Gretchen’s notes:
We’ve seen jackfruit popping up more and more in stores in the US over the last several years. Even some of the mainstream grocery stores near us have started carrying fresh jackfruit! It’s often sold in pieces, since an entire jackfruit can be huge.
In the US – or at least in our part of California – jackfruit seems to feature most commonly as a vegan meat substitute. Drown it in enough barbecue sauce and you have something that passably resembles pulled pork.
One of the things that I love about Ayu’s recipe, though, is that it doesn’t try to disguise the jackfruit or present it as something else. Instead, it celebrates the jackfruit. Its distinctive and pleasantly sweet flavor is front and center in these pancakes. The fruit’s texture also gives the pancakes some extra body; they’re really hearty and filling instead of just fluffy and airy.
After seeing Ayu make these pancakes (and tasting how delicious they are!) I went Googling to learn more about them. Surprisingly, I can’t find any information or similar recipes, so this recipe is a rare treat. And I can personally vouch for how delicious these jackfruit pancakes are!
Ingredient Preparation
If you’re not familiar with breaking down a jackfruit, it can seem intimidating at first. But don’t worry! Just imagine it as a giant, slightly spiky pomegranate. Just like with a pomegranate, the inside is full of arils – fleshy coverings around seeds. This is the part you want to eat.
So you’ll cut the jackfruit open, remove the core, and pry out the arils. Just like how a pomegranate has thin, skin-like white layers between segments, so does the jackfruit. Just dig around these to pull out the arils; you don’t eat the papery layers.
Remove and discard the seed from each aril, and you’ll be left with nice delicious pieces of fruit. For this recipe, cut them into small bite-sized pieces.
Substitution Options
Jackfruit: if you can’t easily find jackfruit, simply substitute bananas instead! Cut the bananas into thin slices, then simply follow the recipe as written; there’s no need to adjust anything else.
Instant powdered milk: don’t have this in your pantry? Neither do we! Your two best options here are to simply leave it out, or to replace the water with milk. Either will work!
Ingredients
For pancake batter:
- 1 cup flour (use high-protein bread flour if you have it, but all-purpose flour is fine too!)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup water (adjust as needed)
Other ingredients:
- 1 cup jackfruit pieces (see Ingredient Preparation section; optionally, substitute banana)
- 2 tablespoons flavorless oil
For serving (optional):
- fresh grated coconut
- fresh seasonal fruit
- honey or syrup
Instructions:
Combine all of the pancake batter ingredients in a bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until fully combined, about 20 seconds. Add more water if needed to achieve a runny yet hearty batter.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, ladle in 1/4 of the mixture. Immediately dot it with jackfruit pieces, then cook until the bottom is golden-brown and flip, as you would a typical pancake. Press down all over with a fork to ensure the jackfruit gets fully embedded in the pancake. Repeat for each additional pancake, and enjoy!
Optionally, serve with freshly grated coconut, fresh seasonal fruit, and honey or syrup.
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