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A veganized version of a popular Filipino dish made from vegan chicken stewed with tomato sauce and vegetables. It is packed with flavor, SO easy to make, and naturally gluten-free! Plus it tastes just like the classic dish, only vegan. It is perfect for meal prep or for serving a large crowd and is best served alongside rice.
My mom was in town this past weekend and we decided that we would put together a new vegan Filipino recipe for the blog.
After going vegan, both my mom and I have been on a quest to veganize all of our favorite Filipino dishes. Filipino food can be very meat heavy, so we have been experimenting with various vegan meat substitutes to try and find the perfect ones for each dish that we make. So far, soy curls have been one of our favorites!
If you’re new to soy curls, they are basically a flavorless meat substitute that is high in protein, gluten-free and made from whole soy beans. They are widely available here in the Portland area, and can also be purchased on Amazon if you can’t find them in stores.
If you’re looking for more vegan Filipino dishes, we’ve got you covered!
- Vegan Filipino Chicken Adobo
- Vegan Filipino Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag)
- Vegan Pandesal aka Filipino Bread Rolls
- + We have a ton in our ebook, Planting Our Roots (now offered at a discounted price!). In it, we have recipes for bibingka, pancit, beef stew and kare kare.
A few tips for the Afritada:
- Instead of soy curls you can opt to use vegan beef, chicken or pork substitutions. Keep in mind that the final results will vary.
- Be sure to cut your potatoes and carrots into similarly sized pieces so that they cook evenly.
- The vegan hot dogs and peas are not necessary but we recommend them for additional flavor and color (from the peas)
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! + If you post any photos on Instagram, make sure you tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so that we don’t miss it, we love seeing your photos!
Vegan Filipino Chicken Afritada (Gluten-Free)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
Description
Learn how to make a veganized version of this popular Filipino dish made with vegan chicken stewed with tomato sauce and vegetables. It is packed with flavor, SO easy to make, and naturally gluten-free! Plus, it tastes just like the classic dish.
Ingredients
- ½ bag (4 oz.) soy curls* (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon better than bouillon vegan chicken broth paste
- 2 ⅓ cups water
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil (or cooking oil of choice)* (see notes)
- 3 dried bay leaves
- ½ large onion, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium bell peppers, diced
- 2 vegan hot dogs (we used Field Roast Frankfurters)
- 3 small red potatoes, medium diced* (see notes)
- 2 small carrots, medium diced* (see notes)
- 1 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce (we used Trader Joe’s
- 8 oz. frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (optional)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Optional add-ins:
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (to deepen the flavor)
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning (for additional chicken flavor)
Instructions
- Prepare the soy curls. Mix the vegan chicken broth paste into a small pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add the soy curls into the pot and use a spoon to mix and make sure that every piece is covered with water. Set aside and allow the soy curls to rehydrate for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, set a large pot over medium heat and add in the oil. Once heated, add in the bay leaves and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the onions and garlic, and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the bell peppers and vegan hot dogs, and cook for 3 minutes more.
- Next, add in the carrots and potatoes. Mix until well combined an allow this to cook for 4 minutes, mixing often. The carrots and potatoes should be slightly softened but not cooked through.
- Add the tomato sauce, peas, and the soy curls with the broth. Mix until everything is combined.
- Add the remaining ⅓ cup of water into the tomato sauce can, swirl it around to get any remaining sauce and pour that all into the pot.
- Cover, and simmer on medium low until the carrots and tomatoes are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. We added a lot of black pepper as it is one of our favorite spices!
- Remove from heat and cool before serving. You can remove the bay leaves or just eat around them. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of soy curls you can opt to use any vegan chicken, beef or pork substitutions. Keep in mind that the final results will vary.
- You can make this dish oil-free by using vegetable broth or water so sauté instead of oil.
- Be sure to cut your potatoes and carrots in similarly sized pieces so that they cook evenly.
- The vegan hot dogs and peas are not necessary but we recommend them for additional flavor and color (from the peas)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree, Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan, Filipino, Gluten-free
One of my favorite filipino dishes! (Something I haven’t seen here yet and I’d recommend is fried cabbage with crispy “chicken”)
Also works well with marinated (with the broth, garlic and bay leaf) and baked tofu. 🙂
The non-vegan version was one of my favorite dishes as a child growing up in the Philippines, but since turning vegetarian about 30 years ago, I’d written it off, thinking I’d never have anything quite as good. You proved me wrong! I’ve made this twice now and my young family loves it. Thank you from Oakland, CA.
This looks great but… you do know that field roast franks are PURE gluten (seitan).
I recently decided to stay away from meat, due to health reasons. Always checking the web for vegan recipes. Glad I found your website. What other alternatives can I use besides soy curls? Thank you.
Hey Christian,
You can use a pre-made vegan chicken substitute if you’d like. Crispy tofu is a good option as well.
I LOVE this recipe. It has become a staple in my house. my partner is half filo and i wanted my daughter to have a dish that she knew from her other side of the family. its hard though because most dishes are so heavily meat based. everyone loves this and even my mother in law says it has good flavor. thanks so much
Hi, can I use vegetarian chicken strips
instead of soy curls?
That shouldn’t be a problem 🙂
where in manila can you buy those vegan ingredients?
We don’t live in Manila, so it’s hard to say. Sorry about that!
Made this last night and omg wow! Didn’t have any vegan hot dogs, but super yum!
thanks for the recipe !
-Sophie P.
My mother used to make a very similar recipe when my sisters and I were growing up. She used actual chicken, not vegan chicken, though! Now I need to use this recipe to recreate that fond dish and have a delicious dinner. Can’t wait!
Aw awesome, I hope she likes this version!! 🙂