After having lived in the US for at least twenty years, I wondered (and forgot) why anyone in the Philippines would want to have a hot bowl of soup when the weather there is always sweltering, tropical, and humid. Sometimes, you would start sweating right after you get out of the shower! Yet, Filipino soups like Nilaga, Sinigang, Lugaw, Sopas, Sotanghon, and more, always seemed to be a hit among those who live in the motherland.
Then, I recently moved back to the Philippines and understand now -it rains in the Philippines almost all year round, and when it’s raining, it’s soup season. It doesn’t matter that the temperatures are well above 80 degrees. If it’s gloomy and wet outside, you want some hot broth. So, Nilaga soup it is.
Nilaga doesn’t necessarily pertain to just beef soup, but the most popular kind is the beef flavor. Technically, the word “nilaga” means boiled in. There’s nilagang mais (corn), kamote (yams), and more. If my explanation sounded familiar, that’s because I have already featured a Nilaga recipe here before, but in this more recent version, I will show you how to veganize the beef part. In other words, how to recreate the strands, the chewiness, and even the fat. You can even make it to a “bulalo” shank.
Why would I go to great lengths to veganize meat when I try to avoid it in the first place? That’s a common question I get from non-vegans. Honestly, I’m not really into mock meats, either. But I’m also open to more vegan options. So, I have no beef with vegan beef.
Besides, it’s not really the taste of meat that we vegans have a problem with. We didn’t stop eating meat because we hated the taste and texture. We stopped because we don’t like eating animals, the source of the beef. So, if another source that’s not a product of cruelty comes along, then we are all for it. Granted, some vegans get reminded too much of the real thing, so some prefer to stick to vegetables looking like vegetables. Personally, I would not go as far as mimicking blood in burgers or resembling a face or body like in roasted turkey. But, like I said, I’m not going to be up in arms about those who don’t mind eating the vegan versions of them.
So, if you’re like me and are open to having a vegan version of beef nilaga soup, I hope you try this recipe. It’s super hearty, comforting, and soothing, no matter the weather outside.
FOR THE MEAT PART:- 1 cup "Meat Magic" or "Soy Curls" or preferred meat alternative
- hot water
- 1 lemon
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
- sprinkle of mushroom broth powder
- salt
FOR THE FAT PART:- 1½ cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon agar agar or gulaman powder (unflavored)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cup soymilk or preferred plantbased milk
- 2 tablespoons oil
FOR THE SOUP:- 6-8 cups water
- 2-3 medium onions, chopped|
- 1-2 celery sticks, sliced (celery powder is okay)
- salt
- mushroom broth powder or preferred vegan meat broth
- freshly cracked pepper
- 1 corn on the cob, sliced
- ¼ of small squash, chopped
- 1-2 medium potatoes, chopped
- bunch of green beans
- ¼ cabbage, chopped
- 1 napa cabbage or pechay baguio, base removed
- 1 bunch pechay tagalog or bokchoy
- 1 saba banana, sliced
UPON SERVING:- steamed rice
- vegan patis (optional)
- Soak the "Meat Magic" or your dried vegan meat replacement in boiling water. Squeeze the lemon or preferred citrus and sprinkle some salt. Soak until the dried vegan meat softens (usually 15 minutes).
- Drain, rinse, and squeeze out the excess water and any strong wheat or "carboard -like" taste. Repeat until the wheat taste is gone.
- Season with soy sauce and mushroom broth powder.
- Fry with a little oil over medium heat until all sides are darker in color. Turn off the heat and allow to cool down enough to touch.
- Meanwhile, to make the "fat", combine the tapioca starch, rice flour, salt, agar-agar powder, soymilk, and oil.
- Transfer to a pan and cook over low heat until it solidifies. Turn off the heat and wait until it's cool enough to touch.
- Tear a chunk of the fat and press down on the vegan meat to adhere. The ratio is up to you and it doesn't have to look perfect. As long as some "fat" adheres, you're fine. I think it's more realistic that way. But if you are very particular, you can wrap tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least an hour for the fat to fully stick to the meat.
- Prepare a steamer and steam the fatty chunks for about five minutes. And if you want your meat and fat to taste meatier, transfer to a pan and fry for a quick minute.
- If you're really a savage or overachiever, then you would want to make a "shank" or bulalo shape, tear the "fat" big enough to shape into a log. Then press the meaty strands into the log and roll around (like a cinnamon roll). I'm half overachiever, so I would do this part but skip the wrapping in foil, but if you think might as well go all out, then wrap the "shank" or "beef cinnamon roll" tightly in a foil and refrigerate for at least an hour to adhere and fully stick. Then steam for a few minutes. To infuse some fattiness, fry for a quick minute on both sides.
- Finally, to make the soup, boil about six to eight cups of water then add the onions, celery, salt, mushroom broth, pepper, corn on the cob, squash, and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork. I would also mash some of the squash into the broth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Add the green beans and cook for another minute.
- Turn up the heat then add the greens like cabbage, napa cabbage, and bokchoy (and other preferred greens). Mix in the saba bananas.
- Cook for another minute then turn off the heat.
- Mix in your prized vegan beef and serve your Nilaga hot with a side of rice and vegan patis (optional).