Jackfruit Taquitos
Jackfruit is a strange ingredient, one that’s not all too common in traditional American cuisine, but which is having a resurgence in popularity as the quest for meat-like plant alternatives continues. Though the jackfruit used in this recipe does in fact mimic shredded chicken, it’s also got a character all of its own!
This recipe takes jackfruit to a whole new level. When mixed with green salsa and fried in oil, these taquitos are ones you’ll be making over and over.
Tips and Tricks
There are several sauces and condiments that would go well with these. I opted for simple and reused the green salsa that the jackfruit cooks in, but safe to say you could also use your own hot sauce, try a different salsa, or add some sour cream, queso, or other cheese.
This recipe calls for the jackfruit to be cooked in the green salsa made at the beginning. If you have another sauce you’d prefer to try out here, go for it!
When assembling your taquitos, air on the side of less filling so you’re able to fold the tortilla over everything and hold it all together with the toothpicks. Too much, and it will spill out in the oil. Worse case scenario, you have leftover jackfruit that you can use as a topping with nachos.
Ingredients:
6 tomatillos, husked
2 jalapeños
1 Roma tomato
1/2 white onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cans 14 oz. jackfruit, drained and chopped into small pieces
avocado oil (or olive oil)
12 6” small flour tortillas
oil for frying
optional: avocado, cheese, sour cream, queso
Directions:
Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot (you can hover your hand a couple inches from the surface to check for heat), add the tomatillos, tomato, jalapeños, and quartered onions. Cook until browned on all sides, turning with tongs every couple of minutes so all sides are equally toasted. This should take 6 to 8 minutes.
Take the veggies off heat using tongs. Place on a cutting board to cut into smaller chunks so they are easier to blend. In the blender, add the garlic, cilantro, and vegetable broth. Blend until the mixture looks like a green salsa.
Place the salsa to a sauce pan and heat over low heat. Add the cumin and kosher salt. Let the sauce cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the now empty cast iron skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of avocado or olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the chopped jackfruit. Cook until the jackfruit is heated through and just starting to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add 3/4 cup of the green sauce and mix in with the jackfruit. Stir so everything is incorporated. Add more if it doesn’t look like enough. Cook another two minutes then take off the heat.
In a deep fryer or medium-sized pan, heat the frying oil until it’s 350 degrees or sizzles when you sprinkle some water inside.
Meanwhile, start assembling your taquitos. Heat your tortillas briefly in a pan (just so they’re warm). Take a 1/4 cup of jackfruit mixture and place at one end of the tortilla. Gently, but tightly fold the tortilla over the mixture, making sure to encompass everything. Once completely folded over, take two toothpicks and place them at each end to hold everything together. Continue until all the tortillas have been assembled.
Once the oil is hot enough, carefully place one of the taquitos in the oil using tongs. Let cook until the tortilla starts to brown. This won’t take long at all, maybe only 1 to 2 minutes. Flip over if needed to get all sides.
Take out of the oil and place on paper towel lined plate to drain. Cover with tin foil to keep warm, or alternatively have the oven on at 150 degrees and place on a baking sheet to keep warm while you cook the rest of the taquitos.
Once all the taquitos have been fried, carefully take out all the toothpicks.
Serve the taquitos. We enjoy them with a side of the green salsa and some sliced avocado, but have some fun! You can serve these with a variety of salsas, some crema, queso, pickled onion, or anything else that sounds good to you!.
