Vegan Menudo (One Pot Filipino Style Stew)
Servings 4 people
Equipment
- 5-6qt soup pot (or stew pot)
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- strainer or collander
Ingredients
- 1½ cup soy curls roughly chopped (see notes for substitutes)
- 1 cup (3 large pcs) king oyster mushrooms roughly chopped
- 2 cups (440g) tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp (50g) tomato paste
- ½ tbsp vegetable paste (Better Than Bouillon)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp low sodium tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
- ¼ cup unsweetened plain plant milk (I used almond milk)
- ½ medium (½ cup) yellow onions chopped
- 5 cloves (1 tbsp) garlic minced
- 1 large (1 cup) carrots sliced
- 1 large (1 cup) Yukon Gold potatoes chopped to bite sized pieces
- ½ cup garbanzo beans drained
- 2 pcs dried bay leaves
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 tbsp sugar (I used brown sugar)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tbsp vegan unsalted butter OR extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS TO INCLUDE
- bell pepper green or red
- vegan hotdog
- raisins
- green peas
Instructions
- Preheat soup pot to medium heat and coat a tablespoon of cooking oil.
- On a medium sized mixing bowl, rehydrate soy curls in hot water and cover to soften for about five minutes. Strain from bowl using a collander or strainer. Squeeze out any excess liquids out of the soy curls as much as you can.Roughly chop into chunks. Different sizes are okay for texture.
- On a separate small mixing bowl or cup, dilute a tablespoon of vegetable paste in water. Mix and set aside.
- Sauté soy curls in the pot until it slightly browns. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Re-coat pot with a drop of oil. Toss the onions to sauté. Add the garlic and stir until well combined. Then, toss the mushrooms in. Mix and let the mushrooms sweat and shrivel in size. Add the seasonings such as the garlic & onion powder and sugar.
- Drop the carrots, potatoes, and bay leaves into the mix. Along with the vegetable broth. Stir and cover with a lid to simmer for 5-7 minutes or when potatoes are slightly tender.
- Add the soy curls and garbanzo beans into the mix. Pour tomato sauce and paste, as well, and stir until ingredients are well combined. Add the milk and a splash of tamari. Stir. Lower down the heat to medium low and cover with a lid to simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
- Remove lid. The stew should have thickened slightly due to the starch content of the potatoes. Drop ½ a tablespoon of vegan butter or extra virgin olive oil to give the tomato broth a creamy finish. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve with a bed of rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Soy Curls Substitute - Soy curls are the best option for this recipe because they don't acquire any taste and texture is very meaty that can easily mimic most meat products. But if this is not accessible to you, you can substitute with any plant protein of your choice. Pan fried tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (TVP), vegan "beef" or "meat grounds", or seitan will work just fine.
- Vegetable Paste - I use the Better Than Bouillon paste which gives much savoriness. If you don't have this, just substitute with a cup of vegetable broth.
- Tomato Sauce - For your convenience, I have listed tomato sauce for this recipe which you can find easily canned. You can also food process (or use a blender) diced tomatoes and tomato paste together to create this.
- Adjust the sweetness - Filipino style stews are generally sweeter compared to Westernized stews. You can adjust the sweetener if you wish.
- Add other traditional ingredients (if you wish) - Menudo is known for a mix of meats and flavors combined. You can add hotdogs, bell peppers, and even raisins to the mix for the complete package.