Aside from family gatherings, the holiday season also calls for get-together of friends and co-workers. Sometimes these events involve finger foods and cocktails. If you’re a guest, you may not need to worry about what dish to bring. The host usually provides the food (unless the host is not vegan and you want to be a gracious guest by bringing a vegan dish to share). If you’re the host, then you definitely want to think about what to serve that’s easy to eat and easy to pair with a cocktail drink.
In my case, I am invited to a friend’s vegan holiday cocktail party. Knowing the guests invited, I know it will be more like a potluck! My friends would always bring a vegan dish to share with everybody. As I brainstorm for a cocktail food to bring, I came up with five ideas that I would love to share with you. In true Astig Vegan style, these are vegan Filipino that are simple to make for the holiday season or for any occasion.
5 Vegan Filipino Dishes for a Cocktail Party
Snow Mushroom Chicharon
Chicharon in the Philippines means fried pork rinds usually served as snack or as pulutan or food paired with beer. It’s crunchy and fun to eat. I started missing it when I went vegan. The vegan versions at asian grocery stores are fried gluten balls and pea protein with MSG which are both unsatisfactory and unhealthy. It wasn’t until I discovered a kind of mushroom called snow fungus that I found out it’s possible to veganize chicharon with minimal, wholesome ingredients.
Snow or white fungus is a kind of mushroom widely used in Chinese cuisine. It’s used in both savory and sweet soups. It has a chewy, spongy texture that is very similar to tripe and could be used to veganize Filipino dishes like Lugaw porridge and Kare-kare. Unlike tripe, snow fungus is vegan and healthy. In fact, it’s considered a chinese medicinal herb and could be easily found at asian grocery stores. It doesn’t have much taste but it does pick up flavors from seasonings really well. Baking snow fungus will give a crunchy, crispy texture very similar to chicharon.
For the recipe, click here.
Beer-battered Kangkong
Kangkong, also known as morning glory or on choy is a leafy vegetable with crunchy stems which make for a great beer-battered dish. You could find kangkong in many asian stir-fries, but I like to batter it up and deep fry for a quick and easy snack. You could try other leafy greens too like kale and green chard but I find kangkong to have the crunchiest texture.
Beer-battered kangkong is great if you have very little set-up and time in the kitchen. Just cut the kangkong, dip in batter, and fry away. You could serve it with all kinds of dipping sauces or as is.
For the recipe, click here.
Peach Mango Hand Pies
Growing up in the Philippines, I enjoyed eating peach mango hand pies from a fast food restaurant called Jollibee. The peach mango pies were sweet, flaky, and fried which made them sinfully delicious. Veganizing peach mango pie is simpler than I thought, I wish I had done it sooner! Peaches and mangoes may not be in season but you could get them at the frozen fruits section of your neighborhood grocery store.
Hand pies are the perfect finger food that are both hearty and filling. You could make them ahead of time then store in the freezer and bake on the day of the event. If hand-size pies are still too big to be a finger food, feel free to shape them into bite sizes.
For the recipe, click here.
Pili Nut Cheese (with crackers)
Cheese and crackers have always been a popular cocktail food. With the advent of delicious vegan nut cheeses, it’s possible to enjoy a vegan version too. I recommend using raw pili nuts because they’re highly rich and fatty -even more than macadamia nuts! Pili nuts appear in many specialty snacks in the Philippines but they’re usually candied and too sweet for my taste. I prefer them raw and in cheese form.
As long as you have a cheesecloth and time to spare, you could make pili cheese. No advance techniques and equipment needed. You could even skip the culturing agent, acidophilus, and serve the pili nuts as a spread or pate. Feel free to explore the possibilities of pili nut cheese.
For the recipe, click here.
Vegan Bibingka
Bibingka is a Filipino rice cake widely popular during the holidays. You could easily veganize it by omitting milk and eggs and using coconut milk and flaxseed meal. The result is surprisingly buttery (without the butter), moist, and flavorful. I love to bake it in mini muffin pans, yielding to bite sizes. Vegan Bibingka goes great with coffee, tea, or a cocktail drink. You could top it with vegan cheese (like pili nut cheese), vegan butter, grated coconut, or serve as is.
As for the recipe, you could find it here.
You could also order my Astig Vegan Bibingka Mix. With the mix, just pour coconut milk, bake for 20 minutes, and you’re done. You don’t have to hunt for ingredients, knead dough, or wait for yeast to rise. One bag yields to 48 mini cakes which could feed a party of 12. The mix is available to ship anywhere in the US. Shipping takes 5-7 days so I suggest ordering promptly if you need it before your party. If you couldn’t, there’s always the recipe to guide you making it from scratch.
I hope these five ideas inspire you to whip up something fun for your cocktail party, whether you’re the host or the gracious guest. Making something vegan Filipino could be a great conversation starter especially if the party involves not just loved ones but acquaintances. Happy Holidays everyone! Please drink responsibly.
Kain na, let’s eat!