Try the craveable and comforting national dish of the Philippines, but vegan: Filipino Tofu Adobo (adobong tokwa)! Our family recipe is INCREDIBLY easy to make.
Adobo is considered a national treasure in the Philippines! Every family has their own recipe, and ours is insanely delicious and simple. Our cultural heritage is important to us, so being able to recreate our families’ recipes was an important factor in us adopting veganism. This dish is proof that you don’t have to give up your heritage when you go vegan, plant-based, or even decide to reduce your animal product consumption!
We veganized my mom’s recipe by replacing the meat with extra-firm tofu. We prefer the extra-firm variety because it has a meaty bite and holds up well when cooked in a sauce. Speaking of sauce, ours is laced with aromatic onion, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns, and we balance the tartness of the white vinegar with organic granulated sugar. Thinly sliced potatoes add craveable carbiness and thicken the sauce. Served over steamed jasmine rice, this dish is sure to be your new weeknight favorite! Kain tayo (Let’s eat)!
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🤔 WHAT IS ADOBO GENERALLY?
The term “adobo” needs some explaining! Culinarily speaking, the term has varied meanings. Depending on the cuisine, adobo can refer to a marinade, condiment, seasoning, or an entire dish.
Adobo originated on the Iberian Peninsula. For the purposes of this blog post, we’ll focus on Spain. Spanish adobo is a marinade composed of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar. The term comes from the Spanish word adobar, which means “to marinade.” The Spanish brought their adobo marinade with them to their colonies. In turn, the Spanish colonies reimagined adobo in different ways:
For example, in Mexico, adobo refers to a condiment or cooking sauce with a base containing chiles. Chipotle and Ancho peppers are most often used.
In contrast, Puerto Rican-style adobo is a seasoned salt that is sprinkled or rubbed on meats and seafood prior to cooking.
🇵🇭 ADOBO IN THE PHILIPPINES
Filipino adobo differs from Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean adobo in a couple of ways:
- Filipino adobo refers to a cooking method as well as the resulting dish. It consists of pork or chicken that’s marinated and then braised in soy sauce, vinegar, black peppercorns, and bay leaves.
- Filipino adobo is NOT an offshoot of Spanish adobo marinade.
SPANISH COLONIAL RULE IN THE PHILIPPINES
We can blame the Spanish for the confusion! The Philippines was a Spanish colony for over 300 years, from 1565 to 1898. Naturally, Spanish presence in the Philippines has had lasting cultural impact. Around 30 percent of Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, is Spanish. Additionally, Catholicism remains the dominant religion in the Philippines.
However, what we today call Filipino “adobo” is actually an indigenous cooking method that pre-dates the Spanish. When the Spanish first landed the Philippines in the 16th century, they encountered an indigenous cooking process that involved stewing with vinegar and garlic. The Spanish referred to the cooking method as adobo due to its superficial similarity to Spanish adobo. (*Ahem*…because that’s what colonizers do.) And from that day on, the misappropriated indigenous cooking method has been known as adobo.
📝 INGREDIENTS
Rest assured, the ingredients for our veganized take on my mom’s adobo are all pantry staples. I’d put money on you having all the ingredients in your house as we speak:
- Onion, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns: the aromatics for our adobo. Bay leaves infuse the sauce with floral notes, while black peppercorns add a mild kick and a peppery bite.
- Potatoes: add drool-worthy carbiness to this dish and thickens our sauce.
- Extra firm tofu: our protein replacement
- Low sodium sauce: the base of our sauce
- White vinegar: adds acidity to our sauce
- Organic granulated sugar: balances the acidity of the white vinegar
- Green onions: the classic garnish for this dish
🔪 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Press the tofu.
- Roast the potatoes: Arrange potatoes over a lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, season with salt & pepper, and roast for 25 minutes at 400° F. Then broil on high for 2-6 minutes. Set aside.
- Brown the tofu: Heat oil over medium-high heat, add pressed & cubed tofu, coat with 2 tablespoon soy sauce, and pan-fry until browned. Set aside.
- Make adobo sauce: whisk together sugar with ½ cups each of water, soy sauce, and vinegar. Set aside.
