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Gluten Free Vegetarian

Incredible Boil & Fried Breadfruit.

2 Comments on Incredible Boil & Fried Breadfruit.

I’ve grown so fond of breadfruit over the years it pains me to hear that the tree at the back of my parents home in Trinidad and Tobago, is usually laden every year and about 80% of them go to waste. With only my uncle at the house, there’s only so much he can eat and after a while villagers gets bored with his generosity. Maybe they too got trees in their garden?

You’ll Need…

1 mature breadfruit (about 4-5 lbs)

For Boiling The breadfruit…

1 can coconut milk
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
water
1/2 Scotch Bonnet pepper (optional – for boiling)
4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic (smashed)

For Frying The Breadfruit…

3 tablespoon butter (salted)
1/2 large onion (sliced)
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper (optional – sliced)
2 scallions (chopped)
1 Pimento Pepper (aka seasoning pepper)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Notes. If doing this recipe vegan, replace the butter with olive or coconut oil or whatever butter replacement you usually use. Go though the full list of ingredients if doing this gluten free to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements. I used Scotch Bonnet pepper in the recipe but you may use any spicy pepper you like or can source. Or leave it out if spicy is not your thing.

Please refer to the video below for a better understanding of how to peel, core and slice the breadfruit. I first cut the stem area off so I have a flat surface, then using my knife I cut the breadfruit in half, followed by three more cuts to get wedges (6 in total).

Using a pairing knife I then removed the core and skin, after which the wedges were washed and drained.

Place everything (all that’s mentioned in the ‘boiling’ list above) in a deep pot, cover with additional water and bring to a boil.

I like adding scotch bonnet here as it allows for that kick to make it’s way deep into the pieces of breadfruit as they cook.

Reduce to a rolling boil and remember to flip the pieces every 10 minutes or so, so they cook evenly. Make sure they’re covered with liquid during the 35-40 minutes it will take for the them to go tender.

Once you can pierce the thickest parts with a knife and there’s no resistance, you’ll know it’s fully cooked. Drain and set aside.

It’s time for the frying part of the recipe. This is where we add additional flavor to give it that unique Caribbean finish.

Heat the butter in a wide pan on a medium flame and add the onion, garlic, Scotch Bonnet, scallions Pimento pepper (should you be able to source it) and black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 4-5 minutes.

When the breadfruit is cool enough to handle you may then chop into bit sized pieces or if you prefer, you may mash or crush it. I opted for pieces.

Once the onions etc are tender, it’s then time to add the breadfruit to the saucepan and stir well.

Try your best to coat all the pieces of breadfruit with the buttery base we created and to help create a bit of crust, turn the heat up to medium. After about 3-4 minutes, top with the parsley.

You may taste and adjust the salt to your liking and decide how much of a crust you want on the pieces of breadfruit. Turn off the stove and enjoy. While this is part of my #MeatFreeMondays series, I must confess that I did top my plate with stewed beef.

BTW, if you’ve ever been to the Oistins area in Barbados, you would have had the opportunity to have this with grilled Mahi Mahi (called dolphin locally).

Meat & Poultry

Coconut Stewed Breadfruit With Sweet Potato & Salted Pigtails

6 Comments on Coconut Stewed Breadfruit With Sweet Potato & Salted Pigtails

Here’s yet another classic way to put breadfruit to use as did our ancestors. I still recall the scent of the salted pigtails stewing in freshly made coconut milk, just before mom would load the pot with ‘full’ (meaning mature, but not ripe) breadfruit. However she would add a layer of baby dasheen bush leaves to the top. Giving the dish more body and flavor… allowing for better ‘steaming’.

You’ll Need…

4 lb Breadfruit (peeled, cored & cut into segments)
4 med sweet potatoes (cut in 1/2)
2 lbs salted pigtails (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
2 tablespoons Caribbean Green Seasoning (divided)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 scallion (diced)
5 sprigs thyme
4 slices ginger
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
4 Bird’s Eye Pepper
1 tablespoon parsley (I finished it at the end with this)
1 lemon or lime (juice)

Wash the cut salted pigtails (get your butcher to do so as it can be tough), then into a deep pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rolling boil and cook 30-40 minutes. Then drain, rinse and set aside. This step helps to tenderize the pigtails and help remove some of the salt it was cured in.

Peel the sweet potato and breadfruit in the meantime (watch the video below). Cut the sweet potato into 1/2 and after coring the breadfruit (soft center), slice into thick wedges.

How to peel and core a breadfruit << Click To Watch The Video!

Leave the prepped sweet potato and breadfruit covered with water so they don’t discolor.

The salted pigtails should be ready now (drained / cool), so it’s time to season it with the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning (1 tablespoon), onion and tomato. Mix well and get ready to stew.

In a larger heavy pot, heat the oil on a medium/high flame and add the sugar. It will melt, go frothy and (pay attention now as you DON’T want
it to go black) it will go amber in color. As soon as this happens, add the seasoned pig tails to the pot and stir. Watch the video below to follow along as this step can be a bit tricky. If you allow the sugar to go black.. STOP. Cool the pot, wash and start over.

Turn the heat down to low and put the lid on for 4-5 minutes (to allow the flavors to develop). Then remove the lid, crank up the heat and add the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer as we add the pieces of the breadfruit and sweet potato (so we don’t have a vigorous boil going to potentially burn us). Try to coat everything with the rich coconut sauce, then add the scallions, bird’s eye pepper (I didn’t cut them as I wanted the flavor from the skin and not more heat), garlic and scotch bonnet pepper.

Bring back to a boil, add the thyme and the remaining Caribbean Green Seasoning, then reduce to low (pot covered) and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Taste for salt and adjust, I didn’t have to add any as the residual salt from the pig tails was enough for me. You will notice that the coconut milk wasn’t enough to completely cover the breadfruit, but by covering the pot, the steam created will help it go tender. You will need to stir it a couple times during cooking. It will fall apart a bit so try to be a bit gentle.

Top with the chopped parsley and get ready to enjoy a dish which is hearty and VERY comforting to Caribbean people. Serve with a side salad and/or slices of avocado. Remove the Bird’s Eye Peppers before serving, unless you have someone who enjoys them.