Vegan 'Fishless' and BBQ Jackfruit Tacos
Tacos anyone? I don’t think I can ever say no! God bless the Mexicans for creating Tacos for there are infinite variations, each bursting with robust flavours. The best part, they come with a great balance of fibre and protein, they’re incredibly tasty but also nutritious.
For my vegan spin, the first version uses ‘Fishless’ Fish Finger Tacos. They’re a quick fix cheat food I get from Little Farms which requires quick toasting in the oven and can be eaten on its own! The second version is a vegan version of the traditional Pulled Pork Carnitas but made with jackfruit, slow-cooked in my homemade barbeque sauce.
Tacos are always a fun food for gatherings as I simply lay out the ingredients, garnishes and toppings for guests to help themselves. I prepared this when hosting a dinner party and my ‘carnivore’ friends were really impressed by the flavours! Trust me when I saw these are extremely addictive and you won’t be able to stop at one!
VEGAN ‘FISHLESS FISH TACOS’
Components
Vegan Chipotle Mayo
Avocado Cream Sauce
Pineapple Cucumber salsa pico de gallo
Kimchi
Fried Jalepeno Peppers
Lime
Cilantro
Tacos
Vegan Chipotle Mayo
250 g raw cashews, soaked
1 chipotle pepper in Adobo
1 clove of fresh garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp water, plus more if necessary
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
Add the soaked Cashews and all of the remaining ingredients to a high-speed blender.
Blend for 45-60 seconds, until smooth and creamy. Add more water (if necessary) in 1 tbsp increments.
Avocado Cream Sauce
2 large ripe avocados halved and pitted
1 cup vegan coconut yoghurt
2 large cloves garlic minced
juice from 2 limes about 3-4 tablespoons
1/4 salt, adjust to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Place the avocado, yogurt, garlic, and lime juice in the blender.
Process until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper, according to taste.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately or cover tightly, pressing plastic wrap against the surface of the sauce before covering with an airtight lid.
Pineapple Cucumber Salsa Pico De Gallo
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 cup seeded english cucumber, chopped
½ cup orange pepper, chopped
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 fresh red chili/ jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt, to taste
Combine all ingredients and season to taste with salt. Chill, covered, up to 24 hours.
Assembly
Warm the taco shells and spread some chipotle mayo at the bottom, add the fishless fish fingers, pineapple cucumber salsa, chopped red cabbage, kimchi. Top with avocado cream sauce, cilantro and fried peppers.
BBQ JACKFRUIT TACOS
Components
BBQ jackfruit
Refried beans
Vegan Ranch Dressing
Pickled Red Onions
Avocados
BBQ Jackfruit
1200g young jackfruit
45 g BBQ seasoning (2 Tbsp brown sugar + 1 tsp paprika + 1 tsp garlic powder + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp pepper + 1/2 tsp chili powder)
180 ml vegan BBQ Sauce
Rinse, drain, and thoroughly dry jackfruit. Chop off the center "core" portion of the fruit and discard. Place in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Mix together BBQ seasoning and add to jackfruit. Toss to coat.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1-2 Tbsp oil of choice and seasoned jackfruit (use more oil, as needed, if increasing batch size).
Toss to coat and cook for 2-3 minutes to achieve some colour.
Add BBQ sauce and thin with enough water to make a sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low- medium and cook for about 45 minutes on low heat
Remove lid and stir occasionally.
Vegan Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup raw cashews, soak for 3-4 hours in water if not using a powerful blender
1/4 cup water
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp Persian cucumber , (optional) or any cucumber chopped
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Drain Cashews. Place the cashews along with the other ingredients, EXCEPT the chopped cilantro and parsley, into a blender.
Blend until completely smooth. Taste and feel free to adjust the amount of lemon juice and/or salt if needed.
Mix in the finely chopped parsley and cilantro in bowl.
Assembly
Warm Tacos, spread some refried beans at the bottom, spoon in BBQ jackfruit, onions. Top with avocado slices, red onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice, hot sauce
This recipe was created as part of my Plant-Based Experience in collaboration with Chun Tsubaki. Photography by C.R Tan.