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Jackfruit Lechona with Crispy Peas

Jackfruit Lechona with Crispy Peas

Jackfruit Lechona with Crispy Peas is a vegan version inspired by the original Colombian dish. It consists of jackfruit pulled pork, a traditional spiced rice and yellow pea mixture, and crispy oven-baked salty peas to provide the necessary crunchy texture.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Colombian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Jackfruit Pulled Pork

  • 2 cans young, unripe jackfruit in water or brine, drained and rinsed with water 280 g drained, per can
  • 1 big green onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for baking
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika powder, plus some extra if necessary
  • salt and pepper

Other ingredients

  • 200 g white rice, cooked after cooking about 550 g
  • 250 g dried yellow peas, soaked at least 12 hours and cooked until ready to eat if unavailable replace with dried green peas or chickpeas
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 big green onion, chopped
  • 1,5 tsp "complete" seasoning mix or replace by a mix of turmeric, paprika, onion and garlic powder
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 arepas, according to their recipe (see link above in text)

Instructions
 

  • Yellow peas
    Start by boiling the yellow peas in water, after they soaked for at least 12 hours. This can take between 1 - 2,5 hours in a normal pot, faster in a pressure cooker
  • Prepare the marinade for the jackfruit.
    Place chopped onion, garlic, oil, water, cumin, smoked paprika, pepper and salt in a bowl and mix with a blender until liquid.
    Add drained and rinsed jackfruit, mix well, and marinate for at least 1 hour
  • Prepare crispy peas
    When the peas are cooked, place about 1/3 on a baking tray, add a generous amount of vegetable oil, and bake them until golden and crispy, for about 35 mins at 200 degrees Celsius.
    Take them out when ready and salt them, place aside until other elements are ready
  • Cook the Jackfruit Pulled Pork
    Place marinated jackfruit in a frying pan, with some additional oil if the mixture is dry. You might want to add some extra smoked paprika, to achieve a red-ish color.
    Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 20-30 minutes.
    Using two forks, shred the jackfruit until it looks "pulled".
    Turn up the heat and cook some minutes without a lid to brown the jackfruit
  • Prepare rice and pea mixture
    Cook the chopped green onion in vegetable oil, together with the spice mix, for 3-5 minutes.
    Add the cooked white rice and the rest of the cooked yellow peas, season generously
    Mix together well and make sure it is heated all the way through
  • Assemble the dish
    Divide the rice and pea mixture over 4 plates. Add 1/4 of the jackfruit pulled pork per plate. Sprinkle over some crispy peas. Serve with an arepa.
    Enjoy!
Keyword jackfruit, lechona, peas, vegan, vegetarian
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