Birria Jackfruit
Shredded young jackfruit and pinto beans braised in a rich, birria-style sauce of toasted ancho and guajillo chillies, tomato, cumin, cinnamon and cloves.
makes 22 blocks, about 29p each
- Time
- 1 hr 20 min25 min prep · 55 min cook
- Makes
- 22 blocks
- Cost per blockPer block
- 29p
- Calories per blockCalories
- 49 kcal
- Spice
Ingredients
- 2 tins (460g drained)young green jackfruit in brine, rinsed
- 1 tin (240g drained)pinto beans, rinsed
- 3 (18g)dried guajillo chillies
- 2 (25g)dried ancho chillies
- 15g (1 tbsp)chipotle paste
- 1 × 400g tinchopped tomatoes
- 2 (300g)onions, 1 roughly chopped, 1 finely diced
- 5 cloves (25g)garlic
- 4g (2 tsp)ground cumin
- 2g (1 tsp)dried oregano
- 1g (½ tsp)ground cinnamon
- pinchground cloves
- 2bay leaves
- 30mlcider vinegar
- 15mlsoy sauce
- 30mlrapeseed oil
- 1 cubevegetable stock cube
- 500mlwater
Allergens: Soya, Sulphites. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.
Nutrition
estimated| 1 block | 3 blocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 49 kcal | 147 kcal |
| Protein | 1.8g | 5.4g |
| Carbs | 7g | 21g |
| Fat | 1.9g | 5.7g |
| Fibre | 2.4g | 7.2g |
| Salt | 0.41g | 1.23g |
Method
- Step 1: Toast the chillies in a dry pan over a medium heat until fragrant (1 min). Stem, seed and soak them in 300ml of the water, just boiled. (15 min)
- Step 2: Blend them and their water with the tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cloves and vinegar.
- Step 3: Core and shred the jackfruit. Soften the diced onion in the oil over a medium heat for 8 minutes, then fry the jackfruit until it colours. (13 min)
- Step 4: Add the sauce, the rest of the water, stock cube, soy and bay. Cover and simmer until tender, stirring now and then and shredding it with two forks. (30 min)
- Step 5: Add the beans and simmer uncovered until thick. Remove the bay and season. (10 min)
- Step 6: Cool and freeze in 70g blocks.
Hotter: add another tbsp of chipotle paste, or keep the seeds from one ancho.
Serve it
Corn tortillas with onion, coriander and lime · Rice with pickled red onion and avocado · Cheese quesadillas
| kcal | protein | carbs | fat | fibre | salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per block | 49 | 1.8g | 7g | 1.9g | 2.4g | 0.41g |
| Per 3 blocks | 147 | 5.4g | 21g | 5.7g | 7.2g | 1.23g |
Cook’s notes
- Slow cooker: after step 3, cook everything but the beans on Low for 4 hours. Add the beans for the last 30 minutes, lid off if it looks thin.
- No guajillos? Use 3 ancho chillies in total. Black beans can replace the pintos.
Serve it
Corn tortillas with onion, coriander and lime · Rice with pickled red onion and avocado · Cheese quesadillas.
Freeze, reheat and serve
- Freeze
- Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
- Reheat
- Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
- A portion
- 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 147 kcal and 5.4g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.
Birria Jackfruit questions
Why toast the dried chillies?
A few seconds in a hot pan wakes up their oils and gives the sauce a deeper, smokier flavour. Take them off as soon as they smell toasty, as burnt chillies make the sauce bitter.
Can I use jackfruit in syrup?
No, it needs to be young green jackfruit in brine or water. Jackfruit in syrup is ripe and sweet and won't shred into savoury strands.
Sauces that go with it
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Updated . Nutrition, costs and yields are estimates. Gluten-free assumes tamari in place of soy sauce and gluten-free stock cubes.