These Vegetarian gyros are filled with jackfruit instead of the traditional meat filling. Stuffed in a pita, this Greek sandwich is hearty and yummy.
Gyro (sometime yee-roh) literally means ‘turn’ in Greek. Basically it is a dish made of meat cooked in a vertical rotisserie and then served wrapped in a pita with toppings.
All this talk about Gyro is because I’m cooking from a Greek take-out restaurant. Metropulos, in Santa Barbara for this week’s BM. Gyro is one of their specialties. But they make it the traditional way with meat, but I used jackfruit instead.
Greek Gyros:
Some may think making vegetarian gyros is blasphemous because it is an out and out meat centered dish. It is derived from lamb based doner kebab from Turkey. In Greece, it is traditionally made with pork or chicken.
Vegetarian Gyro Ideas:
Here are a few vegetarian ideas to use instead of meat in gyros:
- Roasted vegetables – eggplant, zucchini, peppers, mushroom and onions are great options.
- Seitan – store bought or homemade
- Faux Meat substitutes – Any brand beefless strips or chickenless strips will work.
- Jackfruit – has a meaty texture and even looks a little like meat after cooking.
Jackfruit filling for Vegetarian Gyros:
I always have a can of green jackfruit in the pantry to make jackfruit curry or faux meat stuffings for these Chinese bao buns. Nowadays, jackfruit is easily be found in well stocked Asian/ Indian & regular grocery store.
Recipe for this jackfruit filling is adapted from Vegetarian Times magazine. I tweaked it a little bit to suit our taste. Here’s how to make it :
- Heat margarine or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3~4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Next add the shredded jackfruit and cook for 20 minutes or until browned and caramelized.
- Add some water, oregano, soy sauce, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10~15 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated.
- Finally stir in the lemon juice and set aside.
Other Ingredients and Toppings needed:
I made my own flatbread to serve the gyros in. Or you can use store bought pita or naan breads. The sandwiches can be loaded with hummus, marinated onions, tzatziki sauce, cucumber and tomatoes.
Vegetarian Gyros with Jackfruit
Ingredients
For Jackfruit Filling:
- 1 tbsp Vegan margarine or Oil
- 1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
- 1 20 oz . cans Young Jackfruit in brine, rinsed, drained and shredded
- 2 tsps Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Low sodium Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 2 ~ 3 tbsps Lemon juice
- To taste Salt & Pepper
To make Sandwiches:
- 4 Pita bread/ Flatbread
- 1 Medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tsps Red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsps Parsley or Cilantro, finely chopped
- As needed Hummus (Homemade or Store bought)
- As needed Tzatziki Sauce (Homemade or Store bought)
- As needed Lettuce, shredded
- As needed Tomato, diced
- As needed Cucumber, diced
Instructions
Make Jackfruit Filling:
- Heat margarine or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3~4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Next add the shredded jackfruit and cook for 20 minutes or until browned and caramelized.
- Add some water, oregano, soy sauce, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10~15 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated.
- Finally stir in the lemon juice and set aside.
- In the meantime, toss sliced red onion with red wine vinegar and set aside to marinate.
To Serve:
- Warm bread, smear with hummus, pile up with the jackfruit filling and toppings of choice. Serve immediately.
Let’s check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 60.
Sapana Behl
I am literally drooling over here.Your set up and pics looks too gorgeous and inviting.We love jack fruit and couldn’t find it her.Please tell me where I can buy that can of jack fruit.
Priya Suresh
Thats an intereting twist with jackfruit, wow simply just cant stop drooling myself here. Such an irresistible gyros..loving it.
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan
wow quiet interesting recipe there. Love it
Kalyani
this looks like a sumptuous meal by itself :-)) way to go !
rajani
I have tried a rajma version of gyros long time back. Made pitas too that time. It was a great meal, your post reminds me to make it once again :-).
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
I have tried a curried jackfruit dish when I went to sri lankan restaurant once and wasnt a big fan – sweet I like as a fruit though – regardless a unique twist to gyros
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
I have tried a curried jackfruit dish when I went to sri lankan restaurant once and wasnt a big fan – sweet I like as a fruit though – regardless a unique twist to gyros
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I am literally waiting to grab some from the screen. Looks so wonderful and that jackfruit filling so closely resembles a meat filling.
Gayathri's Cook Spot
I have once made gyro with paneer. This version with jack fruit looks like a great meat substitute.
Harini-Jaya Rupanagudi
Very innovative to have jackfruit filling in a gyro.
Suma Gandlur
You have come up with an interesting vegetarian version gyros.
Varadas Kitchen
The pictures are awesome. Your vegetarian version of gyros is amazing!
veena krishnakumar
The clicks are so awesome that i feel like grabbing it from the screen. Lovely!!
Leslie
These look so filling and full of flavor! My mouth is watering just thinking about these being served with warm bread!
Swathi
I like that you made Vegetarian version of Gyros. I am going to give this one try. my hubby like Gyros a lot. It looks delicious