Sweet & Savory Moroccan Jackfruit "Tagine" - made in a Crock Pot

I've been meaning to do this for a while, and having made a stop at H Mart over the weekend to pick up the fresh jackfruit, was finally able to get around to it last night.  This is essentially an easy modification of what I made almost 10 (wow) years ago, but I am going to write out the full recipe here since it of course comes along with a new photo.

Other than the inclusion of Honey, this recipe is Vegan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 of an average-size Jackfruit (after breaking down, mine yielded about 2.5 pounds of "meat")
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound of onions, peeled & quartered
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound of carrots, cut into chunks (I don't peel them; you certainly can if you want)
• 1 large can of whole tomatoes, drained
• 8 ounces of dates, pitted and torn/cut in half
• 6 ounces of raisins (I used a mix of golden and dark, because that's what I had on hand)
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon)
• 2 teaspoons of cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons of coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon each of salt & pepper
• Toasted sliced almonds (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Get a medium saucepot mostly full of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
2. While the water is coming up to boil -- break down the jackfruit by separating all the yellow and white bits of "meat" from the core and the skin.  (You'll probably need to use a knife, as well as tearing things apart with your hands, to get the most yield.  It's a good idea to wear gloves and oil your knife blade, because depending on the ripeness of your particular specimen, there may be a lot of very sticky sap involved. I got lucky and didn't encounter much of that this time.)  Also, find the seed buried inside each yellow section, fish them out, and keep them -- they are edible, have a nutty texture, and we're going to use them.  The white and yellow jackfruit meat can just go right into the crock pot.
3. Put the seeds into the boiling water and cook them for 20-30 minutes, until the skins start to crack open.  Once they are cooked, scoop them out of the water and set them aside to cool.
4. Drop the carrots into the same boiling water and par-cook them for about 3-5 minutes.  When done, scoop them out and put them into the crock pot.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the onion quarters over a fairly high heat until nicely charred.  Tip them into the crock pot.
6. Hopefully, your seeds are cool enough at this point that you can handle them.  Peel the white skins off (discard the skins), and throw those seeds into the crock pot.
7. Finally, put everything else (except the almonds) into the crock pot and stir it all together until well incorporated.
8. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender to your liking and the jackfruit is shredding apart.
9. Serve over your favorite cooked grain (rice, quinoa, barley, couscous, etc.), with some some toasted sliced almonds sprinkled on top.