Vegan Gumbo Recipe

Measure and prep all ingredients.

Prepare the jackfruit. In a medium bowl, whisk together the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, garlic powder, ground cumin, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, liquid aminos, salt, black pepper and canola oil.

Break up the chunks of jackfruit with your hands as much as possible and mix them into the marinade. Allow the jackfruit to marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight. 

Cook the jackfruit. Heat the broiler to high and line a small sheet pan with foil. Drizzle a little canola or vegetable oil over the foil and lay the jackfruit flat across the pan. Place the jackfruit under the broiler and broil for 5-10 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the jackfruit is slightly charred. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Prepare the vegan gumbo. In a large pot, heat a little bit of oil as needed over medium heat. Add the diced onion, green bell pepper, celery and sliced garlic into the pot along with the tomato paste, ground cumin, paprika and oregano. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on medium for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables start to lightly brown. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the pot and transfer them to a bowl. 

Turn the heat to low. Add three tablespoons of oil along with the all-purpose flour to create a roux. Cook on low for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the flour is a deep brown but not burnt. It should smell like toasted popcorn. 

Return the vegetables to the pot along with the roasted jackfruit and stir to coat with the roux. 

Pour the vegetable stock, red kidney beans, fire roasted tomatoes and red wine vinegar into the pot. Stir in the bundle of thyme and bay leaves. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1 hour. 

If serving with rice, put on a pot of white rice and steam according to the instructions on the packaging. 

As the gumbo is simmering, begin to prepare the okra. Heat a little bit of oil over high heat in a separate pan. Add the okra into the pan and cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. The outsides of the okra should start to darken slightly.

Remove the okra from the pan and allow it to cool. Once cool, slice the ends off the okra and cut the rest of the pod into quarters. Add it to the gumbo when there are 10 minutes left of simmering. 

Season the gumbo to taste with salt. Ladle over steamed white rice in bowls and garnish with sliced scallions. Serve and enjoy!