Jackfruit Stew

Ingredients

• A bulb of garlic (or garlic powder/paste for a quick version)
• 3 tbsp (coconut) oil
• 2 small onions
• 400 grams of jackfruit (the unripe canned version)
• 1 pepper
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, cut into pieces or strips
• Oregano to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 150 ml vegetable stock
• 150 ml dark beer
• 3 tbsp apple syrup
• Coconut sugar to taste, if desired
• Half a leek

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Brush the garlic bulb with some olive oil and place it whole in a bowl in the middle of the oven. The garlic will be roasted and cooked in about 45-60 minutes. Keep an eye on the oven, because the garlic can also burn. Then let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan. Chop the onions, add them to the oil and fry until translucent (approx. 5-7 minutes). Drain the jackfruit and let it drain. Cut the pepper into thin strips and add it to the casserole together with the jackfruit. Fry for a minute or two and then add the sun-dried tomato, oregano, bay leaves and salt and pepper. Heat this thoroughly and then deglaze with the stock and beer. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes until the beer has reduced.

In the meantime, cut the top of the roasted garlic bulb and squeeze the garlic paste from the cloves. Add this to the stew together with the apple syrup (and coconut sugar to taste) and stir well. Put the lid on the pan, turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Check occasionally to ensure that the oven does not become dry. In that case, add some extra stock. After about half an hour you can pull the pieces of jackfruit apart with two forks, it will then have the structure of pulled pork. Finally, cut the leek into thin rings and add as well. Let it soften in the stew for about 10 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat.

Serve with fries, potatoes, rice and/or salad.