Jackfruit Choona Mayo 

*This recipe is taken from Essential's 50th Anniversary Vegan Cookbook*

Message from Nick at Essential (August 2021)

I’m Nick, and for my sins I’ve been part of the co-op for 15 years. My daughter Isla is a true spawn of Essential - her mother and I met here. And my brother works as a driver, so maybe it’s only a matter of time before Isla pitches in…

Anyway, I was a full-time Delivery driver for 10 years and have done a few other things as well since then. I’ve had many great experiences. There’s certainly nowhere like it – a huge (dysfunctional?) family!

I remember Harvest in the seventies when I was a kid, apparently there was some connection with the Brillig Arts Centre which was a wonderland to me.

In my limited spare time I enjoy proper beer, esoteric heavy rock and psychedelic music and making fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, sourdough etc).

My greatest achievement at Essential is getting Black Sabbath’s  1971 ‘Master of Reality’ lettering on the front cover of the 50^th anniversary catalogue!

Ingredients

• 400g tin of Young Jackfruit, drained
• Half 400g tin of Chickpeas, drained
• 1/3 Sweet Red/Orange/Yellow Pepper
• A Chopped Tomato
• Couple of slices of Onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Capers, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp Mayo of your choice
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp or more Nori Flakes/Sea Vegetables or Kelp Powder for salad/sprinkling 
• Squeeze of Lemon
• Yeast Flakes/Black Pepper/Paprika/Smoked Salt to taste!

Method

Separate Jackfruit chunks with a fork, or mash if you prefer. Mix together with everything else. The traditional sweetcorn goes well if you like it. Lemon wedges, parsley and a sprinkle of paprika make a nice garnish. This recipe is great on jacket potatoes, in a wrap, pitta or sandwich and also as a pasta salad or side dish. I’m a big fan of our ‘Off the Lam’ hot Jackfruit Kebab recipe; this makes a nice cool change.