Recipe of the week: jackfruit and red pepper goulash

Jackfruit is becoming increasingly popular for vegans and vegetarians because its fibrous texture apes that of slow-cooked meat. Dusting it in seasoned flour and frying it deepens the flavour of the dish and adds to the texture.

Serve this stew with mash, pasta, noodles or dumplings.

Serves 3-4
1 onion, sliced
2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
4tbs sunflower or vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2tbs tomato purée
1tsp caraway seeds
1tsp dried oregano
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can chickpeas
400ml vegetable stock
Small pinch of cayenne pepper, plus extra to taste
400g can young jackfruit, cut into chunks
1tbs plain flour
2tbs sweet paprika
Lemon juice, to taste
Salt and pepper

To serve
Small bunch of dill, chopped
A carb of your choice

Gently cook the onion and peppers in half the oil, over medium-low heat, for 15 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, tomato purée, caraway and oregano to the pan and cook for two minutes, then tip in the tomato, drained chickpeas and stock. Season with salt and pepper and a small pinch of cayenne for warmth.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add a dash more water if the mixture looks as though it is drying out or thickening too much.

Meanwhile, season the jackfruit chunks with salt and pepper. Mix the flour and paprika in a shallow bowl, coat the jackfruit chunks and shake away excess flour.
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Add the coated jackfruit and fry over medium-high heat until nicely browned on all sides. Add to the goulash with any of the remaining flour and paprika mix. The goulash should still have 15-20 minutes left to cook, so let it simmer away.

When the goulash is done, taste and add salt, pepper or cayenne, and add a squeeze or two of lemon to your taste. Garnish with dill and serve with your carb of choice.

• Taken from Dirty Vegan by Matt Pritchard. Read our review here

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