Chick'n and Tofu Adobo

I am on a mini-mission to vegan-ize (or vegetarian-ize) as much Filipino dishes as I can.  For those of you that are not familiar with Filipino cuisine, a staple ingredient in main course dishes is meat.  In fact, our culture revolves around meat so much that being a non-meat eater can result in shocked and maybe disappointed looks from a Filipino family.  My reason for this mini-mission is an obvious one: I want to eat the food I grew up with.  

So it's only appropriate the first main course dish I try to vegan-ize is the Philippines national dish: adobo.  There are so many ways to cook adobo.  In fact, I think there's as much adobo recipe varieties as there are Filipinos in the world.  I went with what I know tastes best, which is my mom's version.  My mom would normally use chicken or pork for her version of adobo, but I decided to use Quorn's Naked Chick'n Cutlets and Firm Tofu as my meat substitutes.  I purchased both at Micronesia Mall Pay-Less Supermarket.  

The last time I used Quorn's Naked Chick'n Cutlets was when I had sautéed them by themselves.  This made them taste a little dry.  However, for this recipe, the cutlets were perfect because they soaked up the adobo sauce so well.  I really think they make really good chicken substitutes for stew/soup recipes.  

The first time I tried making this dish, I had accidentally stirred the vinegar right after I added it into the pot.  The end result received mixed reviews from my family, with some of them liking the vinegar taste of the adobo while the others didn't.  If you grew up with adobo having a vinegar taste, then I recommend stirring the vinegar.  If not, then make sure to let the vinegar simmer and settle for 15 - 20 minutes after adding to the pot.  This is how I prefer to make my adobo.

Vegan Chick'n and Tofu Adobo

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 head garlic, crushed and chopped

1" ginger, sliced thinly

1/2 kilo firm tofu, sliced

2 pieces Quorn Naked Chick'n Cutlets, sliced

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 onion, quartered

1 teaspoon peppercorns

2-3 pieces bay leaf

1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup vinegar

Cook ginger, garlic, onion in pot with olive oil until garlic starts turning brown.  Add tofu, chick'n, peppercorns, bay leaves, soy sauce, sugar, and water.  Bring to a boil.  Add vinegar and let simmer (do not stir pot!) for 15 to 20 minutes.