Vegan Christmas Recipe: Brazilian Jackfruit Croquettes (Coxinhas de Jaca)cover

Vegan Christmas Recipe: Brazilian Jackfruit Croquettes (Coxinhas de Jaca)

Coxinhas de Jaca are Brazilian croquettes with a jackfruit filling. They make a fun vegan Christmas treat: you wrap a tomato and jackfruit filling in soft dough, coat it in breadcrumbs and fry it.

Tropical fruit is a big part of the Advent season. And the real superhero of them all is our jackfruit. Its taste changes to fit whatever you cook, so it also earns its place in a real savoury dish. Do you want a taste of the tropics this Christmas? Then grab a can of young jackfruit and try our recipe.

Why use canned jackfruit?

Jackfruit is a real giant.

To carry a whole one home from the market, you’d need a cargo bike or a pickup truck. And the weight isn’t the only problem. Cutting it up is hard too, unless you are used to using a machete in the kitchen. Once you get inside, you still have to get past the sticky parts that cover the seeds. That can be a lot of work for one person.

But there’s an easy way.

Our cans hold jackfruit in just the form you need for cooking. We’ll even deliver it straight to your kitchen. And since it’s Advent, we’re adding a special recipe to inspire you.

What are Coxinhas de Jaca?

Jackfruit first came from South-East Asia. Today it grows on every continent in the tropics. It grows well in Brazil too, and that is where these tasty croquettes come from. In Brazil, people mostly fill them with meat. But the vegetarian jackfruit version is getting more and more popular.

What ingredients do you need?

For the dough:

  • 2 cups of water

  • 1 cup of unsweetened plant-based milk

  • 1 tablespoon of margarine or vegan butter

  • 1 vegetable stock cube

  • salt to taste

  • 3 cups of plain flour

For the coating:

  • 2 cups of breadcrumbs

  • 2 cups of cold unsweetened plant-based milk

For the filling:

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

  • 3 chopped garlic cloves

  • 1/2 cup of chopped onion

  • 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes

  • 3 cups of jackfruit (about 1.5 cans of Mladý Jacky F)

  • 2 tablespoons of tomato purée

  • 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock

  • 1/4 cup of parsley

  • salt to taste

  • black pepper to taste

  • 1 tablespoon of cornflour (or flour) mixed with 2 tablespoons of water

How do you make the filling?

  1. Fry the onion in olive oil in a pan until golden.

  2. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Let them cook until soft.

  3. Rinse the lime juice off the jackfruit and gently mash it with your hands.

  4. Add the tomato purée, parsley and jackfruit to the pan.

  5. Cook until the extra water is gone. The filling should be dry, so the croquettes keep their shape. Add the cornflour if you need to.

How do you make the dough?

  1. Put all the dough ingredients except the flour in a pan and bring them to the boil.

  2. Add the flour last and keep stirring.

  3. Stir hard until the dough is soft and has no lumps.

  4. Tip it onto a clean board. Knead it while it is still hot, first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands, until it is smooth and stretchy.

  5. Cover it with cling film and let it rest for a while.

Want to see how it’s done? We recommend the video recipe by cook Jana.

How do you shape and fry the croquettes?

  1. Put the breadcrumbs on one plate and the plant-based milk on another.

  2. Take a piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Then press it into a small cup.

  3. Add some filling. Don’t add too much, or you won’t be able to close it.

  4. Close the ends and shape it into a cone. Make sure there are no holes, so the filling can’t leak out.

  5. Dip the croquette in the cold milk, then in the breadcrumbs. Put it on a dry plate.

  6. Repeat until you use up all the dough and filling.

  7. Fry the coxinhas in hot oil for about 3 minutes. Then take them out and drain them on kitchen paper.

You’re done! All that’s left is to serve them. And eat!

Why stock up on jackfruit cans?

Fresh jackfruit doesn’t keep long once it’s cut. You would have to eat it for several days in a row so it doesn’t go off. Our cans don’t have that problem. They will happily wait for you until the New Year. So it’s a good idea to keep a few extra at home.

What if those Brazilian flavours come to visit again?

Enjoy your meal!

FAQ: Jackfruit croquettes

What are Coxinhas de Jaca?

They are Brazilian croquettes shaped like a cone. This vegan version has a jackfruit filling.

How much jackfruit do I need?

You need about 3 cups, which is roughly 1.5 cans of Mladý Jacky F.

Why must the filling be dry?

A dry filling helps the croquettes keep their shape and stops them from leaking.

How long do I fry coxinhas?

Fry them in hot oil for about 3 minutes.