This week’s international dish features my vegan, gluten-free version of a Filipino stew of Spanish origins. I chose this dish because Filipino cuisine is one of the lesser known here in Europe, but I feel it has a lot of similarities with European food and wanted to celebrate it with a very simple, yet delicious dish.
Afritada is usually made with chicken, beef or pork - however, for my version I used soya chunks, braised along vegetables - carrot, potato, capsicum and onion - and mild spices - bay leaf, paprika, pepper.
There is no hard-to-find ingredient in this dish - you probably have everything at home already, so why not try something new? 😁
So here goes:
Ingredients
Soya chunks - 1 cup
Baby potatoes - 6-8, skin on
Carrot - 1 large, peeled and cut into large bits
Capsicum - 1 large, cut into large bits
Onion - 1, chopped
Garlic - 3-4 cloves, minced finely
Bay leaf - 1
Oil - 2 tbsp
Tomato concentrate - 1 tbsp (or use tomato puree/paste)
Paprika - 2 tsp
Brown sugar - 1 tsp
Corn starch - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Method
I first like to soak the soy chunks for about 10 minutes in a mix of boiling water and (plant) milk to remove the taste and smell and soften the chunks. Drain the liquid and set them aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add the bay leaf, garlic and fry for 30 seconds or so.
Add the onions and fry until translucent. Next, add soy sauce and cook on high flame until reduced.
Reduce the flame and add paprika, tomato concentrate, sugar, pepper and salt. Add water a few spoons at a time to create a thin sauce.
Add carrots, potatoes, a few more spoons of water. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.
Next, add the soya chunks, capsicum and water as needed. Cook until both the soya and veggies are done. Lastly, dissolve the corn starch in 1 tbsp of water until no lumps and add it to the pan. This step will thicken the sauce to the perfect consistency.
Serve with rice (I made brown rice).
