Oven-baked spiced jackfruit serves as the meaty centerpiece around which to combine together two separate but equally scrumptious recipes – one half recipe for arepas and another recipe for hogao. And when eaten all at once, the three elements in this vegan jackfruit recipe create an incredible confluence of Colombian-inspired deliciousness that you simply have to try!
For the Hogao
Hogao is a Colombian salsa made from a reduction of tomatoes, green onions, garlic and ground cumin. It’s simple, and quite delicious, too.
For the version of Hogao in this vegan jackfruit recipe, I lightly adapted the recipe for this salsa from International Cuisine.
What I like most about Hogao is that it isn’t fussy to make; throw all the ingredients (there are only five!) in a cast-iron pan and let it reduce down until it becomes a thick and delicious salsa.
Tips & Tricks for Hogoa: whole cumin seeds. Toast the seeds over medium heat for 3 – 4 minutes, until they’re browning and aromatic, and then grind them in a mortar and pestle. This ensures you have the most vibrant cumin flavor, and it’ll really elevate the hogao even more.
For the arepas
I’ll admit that I was a little intimidated making arepas. But after having done it, I realize that they are pretty forgiving, and actually a lot of fun to make. I’m no master at it yet, but I think that I got the basics down.
For the version of arepas that I use in this vegan jackfruit recipe, I halved and also lightly adapted Lis Hernandez’s recipe from Taste of Home. Click on this link to read more in-depth about arepas and how to make them from someone who is more of an expert.
One of the take aways that I got from making arepas is that you have to use pre-cooked white cornmeal (P.A.N.). It’s the corn flour to use when making arepas. You can find it in a local mercato, if you have one nearby, or just order some online.
Essentially, arepas are just pre-cooked white cornmeal, water and salt, but I added a little bit of nutritional yeast for more of a cheesy, savory flavor, too. I hope this isn’t a huge offense to staunch traditionalists, but I wanted to put a my own slightly spin on the arepa, too.
Tips & Tricks for arepas: wet hands. When forming the arepas into balls to flatten and fry, wetting your hands lightly will help prevent the dough from sticking too much to the surface of your skin. This was a helpful tip that I learned on Lis Hernandez’s recipe from Taste of Home. Again, go there for more tips, tricks and info!
For the jackfruit filling
Okay, now finally for my real contribution to this vegan jackfruit recipe: the filling.
Jackfruit is an unusual ingredient, but a wonderful one if you know what to do with it. It’s one of the best vegan substitutes for when you want a pulled chicken or pulled pork texture.
Drain, rinse and dry the young jackfruit once out of the can (make sure that it is indeed young jackfruit; old jackfruit is sweet and syrupy). Then, shred it with a fork or your hands until it’s about the consistency of shredded meat. Add a bit of olive oil and some spices, and bake on 375°F on a baking sheet with parchment for 20 – 22 minutes, until slightly crispy.
This makes the perfect filling for this vegan jackfruit recipe, as the jackfruit can be easily stuffed inside the arepas, and the meaty shreded filling will soak up the juicy goodness of the hogao, too.
If you’re interested in more recipes like this vegan jackfruit recipe here, check out this wild rice & jackfruit casserole, these jackfruit bbq sliders, or these amazing jackfruit tamales!
I hope that you enjoyed this vegan jackfruit recipe with arepas and hogao. If you did, consider leaving me a comment or recipe rating before you go!
Spiced Jackfruit Stuffed Arepas with Hogao
Ingredients
For the Jackfruit Filling
- 1 can young jackfruit, drained, rinsed, and shredded
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Some ground lemon pepper, or ground black pepper
For the Arepas
- 1 cup precooked white cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
For the Hogao
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups heirloom tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 cup green onions, the greener part, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For Garnishes
- Some extra green onions, finely sliced, for garnish
- Some avocado, diced, for garnish
Instructions
For the Jackfruit Filling
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Then, drain and thoroughly rinse a can of young jackfruit. Shred the jackfruit with a fork or just with your hands until you have meaty strands of it. Break apart any hard bits or seeds as well. Then, transfer the jackfruit to a medium bowl, and add the olive oil and all the spices to it. Mix well to coat all the jackfruit strands in spices.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread the spiced jackfruit out evenly, and bake for 20 – 22 minutes, stirring halfway through. By the end, the jackfruit should be a bit crispy. Cover with tinfoil to keep warm.
For the Arepas
- Meanwhile, whisk together the precooked white cornmeal and sea salt in a mixing bowl, and then add the warm water and nutritional yeast after that. Using your hands or a spatula, combine these ingredients together for 3 – 4 minutes, until it becomes a cohesive sticky dough. Then, continue to knead this dough well for another 3 – 4 minutes, until it mostly sticks together in a lump. Now, form the sticky dough into a ball, and then take a piece of wax or parchment paper and wrap it to keep it from drying out. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Preheat a cast-iron pan over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil or cooking spray (you can use a grill too, if you have one). Once the arepa dough is done resting, wet your hands with lukewarm water, and then form some dough balls (about golfball-sized). Once formed, flatten them with the palm of your hand until about ½-inch thick. Fry about 3 arepas at a time in the cast-iron (or more at a time on a grill) for about 12 – 15 minutes, turning every couple minutes to ensure each side becomes nice and crispy and brown. You know when they're done because you can tap on the arepa and it should sound hollow. This should make about 6 – 8 arepas total.Set the arepas aside on a plate covered in tinfoil to keep warm.
For the Hogao
- Firstly, in a non-stick pan toast 2 teaspoons cumin seeds over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until browning and aromatic. Transfer the seeds to a mortar and pestle, and crush until it becomes a fine powder.
- In a cast-iron pan over medium to medium-high heat with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, add the finely diced tomato, green onion, garlic, freshly ground cumin, sea salt and ground black pepper. Let this reduce down for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes has passed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let thicken and reduce further for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and serve right away.
For Assembly
- Carefully cut each arepa in half, and then load with a heaping tablespoon of the jackfruit filling, some avocado slices and fresh green onion, and then a hearty dollop of the warm hogoa. Sandwich that together with the other half of the arepa, and enjoy! (F.Y.I. It's messy – so make sure to have napkins!)
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Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
Yesssss! Thank you for a fabulous recipe, Cameron! The tip you included about toasting and then grinding the whole cumin real elevates the flavor.
These are DEEEEEElicious. The warm salsa, the crispy arepas, the texture of the jackfruit. Wonderful.