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Vegan Adobo

This vegan adobo has been a hit with so many friends and family I’m so glad to finally share this classic Filipino dish with you!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Cuisine: Filipino
Servings: 3 -4 servings
Author: Lisa Le

Ingredients

  • 21 oz 600 g vegan protein of your choice (I used King's Vegetarian Roasted Soy Bites and also tried with their Soy Drumsticks but I preferred using the soy bites)
  • 1 bulb of garlic crushed or minced
  • 1/2 cup 125 mL low sodium soy sauce (use tamari to keep the sauce GF, just use a vegan protein that is gluten-free like soy curls or tofu)
  • 1 cup 250 mL white vinegar
  • 1 large cooking onion diced
  • 1 tsp 5 mL whole peppercorns*
  • 6 bay leaves

Instructions

Stovetop Adobo

  • In a wok or a wide and shallow pan (with a lid), combine the roasted soy bites, onion, soy sauce, vinegar and peppercorns. Stir well to coat everything in the mixture, then add bay leaves and nestle them in the marinade.
  • Cover and cook on medium heat, once it's at a bubble, lower to medium low: you want it to be at a steady but not too aggressive bubble. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes until it no longer smells strongly like vinegar. You shouldn't need to stir, but if you're worried, you can open and give it a stir to make sure there's nothing sticking to the bottom.
  • Cook until the onions have caramelized and it no longer smells pungently like vinegar. Depending on your heat and the hydration of whatever vegan protein you use, you may need to continue cooking for 10-15 additional minutes. The resulting flavour will be savoury and slightly tangy, but it shouldn't be overwhelmingly vinegary.
  • Remove from heat, try to remove the bay leaves, and serve with steamed white rice (and a ripe banana as per Janelle!)

Instant Pot Adobo

  • In the Instant pot on the Saute setting (Less) for 30 minutes, combine the roasted soy bites, onion, soy sauce, vinegar and peppercorns. Stir well to coat everything in the mixture, then add bay leaves and nestle them in the marinade.
  • Close the lid then set on Venting, and let cook for 20 minutes. Try to give it a stir after the first 5 minutes. If you find it sticking, continue to stir every 5 minutes or so, replacing the lid on Venting after each stir. Much like the stovetop version, the dish will be done cooking once the sauce no longer smells pungently like vinegar and the onions have caramelized. Since this is in the Instant Pot, it will be a bit of a thicker sauce than the stovetop version, but it's a different kind of delicious!
  • Remove from heat, try to remove the bay leaves, and serve with steamed white rice (and a ripe banana as per Janelle!)

Notes

*If you like peppercorns, leave them whole, I find that it makes the sauce aromatic without being spicy, but if you prefer, you can use 1/4 tsp ground instead to get the pepper aromatic without the "land mines" of peppercorn when you eat it.