Jackfruit Tagine

Notes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp / 30 ml oil (I used olive oil)
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tin of jackfruit
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp finely grated ginger
  • 5 tsp baharat spice mix
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (for GF version)
  • 400 g tin of peeled plum tomatoes / 3 medium, ripe tomatoes
  • 1 vegetable (vegan) stock cube
  • 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
  • ½ tsp coarse sea salt, adjust to taste
  • a few pinches of hot chilli (or a squeeze of harissa paste)
  • 80 g dates, diced finely
  • 1 tin of chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tsp date syrup (optional)
  • pomegranate arils, to serve
  • quick-pickled or preserved lemon, chopped finely
  • toasted almond flakes, to serve

Directions

Heat up the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot.

Add the diced onion and fry it off gently until almost translucent, stirring from time to time.

Meanwhile, cut off the fleshy bits of the jackfruit pieces and discard together with any seeds as they aren’t very nice to eat. Squash the jackfruit pieces down with a fork so that the fibres separate and set aside.

Add chopped garlic and grated ginger to the pot with onion. Sauté all the aromatics together, stirring often so that they don’t burn.

Add jackfruit pieces and baharat mix into the aromatics mixture. Fry the spices off gently for a minute or two (stirring the whole time) as they tend to burn easily.

Stir in tomato paste, soy sauce, squashed plum tomatoes and their juices, vegan stock cube, bay leaf, salt, chilli (if using), chopped dates and 240 ml / 1 cup of water. If you consume alcohol and have any red wine to hand, a cup of red wine (instead of water) will also work a treat.

Simmer on a low-medium heat until the tomato flesh breaks down and excess moisture evaporates, giving the pot a good stir from time to time. If the tomatoes are still chunky but the pot is starting to look a bit dry, be sure to top it up with more water. Simmer until the tomatoes are broken down and the sauce reaches the thickness you like.

Add in cooked chickpeas towards the end of the simmering time.

Finally, season with pomegranate molasses, date syrup or sugar (if needed) and extra salt (if needed). If you can, allow the flavours to mature for a day before consuming.