The jackfruit is a large, intimidating fruit that requires some skill to cut open. It has a sticky white latex sap that can be abrasive to your hands and fingernails.
To avoid this, prepare a clean surface. Wear gloves and oil your knife to keep it from getting gummed up with the sap.
Preparation
Before you can cut jackfruit, you’ll need to prepare your workspace and hands. This is because jackfruit has a sticky latex sap that can make it difficult to clean up.
Before starting, coat your hands with a light amount of cooking oil (vegetable or coconut oil works well). If you’re preparing a lot of jackfruit, consider using a splatter screen to prevent spillage from dripping on your workspace.
Once you’ve got your workspace prepped, cut the rind away from the pods. Doing this will help separate the pods into smaller pieces, making it easier to use in recipes like smoothies or fruit salads.
Jackfruit is also a good choice for vegetarian meat substitutes like pulled pork sandwiches or tacos. To enhance its flavour, marinate it with garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric.
Safety First
Jackfruit is one of the most nutrient-packed fruits around, containing vitamins and minerals that can benefit your health in many ways. It also has a great flavour, so is a tasty addition to a wide range of recipes.
However, because it’s such a tricky fruit to cut, you need to be very careful when you do! It is best to coat your knife, cutting surface and hands with oil before you begin.
Once you’ve done this, make sure to keep your hands and knife clean. The white latex sap that jackfruit exudes when you cut it can be very stubborn to wash off, so always keep your knives and hands well-oiled.
A recent study has suggested that exposing fresh-cut jackfruit to vinegar vapor can help prevent bacterial contamination, which in turn improves the quality of this delicious tropical fruit. It’s an easy and cost-effective way to reduce bacteria levels without damaging the overall acceptability of this nutritious fruit!
Using a Knife
With its large size and rough surface, jackfruit is a difficult fruit to cut open. However, with a little practice, you can master the process!
Once you have a sharp knife, a clean work surface, and a pair of gloves, you’re ready to begin. First, place the jackfruit on a cutting board and steady it so that you don’t slip and hurt yourself.
Start by slicing the jackfruit into rounds of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Continue slicing round after round until you’ve sliced the entire fruit.
The next step is to remove the core from each slice of jackfruit. The core is not edible, so it’s important to remove it from each piece.
Once you’ve done this, it’s time to peel the jackfruit. To do this, use your knife to separate the yellow pods from the white flesh.
Cleaning
From jackfruit curry to jackfruit tacos, this tropical fruit has been a rising star among hip vegans. It’s also been popping up more and more in traditional supermarkets.
However, preparing and cutting fresh jackfruit can be a messy affair due to the fruit’s sticky surface. To help make the process easier, apply generous amounts of oil onto your knife/sickle blade and your hands to prevent jackfruit gum from sticking to your knife, fingers and hands.
Cut raw jackfruit in the middle into 2 halves, wipe clean the white sap that drips off using a tissue paper. Chop each piece further into halves depending on their size.