Pipián Verde with Mexican Jackfruit and Tofu
Bright, zingy and flavorful, today we’re making Mexican jackfruit and crispy tofu in a pipián verde sauce. Celebrating pepitas (pumpkin seeds), this sauce is simple to make, but surprisingly complex in flavor and oh-so delicious! The toasted pumpkin seed flavor mixes with the spices, charred chili peppers, and fresh herbs in the most craveable way. You’ll be drizzling a little pipián on all of your favorite dishes!
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What is Pipián Verde?
Pipián is a sauce made from hulled pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas in Spanish). It is sometimes called pumpkin seed mole, and usually served as red (rojo) with dried chilis or green (verde) with tomatillos and green chilis. This sauce has deep roots, likely originating in Aztec or Mayan culture, or perhaps even predating those groups. It is actually similar to a mole, but the list of ingredients tends to be shorter and simpler, and it is always made with a pepita base. The most traditional use for a mole or pipián sauce is as a simmer sauce for chicken or other meats, we used ours to coat our tofu and jackfruit, and this sauce would also be amazing on enchiladas. Now of course, as I am not Mexican, this isn’t my cultural heritage and my pipián verde recipe shouldn’t be considered authentic. But what is authentic pipián? That depends on where you are! Different regions and villages have different ingredients, proportions, and techniques in what they consider pipián verde to be. The sauce I’ve created here is pretty basic- if you wanted to, you could bump up the spice with hotter chilis, or add some greens (like radish leaves, dandelion greens, spinach etc.) to add complexity.
Looking for Vegan Mexican-Inspired Recipes? Try one of these!
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- Hibiscus Flower and White Bean Vegan Tostadas
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How to Make Pipián Verde with Mexican Jackfruit
This recipe has two components- a vibrant, green sauce (the pipián verde), and a roasted and delicious tofu and jackfruit mixture. They’re both delicious, and really could be used independently in different applications. The pipián verde would make an excellent alternative to an enchilada sauce. The Mexican jackfruit filling would be amazing as the “meat” portion in a California-style burrito or as taco meat. Of course, they are also amazing together, which is why I wrote the recipe that way!
I started with the sauce. The main ingredient, the pepitas (or pumpkin seeds) are toasted in a skillet. Once they start popping in your pan, you know they’re ready! Throw them in your blender. We’re also going to roast some tomatillos, onion, garlic, poblano and jalapeño peppers for our sauce. Once they have a little char on them and are softened, you’re ready to go. Blend all the ingredients together, and then let this simmer on the stove for a while, just so all the flavors blend together well. If you like, you can also add a splash of olive oil to make it a little richer.
The jackfruit tofu “meat” is super easy. Break up some canned green jackfruit, and slice some firm tofu. That’s going to go with a mixture of tomato paste, soy sauce, and herbs and spices, all brought together with olive oil. At that point we roast- you want to wait until the jackfruit and tofu gets a little crispy on the edges of the baking sheet and then stir it all around. After doing this a few times, you’re set!
Throw the jackfruit and tofu mixture straight into your sauce. I didn’t mix mine in fully because I thought it looked a little nicer, but if you’re not taking photos of this dish feel free to mix it all together. You can garnish with some toasted pepitas for a little added crunch. I recommend serving this with either rice or tortillas, as you’ll want a carb to soak up all of that amazing sauce. Even serving it with tortilla chips would be nice!
Pipián Verde with Mexican Jackfruit and Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 cup pepitas
- ¾ lb. tomatillos, husks removed
- 1 poblano pepper
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
- Olive oil, for cooking
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ tsp. Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 lb. firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 can green jackfruit, in brine
- ½ red onion
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
- First let’s make our pipián verde. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). On a baking sheet, add the tomatillos (husks removed), poblano, jalapeño, onion, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, flipping the ingredients once halfway.
- While your vegetables roast, heat up a small skillet and add the pepitas. Stirring frequently, toast for a few minutes. Once fragrant, transfer to a blender along with the cilantro, vegetable stock, Mexican oregano and cumin. Once the roasted vegetables are complete, remove from the oven. Once cool enough to touch, cut the stems off the peppers and remove the seeds. Place the ingredients inside the blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, and bring to a low simmer. Let simmer while you finish the dish, and before serving adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
- Next start on your jackfruit mixture. Drain your tofu and jackfruit. Cut the tofu into thin batons, and gently break up the jackfruit a little- no need to totally shred it, just break up the larger pieces. Cut the onion into thin half-moon strips. Add all of the ingredients for the tofu jackfruit meat into a large bowl, and mix until it’s all coated and integrated. Place in the oven (still at 400F, 200C) and roast for 30-40 minutes until it becomes a little crispy, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
- Add the roasted tofu and jackfruit into the pipián verde. Serve with tortillas, or over rice.
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