A Tropical Kitchen Adventure {Jackfruit Oats}
A few years ago I recall walking around one of the local international markets for the first time and being amazed at some of the fruits that I had never seen before. At the time I believe I had just started my journey into the plant-based world, so I definitely was not as well-versed in the variety of foods that I am now. One such fruit that totally stuck out was the spiky giant–jackfruit!
Since that day I have come across it in its whole, ripe form just a few times on other such adventures, but seeing how they are usually so massive I didn’t want to buy one myself. I have, however, become well-acquainted with the young version that you find in a can. That is quite commonly used in many vegan dishes as it is more on the savory side. Once cooked it can be “pulled” to mimic the look and texture of common dishes like BBQ meat or carnitas. I have come pretty close to fooling a few friends when I brought such a dish to a holiday event!
Recently I had been thinking about trying to find some fresh, especially after hearing a lot about it from some of my blogging friends who live in tropical areas where it is more commonly found. As you probably know already, I am quite a fruit fiend, so I’m always happy to try new ones when I can. Little did I know I would soon be in luck as just this weekend a friend messaged me to see if I would like a portion of a fresh one! If you follow me on other social media, you might already know the next part of this tale…
Jumping on the chance, I drove over to pick up a portion to try myself. My friend was nice enough to give me some tips on butchering the fruit. Yes, that really is an appropriate term to get into the fleshly part of the jackfruit. I had my gloves handy and knife oiled up to set into my task. The inside of the fruit has a sticky sap that can make it a bit of a mess to work with, but the gloves did the trick so that I had very little issues besides having to scrub my knife really well when cleaning up. It can take a bit of time to extract all the fruit and pop out the seeds, but I often find that type of work in the kitchen quite meditative. Monotonous does not always have to mean boring. 🙂
Once extracted, the flesh is vibrant and fragrant. The color is an indicator of all of the wonderful vitamins and minerals it contains. Some research shows it is great for blood sugar control, and it is also a better source of protein than many similar fruits. I find it a bit hard to describe the flavor other than that it is tropical and delicious! With all of the good things about it, I couldn’t help but dig in for a number of bites…until my lips, mouth and throat started itching. I am lucky enough that I don’t have many food allergies that I knew of other than hazelnuts, but apparently raw jackfruit is the second on my list!
Upon further research I found as it is a tree fruit, people with birch or other tree pollen allergies often have an oral allergy to the fresh jackfruit. Thank goodness it goes away quickly and is nothing serious like respiratory distress or swelling. I did feel like I was recovering from a light sore throat for a few hours later, but by the time I went to bed I was totally back to normal. Not one to waste any good food, my next research led me to figuring out how I could still enjoy this healthy fruit!
My older sister has some raw fruit and nut allergies, but the same foods cooked often give her no problems. I decided to try cooking my fruit to see if it would have the same positive effect on my own experience. Heating the fruit can deactivate the proteins that cause the allergic response. However, a lot of the recipes I found were not vegan or full of sugar. I didn’t have any breakfast made ahead for the week, so I opted to go with an old standby–toss it in some slow cooker oats! Yes I am fully aware I have at least five other extremely similar recipes. That’s because it never gets old as a simple, healthy breakfast to make in bulk for the whole week.
I got to work early this morning to throw my ingredients into the cooker. I probably could have easily done this in the pot on the stove top, but I enjoy just letting it come together with little work on my part. Plus it is still summer here, so the slow cooker throws off much less heat. I’m very pleased to say I had no issues enjoying a bowl of my oats once they were ready! It could be that my portion of fruit was much smaller or the fact that it was cooked, but either way I’m happy I can enjoy the rest of what we have without the discomfort from my initial consumption. Most likely I’ll stick with the savory versions going forward, but it is always an adventure to try new things!
Jackfruit Oats
- 2 cups organic steel cut oats
- 1 cup chopped fresh jackfruit
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (I had some frozen to toss in)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 7 cups water
Place everything in the slow cooker and mix lightly. Cover and cook on high for about 2-2 1/2 hours. Usually you don’t want to open the slow cooker while it is on, but for this I will usually start checking after about 90 minutes to make sure the oat mixture isn’t sticking to the sides and burning. You want the oats to be cooked through, but still plenty of moisture as the oatmeal will thicken as it cools.
Serve with a sprinkle of hemp seeds or nuts for an extra boost of healthy fats and nutrients!
