It's no secret that I love the Philippines (have you read my vegan Philippines post?) and I'm currently on a one-woman crusade to convince people that a) Filipino cuisine is some of the most delicious in the world and b) Filipino vegan recipes and vegetable dishes are healthy and tasty! WHAT? Healthy and tasty? How can that be? Let me show you :) I've brought in the help from the experts over at eatlikepinoy.com so without further ado (or should I say without further (tofu) adobo 😂) let's give it over to Emmanuel:
Easy Cook Filipino Vegetable Dishes And Recipes
Even though Filipinos love to eat meat, vegetables are still a big part of our daily meals, for example traditional kare-kare contains a lot of veggies, chop suey (mixed sauteed vegetables) or pinakbet (mixed vegetables usually with shrimp paste but that can be replaced, see below). The vegetables are mouthwatering and filling themselves, actually! And the choice of vegetables in the Philippines is endless. Tropical countries will have very unique produce in addition to the common ones. Today, I am not going to share with you some of our famous vegan dishes that Filipinos love.
By the way, for those intrigued by Filipino cuisine and considering a deeper cultural immersion, exploring and learning Tagalog can enhance your understanding and appreciation of the vibrant culinary traditions in the Philippines.
#1. Vegan Atcharang Papaya
Atchara is a popular appetizer in the Philippines and is always found on the dining tables of Filipino households, just like how Koreans consider Kimchi. How to make it: Making atcharang papaya (pickled papaya) are very simple, you just need green papaya, carrots, onions, garlic, red bell peppers, ginger, peppercorns, salt, sugar and vinegar. They are all mixed together and fermented for a few days. But the main ingredient and the secret for the best atcharang papaya is time. Vegetables must be given best time to sit and pickle in the brine.
#2. Vegan Ensaladang Talong
There are only few salad dishes in the Philippine cuisine, and most of it are consumed either as a side dish or an appetizer due to the strong salty and sour flavours. Out of those, my favourite is this roasted eggplant salad or ensaladang talong in Tagalog. It has pretty low-calorie content—it doesn’t use any oil so it is a totally vegan salad.
How to make it: This side dish is easy and quick to prepare. You just need to grill the eggplants and then mash them. Then toss it together with your sliced onion, fresh tomato, and add vinegar. There is really no secret in making the best ensaladang talong, and that makes it special.
#3. Vegan Lumpiang Gulay (Vegetable Spring Rolls)
This dish can be both served as an appetizer or a snack. It’s really delicious as you can’t resist the burst of flavorful tastes of vegetables in it. The best way to eat lumpiang gulay is to dip it in vinegar with red chilies. How to make it: lumpiang gulay consists of julienned or cubed vegetables wrapped and deep-fried. A notable variant of this dish is lumpiang togue, which is made mostly with togue or mung bean sprouts. Others use vegetables, like carrots, lettuce and sweet potatoes.
#4. Vegan Pinakbet
Pinakbet is a famous everyday dish in the Philippines. Most vegetables found in the dish are locally produced or crops that are grown at some Filipino backyards.
How to make it: it is a very simple dish, you just need to sauté vegetables such as okra (lady finger), eggplant, squash, sitaw (long string beans) and ampalaya (bitter gourd) together with onion and tomato. Traditionally, they add bagoong alamang (shrimp paste) but you can just use salt.
#5. Vegan Kilawing Puso ng Saging (Banana Blossoms)
If you like ceviche or “kinilaw” in Tagalog, then you will love this dish. It is a vegan version of ceviche, not only because it’s raw but also because the distinct taste of vinegar is a dominant flavour like in all ceviche. It is also considered an everyday meal to be eaten alone or with rice. How to make it: chopped banana blossoms are soaked in water. Then pressed well to remove excess water. Sauté the blossoms in onion and garlic then add vinegar and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Adding salt to taste and of course chilli peppers for a spicier version and to complement the sour flavour in it.
Wrap Up: Easy Vegan Filipino Recipes
So there you have it, some amazing vegan recipes and vegetable dishes for you to try at home and/or in the Philippines. If you're as obsessed with this beautiful set of islands as I am, please feel free to browse my other blog posts:
If you have any delicious vegan recipes to add to this list, or if you just want to say hi (I love messages) you can find me on Instagram and Facebook. Also, we made some videos of our time on Philippines (plz note that at the time of shooting these videos we were not yet vegan... anyway, hope you enjoy it :) Paalam!
