Vegetarian Gyros with Jackfruit

Blogging Marathon# 60: Week 2/ Day 2

Theme: Take-Away dishes from Metropulos, Santa Barbara

Dish: Vegetarian Gyros with Jackfruit
Gyro (pronounced as jiro) literally means 'turn' in Greek. But basically it is a dish made of meat cooked in a vertical rotisserie and then served wrapped in a pita with toppings. Gyro is out and out meat centered dish and this vegetarian version is far far away from it's origins.

All this talk about Gyro is because I'm cooking from a Greek take-out restaurant, Metropulos, in Santa Barbara for this week's BM and Gyro happens to be one of their specialties. But they make it meat and I made mine with jackfruit.

There are quite a few different versions of vegetarian gyros online, some with roasted veggies, some with seitan, but this jackfruit version looks a little like meat because of it's texture. Recipe for the jackfruit gyros is from Vegetarian times magazine.

I usually keep a can of green jackfruit in the pantry to make curries. It can easily be found in well stocked Asian/ Indian groceries. The only time consuming part of the dish is making the jackfruit filling and while that is happening, you can prep for the toppings. I made my own flatbreads to serve the gyros and the recipe I found is super simple -- I'll post it very soon.

Greek Gyros with Jackfruit

Ingredients:

• 1 20oz. can Young Jackfruit in brine, rinsed, drained and pulled apart in shreds
• 1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2tsp Dried Oregano
• 1tsp Low sodium Soy sauce
• 1tsp Ground Coriander
• 2~3tbsp Lemon juice
• 1tbsp Vegan margarine or Oil
• To taste Salt & Pepper
• 4 Flatbreads/ Pita breads ( or Store bought)
• 1 Medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 2tsp Red wine vinegar
• 2tbsp Parsley or Cilantro, finely chopped
• As needed Hummus (Homemade or Store bought)
• As needed Tzatziki Sauce (Homemade or Store bought)
• As needed Lettuce, shredded
• As needed Tomato, diced
• As needed Cucumber, diced

Method:

1. Heat margarine or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3~4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
2. Next add the shredded jackfruit and cook for 20 minutes or until browned and caramelized.
3. Add some water, oregano, soy sauce, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10~15 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated.
4. Finally stir in the lemon juice and set aside.
5. In the meantime, toss sliced red onion with red wine vinegar and set aside to marinate.
6. To Serve: Warm bread, smear with hummus, pile up with the jackfruit filling and toppings of choice. Serve immediately.

 

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 60.