Jackfruit Processing

There's a lot of information on the internet out there. We have only processed jackfruit twice but we did a lot of research and came up with a process that works for our situation right now. I will share how we processed and other recommendations. This large one took my husband and I 4 hours to process, not including cleanup. However, we did not have a big enough pan so it took 4 batches at a time to cook. You can possibly forego this option of boiling the jackfruit ahead of time; however, it helps to get rid of the extremely sticky latex as well as makes it easier to break apart. You could just break it apart, freeze and then cook as you are ready to eat. Either way, everything should be greased, the pan, the knives, etc. Notice the white, sticky latex in the picture below.

Tools

• 1 fresh jackfruit

• A huge pot or two for boiling

• Big knife (or better yet, a machete -- not kidding either)

• Cooking spray or vegetable oil (for thick latex)

• Cardboard boxes or an old plastic tablecloth to protect your table

• Food storage freezer bags

• An apron may be a good idea as well!

Instructions

1. Cut the Jackfruit. After preparing your area and collecting all your tools and greasing them up, cut the jackfruit. I would say in quarters except if it's huge like the last one we did, you may have to cut them in smaller pieces with a big serrated knife.

2. Cook the Jackfruit. Place jackfruit in a large pan or 2 if you have them and boil for 45 min. to an hour. This will get rid of the latex and cook the fruit at the same time. We had to do several batches because our pan was not big enough but we would process a batch while the next was was boiling so it worked out pretty good.

3. Pull Apart Jackfruit. Let cool, then pull apart the seeds and the flesh. The flesh is stringy and the seeds have thicker flesh and skin around them so be sure to get all the skin off. We separated these into 3 bowls: 1) Seed flesh; 2) stringy flesh; 3) seeds; I save these for processing hummus. The seeds are very nutritional and delicious.

4. Pulse the Seed Casings (Optional). If you want to use these with the stringy meat, pulse them in the food processor to break them up into smaller pieces. The seed casings are thicker and tougher and the flesh is more tender so I like a consistent texture. Another option is to keep them the size and use them for a different recipe.

5. Store and Freeze. Mix all the jackfruit together and place in plastic food storage bags. If you have a sealer and bags, that's even better.

How to Prepare Cooked Jackfruit. Just thaw then heat up in a frying pan over the stove with your favorite BBQ sauce. I also like to add an onion and a can of black beans for some protein. For the seeds, they are yummy boiled; if they are not cooked enough, you can boil them for about 20 minutes in some salt water (or Monika's Habanero Sea Salt) or roast them - see recipe for Smoke Habanero Roasted Jackfruit Seeds.