Taking just 15 minutes to cook, this easy vegan kung pao jackfruit is better than anything you'll get from a takeaway. The Thai birds eye chillies deliver a hot and spicy kick, while the red peppers tone it down with a layer of sweetness.
In a hot skillet over a high flame, dry-roast the cashews for 2-4 minutes, until they start to turn brown.
Mix together the two soy sauces, rice vinegar, palm sugar, water, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, and the cornflour. Set aside. (note 4)
Heat your wok over a high flame, and fry the chillies, garlic, and ginger for 60 seconds in the vegetable oil.
Add the jackfruit and the red pepper, and stir-fry for 4-5 mins.
Give the sauce a shake to ensure it's all mixed together, stir it into the wok, and continue to stir-fry for another minute, until the sauce has thickened, and to ensure the cornflour is cooked through.
Mix in the dry-roasted cashews and sliced spring onions, fry for 30 seconds, just to warm them through.
Turn off the heat, stir in the rest of the sesame oil, and serve immediately, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Notes
If you don't have rice vinegar, you could use apple cider vinegar instead; it's not the same but it will do in a pinch. Or you could use coconut (toddy) vinegar.
This is meant to be a spicy dish but do feel free to add as much or as little chilli as you like.
The jackfruit I use in this recipe is Chaokoh, which yields c.280g (c.10 oz) of fruit once it's drained. You can use all parts, just ensure you slice the core pieces quite finely. Do make sure you blot it well, otherwise you'll have a spitty wok when you come to fry it off.
I find the easiest way to mix together my Asian sauces is to put everything into a jar, screw the lid on tightly, and then give it a good shake. This also has the advantage that if there's any left over, you can just put it straight in the 'fridge. Less washing up = happy cook!
My kung pao jackfruit was inspired by Woks of Life's KungPao Mushrooms - if you've not checked out their blog, go and do it now... it's one of my favourites!