Vegan Filipino Afritada is a version of a popular chicken stew in the Philippines. It's simple to make and can be easily prepared for everyday meals or even for special occasions. What I love about this recipe is that it's a take on my mother's very own afritada recipe. A dish that I grew up eating a lot of, and is one of my favorite Filipino meals. You won't even notice a difference because it's that good and tastes exactly like the real dish.
Ingredient notes:
- Soy curls - This ingredient is probably one of my favorite vegan faux meats to use. It's gluten-free and has a great texture, similar to chicken. My favorite brand to use is Butler Soy Curls.
- Vegetable Bouillon - In my opinion, vegetable bouillon is way better in flavor than normal vegetable broth because it's concentrated. I like using Better Than Bouillon, but if you can't find it you can use regular veggie stock.
- Tomato sauce - Afritada is a tomato sauced-based stew, and it won't be afritada without it.
- Vegan hotdogs - A lot of Filipino meals do contain hot dogs because they are the cheapest way to get meat. Personally, I enjoy having the hot dogs in this dish, without it, it's not the same. My favorite brand to use is Lightlife.
- Bay Leaves - This is another important ingredient to have in this recipe. It adds fragrance and flavor to this dish and is what makes this recipe unique. Do not skip this!
What is Filipino afritada?
The name afritada is derived from Spanish fritada ("fried"). It's the first step of the preparation in which the meat is pan-fried before simmering in the tomato sauce. Traditionally, afritada consists of chicken, stewed in together with tomato sauce, carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers. Along with that, most people like to add green peas and hot dogs, and that’s really it. Yes, it does sound like a very simple dish, but I like to let the flavors speak for themselves.
Now that I live far away from my parents, I am learning to recreate my favorite dishes from my childhood. As a child, you would never think that you would miss meals that your parents cooked for you. Afritada was that dish for me, it was a sudden craving, and I had to recreate it for myself. It made me miss my mom a lot, and as I was eating it, it just brought so much comfort. Although my mom is skeptical about the vegan aspect of it, she is proud that I made a classic Filipino dish.
If you loved this Vegan Filipino Afritada recipe, check these out:
I’m looking forward to veganizing more Filipino dishes, and I hope you join me in this journey! If you’d tried this recipe out let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe and don’t forget to tag me when you create my recipes! Happy cooking!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Afritada
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Chef's knife
- Large pot
- Medium-size heat-proof bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Soy curls
- 2 cups Hot water (plus more )
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Broth Paste (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon Poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Chili powder
- 1 Russet potato
- 1 Large carrot
- 1 can Tomato sauce (8 oz can)
- 4 Vegan hot dogs (thinly sliced, I used Light Life)
- ½ cup Frozen peas
- 3 pieces Bay leaves
- ½ Medium yellow onion (roughly diced)
- 1 Red bell pepper (roughly diced)
- 5 tablespoons Vegetable oil (divided)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Then, in a large bowl, pour 1 cup of the hot broth and soak the soy curls, making sure that each piece is submerged. Let it sit to rehydrate for 5 minutes. See notes
- Drain the soy curls through a fine mesh sieve, and reserve the excess broth! We will use it later!
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the soy curls to the pan, and season it with poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder. Mix and cook until the soy curls are lightly browned all over. Remove from the pan, and set aside until ready to use.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Then, add in the hotdogs and onions. Cook until the hot dogs are lightly browned and onions are tender and translucent.
- Next, add soy curls,red bell pepper, tomato sauce, and all of the broth. You should have 2 cups of broth, if not add more water. Stir all of the ingredients together. Cover and bring it up to a boil.
- Add in the potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves. Mix, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 8 minutes, or until the root vegetables are soft.
- Lastly, peas, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover the pot again to cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, serve with some rice and enjoy!
Notes
- If you can't find the Better Than Bouillon Paste, you can sub it out for vegetable broth. Simply replace the water with broth.
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