- Cook the sauce: Heat oil over medium heat, sauté onion until golden brown. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the adobo sauce, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu and potatoes, simmer for 5 minutes, and add salt & pepper (to taste). Serve with steamed jasmine rice and enjoy!
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Easy to make
- Savory
- Saucy
- Tart + Sweet
💡 RECIPE TIPS
- Press the tofu: Press the tofu for at least 15 minutes in advance. We recommend using a tofu press. The more liquid you remove from the tofu, the crispier it’ll be.
- Use extra-firm tofu: We prefer extra-firm tofu because it stands up well to being cooked in a sauce, and it has a meatier bite.
- Air fryer or baking options: You can also air fry or bake the tofu instead of pan-frying it. First, toss tofu cubes in 1 tablespoon oil + 2 tablespoon soy sauce. Air fryer: 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, shaking halfway. Oven: bake the tofu over a lined baking sheet at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes, and then broil on high for 3-6 minutes, or until nicely browned.
Love,
Val
DID YOU MAKE OUR FILIPINO TOFU ADOBO?
Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. Share your dish with us on Instagram and tag us @plantbased.passport. We would love to seeing your delicious creations! Still hungry? Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest for more global vegan recipes and travel tips!🍴✈️
💕 MORE FILIPINO RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE:
👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
FILIPINO TOFU ADOBO
Ingredients
- 2 medium Russet potatoes peeled and sliced into ⅓-inch (~1 cm) thick half moons
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil (such as vegetable oil) plus more to drizzle over potatoes
- Salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 14-oz block of extra firm tofu pressed at least 15 minutes
- 2 tablespoon plus ½ cup low sodium soy sauce divided
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon organic granulated sugar
- 1 onion sliced thinly
- 1 head of garlic peeled and minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
To serve:
- sliced green onions to garnish
- steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Roast the potatoes: Preheat oven to 400° F (200°C). Arrange potatoes in one layer over a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast potatoes in the oven for 25 minutes. Then broil for 3-6 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown. Turn pan halfway through the broiling process.
- Brown the tofu: Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Slice pressed tofu into bite-sized cubes. Add tofu to pan and coat with 2 tablespoon soy sauce. Pan-fry until nicely browned. Remove tofu from pan and set aside. (See air fryer and baking options in the Recipe Notes)
- Make the adobo sauce: In a bowl, whisk together ½ cups each of water, soy sauce, and vinegar with the sugar. Set aside.
- Cook the sauce: Heat an additional 1 tablespoon oil in the pan. Add sliced onion and sprinkle with salt to draw out the water and cook until golden brown. Then add minced garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant and golden brown, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Add the sauce to the pan, along with the peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add tofu and potatoes and stir well to incorporate into sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Serve with steamed jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Press the tofu: Press the tofu for at least 15 minutes in advance. We recommend using a tofu press. The more liquid you remove from the tofu, the crispier it’ll be.
- Use extra-firm tofu: We prefer extra-firm tofu because it stands up well to being cooked in a sauce, and it has a meatier bite.
- Air fryer or baking options: You can also air fry or bake the tofu instead of pan-frying it. First, toss tofu cubes in 1 tablespoon oil + 2 tablespoon soy sauce. Air fryer: 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, shaking halfway. Oven: bake the tofu over a lined baking sheet at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes, and then broil on high for 3-6 minutes, or until nicely browned.
Adobo is the besssssst. I’ve been looking for a good vegan recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Ang sarap! This is a dish I can’t quit.
oops! i see sugar in the instructions, but not in the ingredient list
Thanks for the heads-up! We corrected the error!
Yo!!! Yo!!! This is so incredible. I made this for
my wife and she just about lost it!
Top ,.. top top … post! Keep the good work on !
This was my first try at Filipino food and it has gotten me interested in trying more .
I can’t speak to its authenticity or how it compares to other recipes but it’s certainly flavourful and I enjoyed the different textures between the baked potato slices and the pan fried tofu.
I already recommended the recipe to my mom 🙂
That’s wonderful to hear!
I gotta say, I was skeptical about tofu, but this dish has me changing my tune.
This was similar to my mom’s recipe. The potatoes were so good in this.