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Jamaican roast breadfruit
Roast breadfruit: whole breadfruit charred over fire, peeled and sliced or fried
Portland roadsides smell of smoke when breadfruit is in season, with whole fruit sitting straight in wood fires until their green skins turn black. Inside, the flesh steams to a soft, fragrant cream somewhere between potato and fresh bread, and it is eaten in thick slices with ackee and saltfish, callaloo or a knob of butter, or fried the next morning. People often pick a fruit that is either too ripe (it turns mushy and sweet) or too young (it stays hard and gluey); you want a heavy, firm one with a little sap beading on the skin. A gas hob or a hot oven works when there is no open fire. Chef's tip: cut a small cross in the stem end before roasting so steam can escape, and push a skewer into it to check doneness without opening the fruit.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 breadfruitmature but firm, about 1.5 kg
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (optional)optional, for frying leftovers
- ½ tsp salt (optional)optional, to serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Wash 1 breadfruit and cut out the stem. Cut a shallow cross in the stem end with a small knife.
Step 2: Lay the breadfruit directly in the glowing embers of a charcoal or wood fire, or on a grill over a gas flame on medium, or in an oven heated to 425°F. Roast, turning it a quarter every 10–15 minutes, until the skin is blackened all over.
60 minStep 3: Test it by pushing a skewer in through the stem end: it should slide to the centre with no resistance, and steam should puff out of the cross. If the middle still feels firm, give it 10 more minutes.
5 minStep 4: Let it cool for 5 minutes, then scrape or peel off the charred skin with a knife. Cut the fruit in half, remove the spongy core and slice the flesh into wedges.
Step 5: Serve warm, sprinkled with ½ tsp salt if you like. To fry leftovers, cut the cold breadfruit into 1 cm slices and fry them in 2 tbsp coconut oil over medium heat for 3 minutes a side until crisp and golden.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican roast breadfruit take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
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