Vegan Tofu Bistek Tagalog (Filipino "Beef" Steak)
Servings 3 people
Equipment
- large sauté pan with lid
- mixing sauce bowl
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- ½ cup vegetable broth see notes
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon or calamansi juice
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 block extra firm tofu pressed & patted dry
- 2 tbsp oil for frying
- 1 whole (1 cup) red or white onions sliced to whole rings
- 2 cloves (½ tbsp) garlic minced
- 2 small (roughly ½ cup) Yukon gold potatoes sliced to ¼ inch thick
- 1 whole (1 tsp) red chili pepper (optional)
- salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil to finish
- fresh lemon or calamansi juice to finish (optional)
- green onions (optional for garnish)
Instructions
FOR THE SAUCE
- In a small sauce bowl, combine all sauce ingredients together and whisk. Set aside until ready for use.
- FOR THE TOFU PREPARATION
- Preheat a pan to medium high heat and coat with oil.
- Pat the tofu dry and slice to ½ inch squares or cubes. Season the tofu on each side with a little bit of salt & pepper to give the tofu a little bit of flavor initially.
- Once the pan is nice and heated, pan fry the tofu on each side until they are just about golden brown. You don't have to fry them too much, just enough to give color and a firmer texture. This can take between 3-4 minutes on each side depending on your stove top.
- Remove tofu from the pan and set side.
FOR THE BISTEK PREPARATION
- Reduce the heat of the pan to medium. If your tofu has absorbed majority of the oil, add a splash extra to coat the pan. Start by tossing the onions in the pan. Season with a pinch of salt & pepper to allow it to sweat and release its essence. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes or until onions are more tender.
- Toss in the potatoes and garlic into the pan. Stir with onions until well combined. Add ¼ cup (roughly 4 tbsp) of the sauce ingredients with the potato and aromatic mixture. Cover with a lid and allow it it to so simmer between 4-6 minutes to allow the potatoes to tenderize. Check halfway to stir and make sure nothing is burning.
- Remove the lid. Toss the tofu back into the pan with the mix and fold all ingredients together. Once the tofu is well coated with the sauce and combined with other ingredients, Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and turn the heat down to medium low. Cover the pan and let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes, checking it halfway through and stirring.
- You will know the bistek is done when the sauce has slightly reduced, the ingredients such as tofu and potatoes have absorbed the flavor & color of the sauce, and the potatoes are nice and tender. Add in a tablespoon of vegan butter or olive oil. Mix all together until well combined.
- Turn off heat. Season salt & pepper to taste. Add a little more freshness by squeezing lemon or calamansi juice to finish (this is optional). To add more color, add thinly sliced green onions for garnish and hot chili pepper for extra heat.
- Serve with a bed of rice.
- This dish tastes even better the next day and meal prep friendly. Store in an airtight container. It can last in the fridge for up to four days.
Notes
For vegetable broth - I used the Better Than Bouillon vegetable paste. I diluted 2 tsp in 1/2 cup of water. If you don't have Better Than Bouillon, any vegetable cube or no "chick'n" cubes will work great as well or regular vegetable broth. You may use water but you'll just need to season it more.