Let’s talk about tapa. Tapa is dried or cured meat seasoned with salt and spices as a form of preservation. It is comparable to beef jerky. And where I am from on Guam, we have tinala’ katne or dried / exposed beef.
Filipino style tapa, are thinly sliced strips of cured sirloin, which are then, prepared fried or grilled for serving. Generally, when we think about Filipino cuisines, the traditional flavors would include rich savoriness, acidity, sweetness, and a ton of garlic. So for this new recipe that I came up with, is a vegan take on Filipino style tapa without losing the flavors that made tapa what it is known to be.
CHOOSING THE MEAT SUBSTITUTE
While, I’m not really a fan of using “mock-meats” in most of my recipes, it can be very pricey and have a weird after taste. I do have a few exceptions of what is usable. One, being textured vegetable protein which I’ve used a few times. Secondly, and this is what I’ve used for this tapa recipe, is soy curls. Soy curls are basically just dehydrated non-GMO soybeans. Simple as that. It doesn’t taste like anything but when you rehydrate the curls, it has a texture similar to chicken; which can also pass as beef. The best part about soy curls, is that when you marinate it with the flavors you want, there is almost no after taste. How about that?!
If you live on Guam, and ever dined at this vegetarian / vegan restaurant called Simply Foods, a few of the dishes that they’ve turned plant-based would sometimes have soy curls in it as a meat substitute. And hint, hint: you can also find soy curls, at their grocery store, for this recipe. Next best bet is an Asian supermarket with a variety of vegetarian / vegan products (Like Happy Mart). It’s also available online. But let’s try to support local businesses first, shall we?
GETTING STARTED
Traditionally, Filipino style tapa is served with garlic rice, slices of tomato, cucumber, crispy garlic topping, and eggs. It’s actually meant to be eaten for breakfast or brunch (but no judgment if you want to eat for dinner – I feel ya’). I, personally, have moments with any vegan “egg” recipes – that also includes tofu scramble – and, it did not sit well with me. So I skipped it. Feel free to add it as you wish.
There is one key thing you want to note and I highly recommend: marinate the curls for at least thirty minutes to an hour to soak up the flavors. Trust me it will make a difference.
For your marinade, you will need the following ingredients:
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Filipino Cane Vinegar (I used the Datu Puti brand)
- Filipino Dark Soy Sauce (this is optional but it adds a deeper flavor and mostly for color, also from Datu Puti)
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Sugar
- Ground black pepper
- Calamansi or Lemon Juice
SPICY VINEGAR DIP
Tapa is not complete with a dipping vinegar sauce. As mentioned earlier, Filipino flavors include acidity to blend with the savoriness. In Tagalog, we call this vinegar “sukang maanghang” which means spicy vinegar. While there are many varieties of it, most Filipino vinegar dips will include garlic, bird’s eye chili, shallots, and sugar. Everything else is up to your preference. For my recipe, I’ve added tiny slices of cucumbers as it adds a very refreshing touch (it will also balance the extreme acidity from the cane vinegar). Adding cucumbers will also give the dipping sauce some edible crunch, so you’re not just getting straight up raw garlic or onions in there.
Here are the key ingredients you need:
- Filipino cane vinegar
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Bird’s Eye Chili
- Cucumber
- Sugar
- Ground Black Pepper
- Salt
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Vegan Filipino Style Tapa
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- cast iron or sauté pan
- strainer / colander
Ingredients
FOR THE TAPA & MARINADE
- 1 cup soy curls (see notes for alternatives)
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Filipino cane vinegar (see notes)
- 4 cloves (2 tbsp) garlic minced
- ¼ medium (3 tbsp) red onions or shallots chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp calamansi or lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Filipino dark soy sauce (optional, see notes)
- 3 cups boiling hot water
- refined coconut oil (or any oil for frying)
FOR THE SPICY VINEGAR DIP
- ½ cup Filipino cane vinegar
- ¼ medium (3 tbsp) red onions or shallots
- 3 cloves (1 tbsp) garlic
- 1 small (½ cup) cucumber diced
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2-4 small bird's eye chili chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- pinch of salt
TO SERVE WITH (OPTIONAL)
- garlic fried rice
- fried garlic crisp (for garnish)
- sliced tomatoes
- sliced cucumbers
Instructions
FOR THE TAPA & MARINADE
- Rehydrate soy curls in hot boiling water and cover with a lid for 10-15 minutes. Once soy curl have softened, drain the liquids with the strainer. Allow it to cool down for 5 minutes. Press out all the excess liquids of the soy curls. This will give the soy curls a better consistency when pan frying.
- On a separate mixing bowl, whisk all marinade ingredients together. Drop in the soy curls and massage (or mix) thoroughly until all curls are fully coated. Cover and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes – 1 hour to marinate. If you have less time, 15 minutes minimum will do.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet or sauté pan to medium high heat. Remove soy curls out of the fridge. Toss the soy curls into the pan and stir until brown. You will know soy curls are ready when it has slightly dried up. Pour a tablespoon of Filipino dark vinegar and mix to finish (this is optional, it's really for the dark "beef" color of tapa).
BONUS OPTION (Garlic Rice)
- Prepare day old plain white rice. Remove tapa from pan. Using the same skillet or pan, coat another tablespoon of refined coconut oil (or any oil). Sauté an extra 2 tbsp of garlic into the pan, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss day old rice into the pan and mix. Fry until rice slightly turns a bit tan in color. Set aside.
FOR THE SPICY VINEGAR DIP
- Prepare all dry ingredients. Using a small sauce bowl, mix all dry, liquid, and seasoning ingredients together. Set aside or have it ready for serving.
TO SERVE
- Serve tapa, spicy vinegar dip, rice, sliced cucumber, and tomato. Sprinkle with crispy garlic (optional) to serve.
Notes
- Soy Curl Alternative – Alternatively, if you are not comfortable using soy curls, you can use oyster mushrooms – it will be a different texture but will still be tasty. Just chop it up into bite sized pieces and marinate it overnight. And pan fry. You can also use TVP (though it will be more of a crumble than it is “meat strips”). You can also use Gardein products which is commonly found in most supermarkets with an organic or vegan section. Homestyle Beefless Tips or the Sizzling Szechuan will work best – you will just have to marinate it overnight compared to the soy curls because they do have a distinct taste.
- Filipino Soy Sauce & Vinegar – You can find this in any Asian supermarket or Filipino store. It’s the Datu Puti brand. Yes, you can use regular soy sauce and vinegar if it is not made available to you but for traditional Filipino flavors, these are highly recommended.