Let me introduce you to my favorite vegetable – the jackfruit! This is a very interesting fruit that is used as a vegetable when green (or raw) and a sweet fruit when ripe! Where in the world does jackfruit grow? Jackfruit is quite prevalent in India and other parts of South East Asia but I was excited to have spotted it on holiday in Jamaica as well! The most unique part is that due to its inherent fibrous texture, it lends itself well to be a fantastic vegetarian substitute to meat. I’ve used it in recipes that call for chicken (like in chicken curry), pulled pork (tacos!) and now the easiest of them all – burgers! Meatless Monday (or everyday) anyone?!

Ingredients

I purposely did not add quantities to most of the ingredients below. Just know that one bag of frozen jackfruit needed about a cup of chickpea flour. Everything else is a flavor enhancer and up to you. Also, the jalapeño, red chili powder both provide plenty of heat so adjust according to your taste. Mine definitely had some zing!

• Frozen tender jackfruit (or canned jackfruit) available at Indian and Asian stores. I used 1 bag of frozen tender jackfruit for this recipe (from Patel Brothers).
• Chopped red onion
• Minced fresh ginger, garlic and jalapeño pepper
• Chopped cilantro
• Chickpea flour (or other flour of your choice for binding).
• Paprika/red chilli powder
• Cumin powder/coriander powder/garam masala
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for shallow frying

Method

Cook the jackfruit till tender. I just defrosted it and let it simmer on boil for about 20 minutes. Drain out all the water. Add the cooked jackfruit, chopped onions, ginger, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, chickpea flour, all spices and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a food processor. Let it pulse a few times till you see the mixture coming together. You will need to adjust the amount of flour depending on the texture of the mixture. If too soft to shape, add more flour. Shape burgers and refrigerate for around 30-60min. Then pan fry with a little oil in a heavy pan – I like cast iron since it retains heat and gets a nice crust on the burgers. This cooks fast – around 3-4 minutes per side till its a beautiful golden brown. if using cheese, let it melt on the burgers in the pan for the last minute.

Putting it all together

Start with your bun of choice. I used the Potato Slider buns from the Vermont Bread Company (170mg sodium per bun). Place the burger with melted cheese (deli bought Swiss – 40mg per oz) on a bed of arugula. Add toppings like sliced tomato, avocado and minimal ketchup. Serve with plantain chips.

Fun fact: This whole plate will set you back less than 300mg of sodium (incl. the chips!). The burger is so packed with flavor that you will not really need any special sauces to make this sing!