Jackfruit Lettuce Wraps

If you haven't used jackfruit in your cooking, you are in for a treat! Jackfruit not only mimics a rich meaty consistency, it also is loaded with nutrients! I use green jackfruit in brine for this recipe, which is loaded with fiber and low in calories. 

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Jackfruit meat ingredients:

2 cans of raw green jackfruit in brine, drained (equals about 1 lb of jackfruit "meat")

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of small diced green or red pepper

1/2 cup minced white onion

1 Tbsp of vegetable oil

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Sauce ingredients:

3 Tbsp of soy sauce

3 Tbsp of hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp Juice of one lime 

1 Tbsp of peanut butter

1 and 1/2 Tbsp of honey

1 tsp of garlic chili sauce or 1 tsp of chili flakes (optional)

1 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of powdered ginger

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Other ingredients: 

Butter lettuce cups (you can use romaine here too!)

Chopped peanuts for topping

Diced Scallions for topping

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Cooking the Jackfruit:

1. Drain jackfruit well in a strainer and rinse with water to remove brine (this recipe has salty notes already so removing the brine will avoid an overpowering salty flavor). Squeeze out excess juice.

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2. Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil to a pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add jackfruit and cook for a 2-3 minutes, then add garlic, onion and pepper, cook for additional 5 minutes and then use two forks to pull apart the jackfruit or you can use a potato masher to get the same effect. 

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3. Cook jackfruit mixture for 15 minutes uncovered until the moister has cooked off the jackfruit and the onion, garlic and pepper are well cooked and browning. 

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4. In a small sauce pan whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, peanut butter, honey, garlic chili sauce and powdered garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil and then turn to low, cook until sauce has reduced and thickened. 

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5. Serve jackfruit, sauce and lettuce cups separately hot or at room temp. with toppings to let your family create their own mixture or assemble ahead by placing 1/4 cup of jackfruit mixture inside lettuce cup and top with sauce, chopped peanuts and scallions.