All the taste and experience of pulled pork, without the increased risk of cancer and metabolic disease. On the contrary, jackfruit introduces lots of fiber, vitamins, carotenoids, and flavanones. We’ll have to do a main feature about jackfruit sometime; it’s an unusual fruit especially for its protein content, but for now, let’s get cooking!

You will need

• 1 can (14oz/400g) green jackfruit, drained (the flesh will not, in fact, be green—this is referring to the fruit being unripe and thus still firm in texture, which is what we want. The outside of the fruit, which will not be in the can, will have been green)
• 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 carrot, grated
• 6 mangetout, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (your preference what kind, and yes, vegan is fine too)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp gochujang paste (if you can’t find gochujang paste locally, you can either order it online (here it is on Amazon) or substitute with harissa paste, which is not the same—it uses different spices—but will do the same job here re texture, umami taste, and level of spiciness)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 3½ fl oz water
• 2 burger buns (unless you make them yourself, burger buns will probably not be healthy; you can, however, also look for small round wholemeal breads—the name of which varies far too much by region for us to try to get a catch-all name here—and use them in place of burger buns)

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Combine the garlic paste, ginger paste, tomato paste, gochujang paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and chili flakes in a saucepan

2) Boil the 3½ fl oz water we mentioned; add it to the saucepan, mixing well, turn on the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes or until it is thick and sticky (it will thicken more as it cools, too, so don’t worry if it doesn’t seem thick enough yet). Set it aside.

3) Dry the jackfruit (using strong kitchen paper should be fine), add the olive oil to a skillet and bring it to a high heat; add the jackfruit and fry on both sides for a few minutes, until it looks cooked (remember, while this may look like animal meat, it’s not, so there’s no danger of undercooking here).

4) When the jackfruit looks a nice golden-brown, add two thirds of the sauce from the saucepan, and break apart the jackfruit a bit (this can be done with a wooden/bamboo spatula, so as to not damage your pan), When it all looks how you’d expect pulled jackfruit (or pulled pork) to look, take it off the heat.

5) Combine the carrot, cabbage, and mangetout in a small bowl, adding the apple cider vinegar and mixing well; this will be the coleslaw element

6) Mix the remaining sauce with the mayonnaise

7) (optional) toast the burger buns

8) Assemble the burgers; we recommend the following order: bottom bun, pulled jackfruit, coleslaw, gochujang mayo, top bun

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Level-Up Your Fiber Intake, The Fun Way!
• 10 Ways To Balance Blood Sugars
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits?

Take care!

Kvass is a popular drink throughout Eastern Europe, with several countries claiming it, but the truth is, kvass is older than nations (as in: nations, in general, any of them; nation states are a newer concept than is often realized), and its first recorded appearance was in the city state of Kyiv.

This one is definitely not a traditional recipe, as kvass is usually made from rye, but keeping true to its Eastern European roots with (regionally popular) beetroot, it’s nevertheless a great fermented drink, full of probiotic benefits, and this time, with antioxidants too.

It’s a little saltier than most things we give recipes for here, so enjoy it on hot sunny days as a great way to replenish electrolytes!

You will need (for 1 quart / 1 liter)

• 2¾ cups filtered or spring water
• 2 beets, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tsp salt (do not omit or substitute)

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Sterilize a 1-quart jar with boiling water (carefully please)

2) Put all the ingredients in the jar and stir until the salt dissolves

3) Close the lid tightly and store in a cool dark place to ferment for 2 weeks

4) Strain the beets and ginger (they are now pickled and can be enjoyed in a salad or as a kimchi-like snack), pouring the liquid into a clean jar/bottle. This can be kept in the fridge for up to a month. Next time you make it, if you use ¼ cup of this as a “starter” to replace an equal volume of water in the original recipe, the fermentation will take days instead of weeks.

5) Serve! Best served chilled, but without ice, on a hot sunny day.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Making Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later)
• What To Eat, Take, And Do Before A Workout
• Ginger Does A Lot More Than You Think

Take care!