Jackfruit Stew ~ Vegan Pot Roast Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between pot roast and stew? ›

The distinction between a stew and pot roast is pretty blurred. About the only “real” differences between these 2 dishes are that a stew uses smaller pieces of meat (usually 1 to 2 inches) versus a pot roast which uses a larger, 1 to 3 pound (or more) whole piece of meat.

Jackfruit is an exotic fruit with a unique shredded meat-like texture. This makes it a popular plant-based replacement for meat in curries, tacos, or pulled meat sandwiches. Thanks to its mild flavor, jackfruit can easily be incorporated into various other recipes, appetizers, and desserts.

Simply tease the raw jackfruit apart with your hands or two forks, mix with your favorite spice blend (barbecue or fajita seasonings work well), and sauté before serving in buns with slaw or in fajitas, burritos, or tamales (these are filled with jackfruit and drizzled with a bright and fresh cilantro sauce).

Splitting open a whole jackfruit, you will find yellow, fibrous flesh, pods, and seeds. Young and unripe jackfruit is what is used as a meat replacement but once ripe, the fleshy pods can be enjoyed as a tasty tropical treat.

It's delicious both ways. If you want to give your crock-pot a whirl, here's a slow cooker pot roast recipe for you. But pot roast is plenty easy to make in the oven! You do all the browning and roasting all in the same pot and it requires less time than in a slow cooker roast.

The best meat for pot roast is a beef cut with abundant connective tissue, like chuck roast, beef brisket or bottom round roast. This connective tissue called collagen is what makes pot roast melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Allergy to birch pollen or latex: People who are allergic to birch pollen or latex might also be allergic to jackfruit. Surgery: Jackfruit might cause bleeding and too much drowsiness if combined with medications used during and after surgery. Stop taking jackfruit at least 2 weeks before scheduled surgery.

Compared to ripe jackfruit, unripe jackfruit has a meaty texture similar to beef or pork. This texture—along with the fruit's neutral, almost bland flavor, can be adapted to any culinary taste—is a big reason why jackfruit is such a popular meat substitute.

Fresh, ripe jackfruit, which has been compared to mango, apple, and banana in taste, is usually much sweeter than canned jackfruit that has been packed in brine or water. Some canned or packaged jackfruit is packed in syrup making it fairly sweet and more similar to the fresh fruit.

Once you have prepared the fresh jackfruit, you can use it in a variety of recipes. However, before cooking with it in a recipe, you may like to boil the fresh unripe jackfruit for around 45 minutes to ensure it becomes tender in the final dish.

Does Trader Joe's sell jackfruit? ›

I'm a big fan of Trader Joe's canned jackfruit in brine because it's so versatile.

If you've been searching for a healthy vegetarian substitute for meat that isn't the usual soy or wheat gluten products (like tofu or seitan), you may have just found your perfect match. Jackfruit is the rare fruit that effortlessly doubles as a hearty meat substitute.

Nutrient-dense jackfruit is packed with calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, and potassium. This whole food is also rich in plant-based fiber and free from saturated fats or cholesterol. It isn't, however, comparable to beans and tofu in the protein department.

What Does Jackfruit Taste Like? Ripe yellow jackfruit has a subtly sweet flavor, often described as a combination of banana, apple, and mango. Young green jackfruit, on the other hand, has a neutral flavor and texture similar to shredded meat, making it a popular meat substitute in savory dishes.

Round roasts, rump roasts, and pot roasts are also all good choices for stews. Buy the whole roast and cut it into pieces yourself. This is another bonus over buying pre-cut stew meat — you can cut the pieces into uniform sizes and also trim any gristle you come across.

As a rule of thumb, you can use stew meat in any recipe that calls for chopping up and braising chuck or round. Instead of the chuck or round, simply swap in an equal weight of stew meat. Here are some dishes you can make, plus recipes to get that beef cooking.

A pot roast isn't a specific cut of meat — it's just a method of preparing a cut of meat by slowly braising it with liquid (like stock or wine) until it's juicy and tender. Pot roast can be made with many cuts of meat (including chuck), and goes by various nicknames, including arm roast and clod roast.