This Chinese jackfruit stir fry is so easy to make and ready in just 20 minutes! It’s also a great vegan beef and broccoli alternative, that utilises a vegan Chinese brown sauce plus a little bit of Chinese 5 spice. No fancy ingredients, just a quick and easy stir fry topped with sesame seeds!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
Quick and easy – you know us, we like to make delicious food, fast! And this Chinese jackfruit recipe is no different. Just chop up all the ingredients, drain and rinse the jackfruit, heat oil over a high heat and then just stir fry everything together in a hot wok.
Jackfruit – we’re on a bit of a jackfruit hype at the moment, we love it so much and cook with it all the time. We adore this Chinese jackfruit stir fry, but jackfruit isn’t just great in stir fries. You can make jackfruit curry, jackfruit fajitas and even Jamaican curried jackfruit. It is just so versatile. If you’re looking for even more jackfruit inspiration, check out this list of some of our favourite tinned jackfruit recipes.
Vegan Chinese brown sauce – Chinese brown sauce is a basic staple of Chinese cuisine, and for this recipe we have made a vegan version of it. Usually it would include oyster sauce and sometimes chicken stock, but of course, we wouldn’t use either of these ingredients as they’re not vegan. We based ours on the Woks of Life stir fry sauce recipe. However, ours is simplified and vegan. It’s also worth noting that Chinese brown sauce is often used in beef and broccoli stir fry and this Chinese jackfruit is a vegan alternative to beef and broccoli too, so that works very nicely indeed. Also, if you haven't got light soy sauce, check out the best substitutes.
Dark soy sauce – the dark soy sauce is used to give the Chinese jackfruit a dark and rich colour, so that it visually replicates the look of beef. Luckily jackfruit is also meaty so it is perfect as the main ingredient in a vegan beef and broccoli stir fry.
📋 Ingredient Notes
Jackfruit – I touched on this above, but this Chinese jackfruit stir fry doubles up as a vegan beef and broccoli recipe. That’s because jackfruit is meaty in texture, takes on the flavours of sauces really well and cooks very quickly straight out of the can. This recipe uses green jackfruit (or young jackfruit) not ripe jackfruit. Young jackfruit comes in cans, usually in brine. Ripe jackfruit is similar to mango and is usually in cans of syrup. If you love jackfruit as much as us, it’s also great in vegan chilli, jackfruit wraps and even vegan rendang. Find our tips for buying jackfruit.
Broccoli – it wouldn’t be a vegan beef and broccoli without the broccoli! Basically, broccoli goes really well in this Chinese jackfruit dish, it’s perfect in stir fries as it stays satisfyingly crunchy and it adds a little bit of colour to the dish too!
5 spice – the MVP of this recipe is by far and away the Chinese 5 spice. Featuring star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, szechuan peppercorn and cloves, it is a strong flavour in this recipe, even though we only use a small amount! A little goes a long way, so stick to the amount listed. At least until you’ve tasted it anyway!
Cashews – we added a few tablespoons of cashews to this recipe for an extra crunch, as well as a little protein. You can choose to omit them for a nut-free meal if you like.
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this article for exact measurements to make this Chinese jackfruit recipe.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
This is a step-by-step overview with photos for making Chinese jackfruit stir fry. The full recipe, along with measurements and detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
1. Rinse and drain the jackfruit, and remove any unwanted parts like the jackfruit seeds or any hard ‘skin’ like pieces that are often attached to the jackfruit seeds. Pop a wok onto a high heat and then add a splash of oil.
2. Fry the jackfruit in the hot oil for 5 minutes until softened and slightly brown.
3. Next add the minced garlic, ginger and chilli flakes for a minute. Your kitchen should smell beautifully fragrant by this point!
4. Pop in the cashews and broccoli for 4 minutes or so, until the broccoli is piping hot but still crunchy.
5. Pour in the light and dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and Chinese five spice. Stir really well so that everything is tossed in the sauce and it’s piping hot. It’s that easy to make this Chinese jackfruit!
6. Serve with rice noodles, wheat noodles or rice for a full meal. Or serve as part of a vegan Chinese feast!
👩🍳 Expert Tips
High heat – stir fries are cooked on a high heat, and this Chinese jackfruit stir fry is no different. It only needs stir-frying for a total of 10 minutes which is why the recipe is so quick – that’s the beauty of this cooking style, quick and easy meals!
Sesame seeds – we found that a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top of the vegan beef and broccoli really takes it to the next taste level. It’s not needed for the recipe but they add an extra flavour and a smidge more protein too.
Jackfruit tips – buy young (or green) jackfruit in brine, not ripe jackfruit in syrup. It replicates meat really well, once flavoured. That’s because it absorbs flavours really easily. For this recipe, the jackfruit needs to remain in chunks. Some recipes either require a long cooking time so that the jackfruit replicates pulled pork, or needs to be chopped once out of the can. There’s no need for either in this recipe. Find out the nutrition facts of jackfruit.
Dark soy sauce – dark soy adds a dark colour to the dish. If you haven't got it in the cupboard, check our the best substitutes for dark soy sauce.
Storage – Chinese jackfruit will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the hob in a wok until piping hot throughout.
Freezing – we don’t recommend freezing this Chinese jackfruit as it is best eaten fresh.
💭 FAQs
Yes, jackfruit can definitely be stir fried! As it doesn’t technically need cooking, just stir frying it on a high heat is a great way to cook with jackfruit. We add a Chinese brown sauce and five spice to create a Chinese jackfruit recipe with it, that’s ready in just 20 minutes. It’s a kind of vegan beef and broccoli Chinese dish, so we definitely recommend trying stir fried jackfruit!
Jackfruit only takes minutes to stir fry. Canned jackfruit can be drained and rinsed, then cooked on high in a little hot oil for around 5-6 minutes. Add a delicious stir fry sauce and some other veggies and you’ve got a wholesome and delicious vegan meal that’s ready in next to no time at all!
🥡 Serving suggestions
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📖 Recipe
Chinese Jackfruit Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the stir fry sauce:
- 4 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
For the stir fry:
- 4 cloves garlic – crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger – chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 500 g young jackfruit – drained weight
- 300 g broccoli – chopped into bite size florets
- 4 tablespoon cashews
Optionally, to serve
- 200 g rice noodles
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the jackfruit, and remove any unwanted parts like the jackfruit seeds or any hard ‘skin’ like pieces that are often attached to the jackfruit seeds.500 g young jackfruit
- Pop a wok onto a high heat and then add a splash of oil. Fry the jackfruit in the hot oil for 5 minutes until softened and slightly brown.
- Next add the minced garlic, ginger and chilli flakes for a minute.4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- Pop in the cashews and broccoli for 4 minutes or so, until the broccoli is piping hot but still crunchy.4 tablespoon cashews, 300 g broccoli
- Pour in the light and dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and Chinese five spice. Stir really well so that everything is tossed in the stir fry sauce and it’s piping hot.4 tablespoon light soy sauce, 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, 2 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- Serve with rice noodles, wheat noodles or rice for a full meal. Or serve as part of a vegan Chinese feast!200 g rice noodles
Notes
- Nutritional information does not include the optional rice or noodles for serving.
- Stick to 1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice. It packs a punch. Once you have tasted the stir fry you could add a little bit more, but we don’t think it needs it!
- This recipe will keep in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave or on the hob and make sure it is piping hot before serving.
- We do not recommend freezing this Chinese jackfruit stir fry. It is best eaten fresh.
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