What is the traditional Filipino Sisig?
Filipino sisig is a Filipino Kapampangan dish that is traditionally made with pig head, serrano peppers, onion and lime. It is primarily a meat based dish, with little to no veggies or nutritional value. It can either be a snack or a main dish with rice. The classic way is to serve it on a banana leaf or what it is so called Kamayan Feast. Today, I will show you that it is possible to make Vegan Filipino Tofu Sisig with a popular plant based protein, tofu. I always make sure to buy the extra firm tofu for its texture. An extra mile is to get the extra protein and extra firm tofu because it has less liquid.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Important steps to cooking tofu sisig
Few important steps I do not miss, is (1) marinating the tofu and (2) leaving the sisig alone when adding the vinegar into the pot.
Marinating the tofu
I marinate the tofu because tofu still taste like tofu. The tofu will not cook too long with the sauce for it to have its own specific flavor. As long as the tofu is fried in oil, the harder it is to flavor the tofu with sauce. Cooking the tofu that has been marinated can be a faster step to a saturated flavor, but marinating only involves waiting.
Leaving the sisig alone after adding the vinegar
When adding the tamari, vinegar and the left over marinate, do not forget to leave it alone with the veggies and the tofu. The vinegar has to sit and simmer with the tamari for it to settle in and combine flavors without having an acidic taste that is overwhelming. Leaving the pot alone, will have the right amount of acidity. If you do prefer having it a little more acidic taste, leave it alone for 5 more minutes, adjust to your standards, and mix.
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Preparation
Tofu
I always try to get the excess water from the tofu, whether I am baking or frying. Use a reusable towel and gently press the tofu for the water to drain out.
If you are on a no oil diet, bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes. Cut them into cubes and carefully add the tofu on the baking pan without adding the marinate sauce.
I like cooking my tofu in sesame oil because it gives a nice toasty taste. Make sure there is enough oil to cook the tofu.
Marinating
Marinating the tofu is the second step, in order to decrease waiting time for it to sit in with the sauce.
Serrano peppers
Next, is to prepare the serrano peppers while wearing gloves for your protection. If you touch any of the juices or seeds it will sting. Cut them into small pieces so that it is distributed throughout the tofu and veggies. I add the seeds for an extra kick!
Cutting the veggies
I like to cut my bell peppers and onion a cube shape, to stay consistent with the tofu. Make sure to take out the seeds from the bell peppers. Cut the garlic into mince size.
Sautéing the veggies with mayo
While cooking the veggies together, I like adding mayo to it because it brings out a fatty taste.
Sisig
Flatten the tofu and veggies before adding the tamari and vinegar so that mostly everything is soaked in.
Lastly.
Mushrooms are a great addition to sisig
Mushrooms are popular in the vegan world. The texture and color of mushrooms help the sisig look “real”, instead of just using tofu. Feel free to add mushrooms to this dish, and make it your own. The way I would do it is to sauté them after the onions are translucent and cooked thoroughly. This helps the bitterness of the mushrooms to die down a little bit and create a nice chewy fatty texture. The two mushrooms I recommend using for this tofu sisig are oyster or shitake mushrooms.
On to the Vegan Filipino Tofu Sisig!
Vegan Filipino Tofu Sisig
Equipment
- large pan
- measuring cups and spoons
- knife
- cutting board
- towel
- spatula
- bowl
Ingredients
Marinate
- 1/2 cup tamari gluten free soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1.5 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Meat substitute
- 28 oz. extra firm tofu equivalent to 2 blocks
Veggies
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3/4 onion
- 5 cloves fresh garlic
- 1/3 cup Vegenaise mayo
- 1/3 cup tamari gluten free soy sauce
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
Oil to fry
- 1/3 cup sesame oil
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
Spice (optional)
- 1-2 serrano pepper
- 1 lime
Instructions
- With a clean towel, wrap the tofu and press with a heavy object for 15-20 minutes.
- Cut the tofu into centimeter sized cubes. Lay the tofu on the slimmest side & cut into 4 slices. Lay it back down on its bigger side & cut into 7 slices. Turn it around and cut them into centimeter sized cubes.
- Marinate the tofu in a bowl with the tamari, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes. The longer it sits in the marinate, the tastier it is.
- Next, cut the garlic & serrano peppers into minced size. (I use gloves)
- Cut the bell peppers and onion into similar sizes like the tofu.
- Fry the tofu on medium to high heat, with the sesame oil & avocado oil. Make sure the tofu is covered with oil so that it cooks thoroughly. Save marinate sauce for later. see notes for instructions to bake.
- Poor out the excess oil from the pan into a small bowl. Leave about 1 tbsp. left of oil on the pan to sauté the veggies.
- On medium heat, in the same pan add the onions to sauté until translucent. Next add the garlic & serrano peppers, sauté for 1 minute. Add in the bell peppers and mayo, cook for 2 minutes.
- Next add in the tofu, tamari, left over marinate sauce, and vinegar. IMPORTANT: WHEN VINEGAR IS ADDED, DO NOT MIX and leave it to sit for 10-15 minutes with a lid on top!
- Once it is done, serve with rice and a drizzle of lime for the authentic sisig taste.
Notes
- You can also bake them for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees, flip them over when it is the 14 minute mark and bake for another 10-14 minutes. Bake for longer if needed. Press the tofu to get as much water to drain out. Place a heavy object on top of the tofu, or use a tofu pressor. There is a lot on amazon, haven’t personally used one so I won’t link a affiliate link for a tofu press product.
- Do not add the serrano peppers if you do not like spice. It is still great without it!
- If it is to saucy, you can drain out the excess sauce. But the sauce is filled with flavor and makes it whole.
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Leave a comment and rating!
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Wow I’ve been looking for more tofu recipes! This looks delish!
This looks amazing! I’d like to try it.
Thank you! It’s my families favorite actually!
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Great recipe! I’m not that great at cooking so this was a great recipe to start me out. I made this for my girlfriend after a long day at work, she loves sisig so I wanted to find something. This was easy and delicious! Thank you!
Thank you Jordan! Glad she liked it!
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