My Mexican adventures continue. I made Jackfruit Carnitas this time, wrapped them up as tacos, summer special mango salsa and a wee bit of cheese.
What are Carnitas?
Literally translated, it means small meats. Slow-cooked pork made by braising or simmering until tender. Flavoured with loads of Mexican spices, this meat then acts as the perfect filling for tacos, tortas and burritos. What makes it special though is roasting it in an oven to give it a perfect crackling top. Of course, meat to begin with but recent times have seen a lot of vegan and vegetarian options as well. A medley of mushrooms and jackfruit comes the closest to the texture. I chose jackfruit to mimic the pulled pork. But also, because it is a personal favourite. (Try my Kathal biryani) I added some fresh peaches while finishing it off to add another dimension.
Love Mexican? There’s a lot for you here.
Burrito Bowls
Cauli-meat Enchiladas
Whole-wheat Bean Quesadillas
Cauliflower Fajitas
Breakfast Tacos
Zucchini and carrot Fritter Tacos
Ingredients
For Carnitas
- Jackfruit, sliced – 750g
- Onions, sliced – 2, medium-sized
- Minced garlic – 2 tbsp
- Roasted cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Juice of sweet lime or orange – 3/4 cup
- Olive oil – 4 tbsp
- Ketchup – 3 tbsp
- Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
- Sticky soy sauce – 1 tbsp
- Honey – 3 tbsp
- Garlic chips – 1 tbsp
- Peaches, sliced – 2 (optional)
For Mango Salsa
- Mangoes, cubed – 2, medium-sized
- Bell pepper, cubed – 2, medium-sized
- Onion, chopped – 1, large
- Sweet corn – 1/2 cup
- Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
- Powder sugar – 1 tsp
- Salt and pepper – to taste
To go along
- Whole-wheat tortillas, recipe here
- Grated cheese of your preference – 1 cup
- Red chilli flakes – to garnish
- Lemon wedges
Method for Carnitas
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes until transparent.
- Add the sliced jackfruit, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Season with roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
- Slow cook by adding splashes of water for 30 minutes so that the jackfruit becomes tender.
- Add the sweet lime juice, mix and cook on low flame for another 15 minutes.
- Take the jackfruit out of the pan. Using a fork, pull apart the jackfruit, just like chicken or pork.
- In a bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, ketchup, soy sauce, sticky soy, honey and garlic chips. Whisk well together.
- Transfer the pulled jackfruit onto a baking tray, add the sliced peaches and toss. Add the dressing and coat the jackfruit and peaches well.
- Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes and bake for 30 minutes.
For the salsa
- In a bowl, mix together the cubed mangoes, bell pepper, sweet corn and onions.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
To serve, dish out a helping of the carnitas, add 1 tbsp mango salsa, some cheese, a small lemon wedge and chilli flakes. Like all tacos, this works best as a DIY style of serving.
The peaches are optional, but add another sweeter summer twist.
2 Replies to “Jackfruit carnitas with mango salsa”