Refreshing Citrus Fried Jackfruit Tacos (gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, & Plant Paradox friendly)

Directions

1. Slaw: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together lime juice sesame oil, lime zest, salt, and erythritol. Then toss the shredded cabbage and matchstick cut (thin strips) with the dressing until thoroughly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes up until ready to use.
2. Sweet & Sour Sauce: In a personal sized blender or mason jar w/ a fitted lid, combine all of the sweet & sour sauce ingredients. Blend or vigorously shake to combine.
3. Transfer to a small sauce pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat & set aside for later use. (Reheat over low heat before serving.)
4. Jackfruit: Place jackfruit pieces in a bowl. To a separate bowl, add in tapioca starch. In a third, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper.
5. To the third bowl, whisk in 4 oz of beer or sparkling water. The batter should be thick enough to stick to the jackfruit, but thin enough that it moves around the bowl freely; if needed, add in the additional 0.5 oz (1 tbsp) beer or sparkling water.
6. Place all of your refined coconut oil into a medium sized pot (the heavier, the better for temperature control) over medium heat. Heat until the temperature reaches 350° F or until a wooden spoon inserted into the oil upside down forms bubbles around its edges (as visualized in this post by Life Hacker).
7. While the oil heats up, set up an oil draining rig by inverting a cookie sheet onto a counter. Line the cookie sheet with a layer of paper towels, then invert a cooling rack on top of that (reference photo in post).
8. Roll a piece of jackfruit around in tapioca starch, shake off the excess, then dip into the beer batter. Gently place into the oil, letting part of the jackfruit fry before you fully insert it into the oil – this will prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.
9. Fry – one or two pieces at a time – until the nuggets are golden brown & crispy, stirring them around as you go; about 45 seconds per nugget.
10. Repeat steps 8 & 9 until all of the jackfruit is battered & fried. To keep it warm and crispy, remove the paper towels from your draining rig, place the baking sheet right side up, then place the cooling rack back on top of that. Set in a 250° F oven for up to 45 minutes.
11. You can assemble your tacos any way you’d like with whatever additional toppings you’d like, but this is how we layered ours: 1. Tortilla 2. Slaw 3. Jackfruit 4. Avocado 5. Cilantro 6. Sweet & Sour Sauce 7. Squeeze of lime.
12. Enjoy these tacos while fresh! Fried food is never good when reincarnated.