Vegan Vietnamese Jackfruit Salad
This vegan Vietnamese jackfruit salad has huge flavors and is seriously refreshing. Tender young jackfruit, meaty oyster mushrooms, fragrant fresh herbs, lime, and chile make for the perfect summer salad.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 can young green jackfruit 17-ounce/482-gram
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 pound oyster mushrooms cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 medium carrot cut into matchsticks, shredded, or julienned
- 1/2 small white onion sliced very thinly
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- Salt and pepper
Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons sugar or other sweetener (I used maple syrup)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 fresh Fresno chile pepper seeds removed and chopped very finely (or 1 fresh bird’s eye chile or 1/2 fresh long red chile pepper)
- 1 clove garlic chopped finely
Garnish/To Serve
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons fried shallots
Choose one of the following “chips”
- 1-2 Vietnamese sesame rice crackers
- 1 pack Japanese sesame rice crackers
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 8 plain papadums
- 2-8 Vietnamese rice paper summer roll wrappers, quantity depends on the size
Instructions
Prepare the chips (as applicable)
- If using toasted sesame Vietnamese rice crackers: Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). When heated, place the crackers on the baking rack in the middle of the oven and bake until it puffs up and curls a bit, 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes. Use tongs to turn the crackers over. Continue baking until the crackers are crisp and lightly browned.
- If using Vietnamese rice paper (summer roll wrappers): Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a skillet large enough to hold one piece of rice paper over medium-high heat. When the oil is barely smoking, add a piece of rice paper. It should puff up almost immediately. If it doesn’t, the oil isn’t hot enough. Use a pair of tongs or chopsticks to press down on the rice paper so that every part of it crisps up. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, flipping as needed, about 20-30 seconds each. Transfer the rice paper to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool. Cook the rest of the rice paper in the same way. Add more oil if the skillet becomes dry at any point. If the oil starts to smoke, remove the skillet from the heat, reduce heat slightly before returning the skillet.
- If using any of the other chips: No preparation is needed.
Prepare the jackfruit
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit and gently squeeze out any excess water. Cut or tear it apart into bite-size pieces, removing and discarding any tough parts.
Saute the mushrooms
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and season them generously with salt and pepper. Wait 2-3 minutes before moving the mushrooms at all, to get a nice brown blister on the bottom. Flip the pieces and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the other side is browned as well. Transfer the mushrooms to a large salad bowl to cool.
Make the dressing
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved (if using) and the ingredients are well integrated.
Assemble the salad
- Add the jackfruit, carrot, onion, cilantro, mint, and basil to the bowl with the mushrooms. Add half of the dressing, stir well, and taste the salad. Add more dressing as needed. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and fried shallots.
Eat
- Take a chip (or piece of the chip alternative you’re using) and spoon some of the salad onto it. Eat the salad and chip together in a single bite.
Notes
You can substitute store-bought fried onions for the fried shallots.
See the blog post for recommendations on the different types of chips
This recipe was adapted from the one in Vegetarian Viet Nam by Cameron Stauch.