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This vegan jackfruit stew is the perfect comfort food during the winter! A delicious hearty vegan stew recipe you can’t get enough of if you once tried it!
Vegan Stew
Stew is the best soul food during the colder season. A warm and hearty savory meal, which is tasty, healthy, and loaded with veggies.
We could almost call it vegan beef stew, as it is nearly identical to the original stew made with beef. But as we are speaking of a vegan recipe here, we are going to use jackfruit instead of beef. This tropical fruit becomes very soft during the cooking process, and the flesh falls into fine shreds.
It wouldn’t be stew if it wouldn’t be cooked in a good dash of red wine, accompanied by soft carrots and shallots. For an ultimate taste, neither bay leaves nor thyme should be missing!
What is Jackfruit and How to Prepare Jackfruit?
Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that grows in Southeast Asia. It looks similar to the durian fruit, also known as the stinky fruit, but is not to be confused with it. Jackfruit doesn’t stink at all. It has rather a very neutral taste. You can only eat the flesh of the jackfruit. The skin is not edible.
The flesh has a very neutral taste and is slightly acidic. For this sour note to disappear, you must wash the flesh thoroughly under running water and drain it before use.
You can easily rip the flesh by hand. It will have a very similar consistency to Pulled Pork when cooked and is a trendy vegan meat substitute.
Unless you are living in Asia, it’s very unlikely to find fresh jackfruit. But you can buy the flesh in almost every grocery store.
It usually comes in those two varieties:
- Young Green Jackfruit in Brine (Canned) → The flesh is typically white
- Jackfruit Original (usually airtight packed in a plastic bag) → The flesh is brown
It doesn’t matter which one of the two Jackfruit varieties you use. I prefer the canned young green jackfruit in brine, but the airtight packed is usually better represented in the grocery stores where I live.
If you can’t find Jackfruit in your local grocery store, you can order it online or have a look in an Asian Shop. Most Asian shops have the young green jackfruit in their assortment, it’s even cheaper there, but doesn’t always come in organic quality.
Just make sure you don’t buy sweet ripe jackfruit in syrup, which is meant to use for desserts and isn’t suitable for savory dishes.
Vegan Jackfruit Stew Recipe
Ingredients You Need
- 2-4 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cans (14 oz) 400g young jackfruit
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 shallots, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme, dried or fresh
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- salt & pepper
Instructions with Step-by-Step Pictures
- Wash the jackfruit thoroughly under running water and drain well. This helps to reduce the somewhat sour taste of young jackfruit.
- Heat a large pot with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the jackfruit and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix until covered. Take the jackfruit out of the pot and set aside.
- Add some more oil in the pot and add the garlic, shallots, carrot, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the jackfruit, tomatoes, and red wine. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat. Pop on the lid and let it simmer on low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Season it with salt and pepper and serve it with mashed potatoes.
What to Serve with Vegan Stew?
It goes very well with all kinds of vegetable mash.
Here are some of my favorite mashes to serve it with:
You can also serve this stew with polenta, bread, or tagliatelle.
Recipe FAQ
How long does this vegan stew stay fresh? Stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator, it stays fresh for 3-4 days.
Can I use another vegetable instead of carrots? Yes, celery or potatoes also go very well with jackfruit stew.
Can I omit the red wine? No, red wine plays a vital role in this recipe and cannot be replaced.
What is the best red wine for this stew? I always use a Tempranillo red wine because of its slightly sweet flavor. Make sure not to use a very sour wine, as the jackfruit already has a somewhat sour note.
Can I skip the vegan Worcestershire sauce? This sauce gives the stew a pleasant aroma. But if you don’t have any, you can omit it or replace it with some soy sauce.
More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love:
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Vegan Jackfruit Stew
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- 2-4 tbsp olive oil
- 14 oz (400 g) young jackfruit , ∼ 1.5 cans
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 shallots, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme, dried or fresh
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 cups (480 ml) red wine
- 2 cups (480 ml) vegetable broth
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Wash the jackfruit thoroughly under running water and drain well. This helps to reduce the somewhat sour taste of young jackfruit.
- Heat a large pot with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the jackfruit and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix until covered. Take the jackfruit out of the pot and set aside.
- Add some more oil in the pot and add the garlic, shallots, carrots, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the jackfruit, tomatoes, and red wine. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, pop on the lid and let it simmer on low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Season it with sugar, ground paprika, vegan Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
- Serve the stew wish this vegan mashed potatoes or this vegan mashed sweet potatoes. It also tasted delicious served with polenta, bread, or tagliatelle.
Notes
- How long does this vegan stew stay fresh? Stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator, it stays fresh for 3-4 days.
- Can I use another vegetable instead of carrots? Yes, celery or potatoes also go very well with jackfruit stew.
- Can I omit the red wine? No, red wine plays a vital role in this recipe and cannot be replaced.
- What is the best red wine for this stew? I always use a Tempranillo red wine because of its slightly sweet flavor. Make sure not to use a very sour wine, as the jackfruit already has a somewhat sour note.
- Can I skip the vegan Worcestershire sauce? This sauce gives the stew a pleasant aroma. But if you don’t have any, you can omit it or replace it with some soy sauce.
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