Filipino cuisine is simple and delicious, combining fresh ingredients and spices to create mouth-watering dishes. It’s influenced by many cultures that inhabit the 7,000 islands of the Philippines as well as by the flavours of Spain, China, and America.
Traditional Filipino dishes are made by bringing together fresh ingredients quickly. The result is a friendly gathering of people enjoying naturally delicious, seasonal dishes together.
Though many traditional dishes contain meat, there are plenty of ways to incorporate vegan alternatives which are equally as delectable. Whether you’re a traveling vegan or want to re-create authentic Filipino cuisine at home, here are two alternatives to some favourite Filipino dishes.
Filipino spaghetti
At first glance, this dish looks like spaghetti bolognese, but it encompasses a far sweeter sauce that makes it a firm favourite among children and adults alike. Traditionally, the sauce includes ground meat and sliced hot dog sausages, but you can swap these out for vegan alternatives such as soya-based sausage and texturised soy protein.
You create the sauce with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and oil, before sweetening with brown sugar and banana ketchup. Serve with spaghetti and a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese for a salty kick. If you’re trying to introduce kids to Filipino cuisine, start with this meal for a definite win.
Bistek tagalog (Filipino beefsteak)
With salty depth from soy sauce and a citrus tang, bistek tagalog is sure to be well-received by all who enjoy Filipino cuisine. Traditionally made by simmering beefsteak, vegans can substitute for imitation beef, tofu, or soy protein chunks to create a delightfully hearty meal. In the Philippines, the citrus notes come from calamansi, but if you can’t find those you can use lime or lemons.
Braise your substitute beef ingredient in soy sauce, garlic, citrus juice, black pepper, and onions cut into rings. Serve with white rice and garnish with green/spring onions for a tasty and wholesome meal.
Experiment with traditional dishes
As you can see, most Filipino dishes can be made vegan-friendly simply by switching the meat for a plant-based alternative. As Filipino cuisine is heavily based around simplicity, it is well suited for experimentation. By simply swapping the animal products, you can recreate the dish while keeping all of its flavour and mouth-watering lustre intact.
There are thousands of vegan recipes for traditional Filipino dishes to be found online, but you can also have some fun trying your own combinations by using substitute meats, tofu, or jackfruit, or simply using textured vegetables such as mushrooms in place of the meat in any given recipe.
For sweet dishes, many are typically already vegan, but you can substitute cow's milk for coconut milk and dairy butter for a plant-based alternative to recreate the others. Try making Lelut Mais, similar to rice pudding; or Carioca, deep-fried sweet rice balls made with glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and coconut shreds.
Author Bio: Scott Wiersma
As an avid travel enthusiast who loves nothing more than savouring world food flavours, Scott is passionate about making Filipino cuisine more accessible and widely known. He also enjoys skiing and dog walks.