season with salt. Arrange on your pan or griddle and cook on each side until lightly charred. Remove and set aside to cool. When the jackfruit is cool enough to handle, pull away the strands from the core and shred, discarding the core and any seeds.
Add the jackfruit to the BBQ sauce and simmer. Add a few drops of liquid smoke for a smokier flavour.
Assemble each burger by lightly toasting the buns, then layering with lettuce, sliced gherkins, tomato, jackfruit and coleslaw.
