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Vegan CHamoru Fiesta Plate

Course Celebration, Dinner, Entree, Lunch
Cuisine CHamoru, Pacific Islander
Keyword CHamoru Recipes, Vegan CHamoru Recipes, Vegan Fiesta Plate
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours

Equipment

  • Rice cooker or boiling pot
  • Sauce pans or shallow sauté pan
  • Mixing bowls
  • Spatulas
  • grill pan / cast iron or flame grill
  • sieve
  • grilling brush or spatula

Ingredients

FOR THE RED RICE

  • ⅓ medium (⅓ cup) yellow or white onion diced
  • 3 cloves (2 tsp) garlic minced
  • ½ tbsp olive oil or any cooking oil
  • 1 packet (10g) achuete powder annato powder or the Mama Sita Achuete Powder packet
  • 2 cups Jasmine rice thoroughly rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water
  • pinch salt & pepper

FOR THE BBQ Strips

  • 1 cup soy curls soy chunks or any flavorless meatless substitutes
  • 1½ cup hot water

FOR THE BBQ MARINADE

  • 2 cloves (2 tsp) garlic minced
  • ¼ medium (¼ cup) yellow or white onion diced
  • 1-2 medium (1-2 tsp) red hot pepper (Bird's eye chili)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free option)
  • ½ tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce (optional for color and deep flavor - see notes)
  • ⅓ cup white vinegar
  • ¼ cup orange fresh squeezed
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp kosher or sea salt

FOR THE COMPLIMENTARY SIDE DISHES (OPTIONAL)

  • Vegan Tofu Kelaguen (see notes for recipe)
  • Gollai Hågun Suni (see notes for recipe)

Instructions

FOR THE RED RICE

  • Preheat a boiling pot to medium or rice cooker (I used my instant pot to cook the rice so it is evenly cooked). Grease cooker or pot with oil. Start cooking by sautéing your onions and garlic. Toss around until fragrant. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Toss the (rinsed and fully drained) rice into the pot and mix to toast the rice for about 3-5 minutes. Then, add the achuete powder and stir until it dissolves and opens up the color into the rice. Stir until it fully coats the rice.
  • Add the vegetable broth and stir thoroughly. If you are using a stovetop and cooking with a pot, cover with a lid and set the heat to low to avoid burning the rice or having it unevenly cook. Remember, rice contains a lot of starch (with the added annato powder that usually contains corn starch), the higher your heat - the faster it evaporates the liquids. Slow cook the rice on the stove top and stir occasionally to make sure it does not stick on the bottom.
    If you are using a rice cooker, set on normal cook setting and stir rice once it is finished steaming.
  • Allow to cool down for 5-10 minutes before serving.

FOR THE BBQ STRIPS

  • Rehydrate soy curls or any dehydrated meat substitutes in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out all the liquids it absorbed, as those are not needed.
    If you are using frozen meat subtitutes, be sure to defrost at least 30-45 minutes beforehand in the fridge and pat out any excess liquids.
  • Preheat a sauce pan in low heat. Drop all marinade ingredients such as garlic, onion, chili, soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Stir thoroughly until well combined.
  • Drop soy curls or meat substitutes into the sauce pan. Allow it to simmer on low heat between 15-20 minutes, stirring it between. The point is not to overcook the soy curls but to allow it to absorb the flavors of the marinade.
    You can taste test the soy curls to see if the flavors have been absorbed enough to your liking.
  • Turn off heat and transfer soy curls (with marinade) to a mixing bowl.

GRILLING THE BBQ STRIPS

  • I used a grill pan on fire to cook these strips so it is cooked on high heat. You can also use a cast iron skillet or griddle in high heat to get a similar "charred" barbecue flavor.
  • Brush pan or skillet with a light coat of oil. Strain soy curls from the marinade, reserving some of its liquids for basting or brushing as you grill.
  • Grill the soy curls in high heat and let it sizzle for about 3-5 minutes on each side or when it caramelizes in a brown toasted color. Brush or baste with its marinade to prevent it from drying. Remember, this is not meat and you don't have to cook it too long. It should take between 5-10 minutes in high heat.

SERVE

  • Serve BBQ strips with the Red Rice, Tofu Kelaguen, and Gollai Hågun Suni for a complete CHamoru fiesta dish. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Find my Tofu Kelaguen Recipe here. 
  2. Find my Gollai Hågun Suni Recipe here. 
  3. Dark mushroom soy sauce gives the strips a nice finishing color and an added savoriness. You can find dark mushroom soy sauce in Asian Supermarkets. If you are from Guam, I get mine at American Grocery. 
  4. I get my soy curls on Amazon and buy in bulk. If you live on Guam, you can find soy curls at Simply Foods. You can also use other vegan meat substitutes though I find the frozen ones (found in supermarkets) have a distinct after taste.