A fan and family favorite dish because of its healthy and tasty components. This Healthy Vegan Filipino Tofu Afritada is a Spanish based Filipino tomato stew. What I love about this recipe is that it’s great for meal prep or for a big family dinner! For this recipe you can have as little to 6 ingredients or if you are feeling it add some vegetables to it. This tomato stew is gluten free and filled with flavors that aren’t irreplaceable. Every ingredient plays a part of something hearty.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Tips to make this Healthy Vegan Filipino Tofu Afritada glow
Fried Potatoes
When my mom made me this Filipino Afritada dish, she cooked the potatoes separately.
Why?
Because she knew I liked crunchy potatoes and it tasted better than boiled potatoes. So if you like the texture of fried potatoes instead of boiling them, there’s a secret tasty tip!
Important! To have a crispy texture on the outside and a soft mashed texture in the inside is to wash the potatoes with water after cutting them into the shape you like.
Use water instead of oil
This dish is normally very oily. I tend to only use water when sautéing the onions, garlic and veggies. Oil may be a big part of traditional Filipino Afritada but I wanted to make this a healthier recipe.
Preparing the tofu
I fry the tofu so it doesn’t fall apart in the dish. More than definitely, you can bake the tofu in the oven if you are on a no oil diet. Tofu takes a while to produce a golden brown color, so bake them at 425 degree Fahrenheit 20-25 minutes on both sides. Do not forget to press the water out of the tofu (very crucial step). Get as much water out of the tofu. One step people take, is to freeze the tofu for a few hours until it releases the excess water.
Sautéing the tomatoes with the garlic and onions
This step forms a tomato paste type of texture. Tomato paste will have a deep amount of tomato flavor, but this can make a difference to the tomato stew.
Other Filipino Recipes You Might Like! 🙂
Potatoes and their perks
My information is from here to help me explain minimal facts of potatoes.
Potatoes can have their pros and cons about them, but over all if you don’t eat them every day you will be good. Eating foods in moderation is important to follow because eating heavy amounts of one specific type of food can lead to unwanted effects to the body internally and externally.
Potatoes also have resistant starch, that obtains fiber that can supply unharmful bacteria in your gut and helps sustain healthy digestion.
Potatoes also have a rich source of potassium, Vitamin C, and folate.
Can I switch out the veggie broth with a vegan beef bouillon?
Yes, definitely. The flavors from the vegan beef bouillon will help intensify the flavors and enhance the traditional taste of Filipino Afritada.
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On to the Healthy Vegan Filipino Tofu Afritada!
Healthy Vegan Filipino Tofu Afritada
Equipment
- big pot
- cutting board
- knife
- measuring cups and spoons
- Pan
- spatula
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 2 tbsp. of garlic equivalent to 6 medium sized cloves
- 1/2 onion
- 4 tomatoes chopped
- 2 bell pepper 1 green & 1 red
- 2 potatoes medium sized
- 2 carrots
Protein
- 15 oz. chickpeas 1 can
- 9 oz. peas 1 can
- 15 oz. extra firm tofu one block
- 1 tbsp peanut butter optional but makes it creamy
Seasonings
- 1/4 tsp pepper season until it is right for you
- 2 tbsp. onion powder season until it is right for you
- 1 tbsp. salt season until it is right for you
- 2 tbsp. garlic powder season until it is right for you
Liquid
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup optional
- 1 cup of veggie broth see notes
- 32 oz. can of tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp coco aminos or 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- First chop up the garlic into a minced size and the onions into dices. Then chop the tomatoes, potatoes, bell pepper, broccoli, carrot, and tofu into the same sizes so they cook accordingly.
- In a big pot on medium heat, add in oil or water to cook the onions until they are translucent (you can stir it around continuously to avoid burning when using water instead of oil) . When it is cooked through, add the garlic and chopped tomatoes. Continuously stir it around until the tomatoes are mixed with the garlic and onion into a paste. This will take more than a few minutes, keep stirring. Add a little water every now and then to prevent anything from sticking to the pan or burning.
- Next, add in the potatoes, bell pepper, and carrots and leave it in for about 5 mins with 1/3 cup of water(or veggie broth) and cover the pot with a lid.
- In a new pan on low to medium heat, fry the chopped tofu. Cook until golden brown on each side. When finished, dry them with a paper towel and leave them aside for now.
- After 5 mins are up, add in the chickpeas, peas, maple syrup, tomato sauce, veggie broth, coco aminos and the seasonings. Change the heat to low and leave it for 15 mins. Adjust the salt and pepper to your likings.
- Add the peanut butter, but optional.
- Next add the broccoli and tofu leave it in for another 7 mins.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, it is done and ready to serve!
Notes
- Frying the tofu is an optional step but it keeps the tofu together from crumbling into pieces in the stew. You can choose to not use tofu, and just use the chickpeas for an easier approach. I added the tofu to the stew for extra protein! The tofu does make it “meaty”.
- For the veggie broth I used the “better than chicken” bouillon paste, so I don’t waste a whole container of store bought veggie broth.
Nutrition
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very healthy and easy recipe!
Very easy and healthy indeed!