Hello fellow Astig Vegans! Thank you for sending your questions. I want to make sure that I’m answering any concerns you may have that’s holding you back from trying the recipes, so thanks for expressing yourselves. Plus, it’s just great to hear from you and to create a dialogue with you. Let’s keep the conversation going. In this episode of Ask Astig Vegan, I’m answering three questions regarding the Lugaw recipe, Filipino Spaghetti recipe, and Laing recipe (although the last two are more of general questions). I couldn’t wait to answer them for you so let’s dive right in.
ASK ASTIG VEGAN (WHITE RICE, WHITE SUGAR, VEGAN FISH SAUCE)
Alph4_Om3ga Ph4ntom_M3nace:
Would a plain white rice do just fine? pls answer hehehehe (regarding the Lugaw recipe)
Answer: Yes, you could use cooked regular white rice instead of sticky white rice in making vegan Lugaw porridge. Just use about 2-3 cups less water and cook until the rice breaks down and becomes super mushy. If you don’t wait until the rice becomes very mushy, you’ll end up with a watery soup instead of that thick soup that Lugaw is known for.
See Vegan Lugaw Porridge recipe
Sticky Buns:
May I know how white sugar is not vegan? 🙁
Answer: Here in the US, unfortunately, white sugar is not vegan because it uses animal bone char in the refining process. I use organic sugar or natural cane sugar or evaporated sugar which are not that more expensive than white sugar, only few cents difference. You may also use coconut sugar which is less refined and healthier than cane sugar. I did hear though that white sugar in the Philippines is vegan!
See Vegan Filipino Spaghetti recipe
Inspireand beinspired:
Love your videos!! Do you happen to know an alternative to fish sauce? (asked under the Laing recipe video)
Answer: When replacing fish sauce, I use a dash of seaweed powder and sea salt. I make my own seaweed powder by pulverizing nori seaweed and other kinds of seaweed using a food processor or blender. You could also check online for a vegan fish sauce recipe.
Trivia bit: I met “inspireand beinspired” or LaReina in person when she checked out my recent food demo in San Francisco. She drove all the way from Bakersfield, about five hours away, just to see the demo! Hands down the sweetest thing an Astig Vegan follower has done. Maraming Salamat LaReina! I hope you enjoyed your visit. It’s so nice to meet you in person and I hope to see you again soon!
For those who would rather watch and/or listen to the answers, I’ve created a YouTube video for you:
Thanks again to the people who sent their questions. I appreciate that you took the time to reach out to me. I hope I answered and clarified your concerns. And for those who have more questions regarding the recipes, please don’t hesitate to ask away. I’ll try my best to answer them every Tuesday as part of the series, “Ask Astig Vegan”.
Maraming Salamat, thank you very much. Let’s cook and kain na, let’s eat!