This smoked tofu and jackfruit jambalaya is the best jambalaya I have ever made. Back when I used to eat meat, I ate traditional jambalaya at reastaurants but never tried cooking it. Since, I have made many versions, some veggie, some with shirmp, and this recipe stands out as the clear winner.
I think this vegan version is outstanding no matter if you are a meat eater or not. The smoked tofu adds subtle smokiness that you would get from andouille sausage. The jackfruit replaces chicken, adding a nice chewy texture that also helps the dish stay moist.
In my version, I go heavy on the vegetables. Many versions use a higher ratio of rice to veggies, but in a vegan version, I figured the vegetables would be welcome.
I cut the smoked tofu into rounds to make it look more like traditional jambalaya. I used the center of an old-fashioned donut cutter, but a small cookie cutter would work the same.
Tips and Tricks for this Smoked Tofu and Jackfruit Jambalaya recipe:
- White rice is traditional to brown rice, but I like to cook with whole grains. Use what you prefer. Reduce stock by ¼ cup to use white rice.
- The rice should be soft and fluffy, not wet and soggy or dry and crunchy. Remove the lid during cooking if it looks wet, leave it on and add more liquid if it looks dry. It will take some practice judging to get it just right.
- The vinegar-based hot sauce at the end is to balance the dish with some acid. I leave out the traditional cayenne pepper and use the hot sauce to heat up the dish instead because it adds a necessary pop of brightness.
- By cooking the smoked tofu and jackfruit in a separate skillet, you greatly speed up the time it takes to make this recipe. Both the tofu and jackfruit will absorb water, so you don’t want to add them to the dutch oven until after the rice is mostly cooked. Adding them at the end allows just enough time for the flavors to meld.
- Make your own smoked tofu. It it totally worth the extra effort and investment in a smoker if you love smoked tofu like I do! Here is my recipe.
- 8 oz block smoked tofu (preferably homemade)
- 3 TBS canola oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 15 oz can young green jackfruit in brine
- 1 cup long-grained brown rice
- 1 ¾ cups vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 TBS vinegar based hot sauce, such as Louisiana or Crystal (or more to taste)
- Green onion, for garnish
- Optional: Start by cutting the smoked tofu in half the skinny way, then cut out rounds to look like sausage. Dice any additional pieces of tofu. Alternatively, you can just dice the tofu.
- Heat 1 TBS canola oil in a dutch oven. Add onion, celery, and green pepper. Saute until the onion becomes translucent and the vegetables are starting to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 TBS canola oil in a skillet oven over medium heat. Add the rounds (if using) and cook on each side until browned. Remove from the pan and add any diced tofu, again, cooking until browned and remove from the pan.
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Cut the cores off the wedges and minced the cores into ¼ inch dice or smaller. Add the stringy portion of the fruit to a bowl and massage with your hands to extract any seeds and break it up into pieces. Add the chopped cores to the bowl.
- Mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper. Measure out 1 TBS of the spice mixture and stir it into the jackfruit.
- Once the tofu is cooked and removed from the pan, add the last TBS canola oil and the seasoned jack fruit. Cook covered stirring occasionally until it starts to brown lightly. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, stir in the minced garlic, remaining spice mixture and rice into the dutch oven with the vegetables. Saute about 3 minutes, or until rice is toasted and the spices are fragrant.
- Add broth and a bay leaf to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in smoked tofu and jackfruit. Add a ¼ cup water if the mixture looks dry. Simmer covered for another 15 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf, stir in hot sauce, and serve.
Recipe adapted from the kitchn.
