Rodic's Tapa (Vegan Filipino Recipe)
This is a vegan Filipino Rodic's-Style Tapa made using extra firm tofu - yes extra firm tofu, that's air fried until crisp before being marinated and cooked in a sweet-savoury sauce and served with garlic rice, tofu scramble, and of course some vinegar. This is a very hearty Filipino meal you can have for breakfast or any time of the day.
Ingredients
Tofu for Tapa
- 17.5 oz extra firm tofu or tokwa
Marinade/Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp sugar , adjust to taste
- 1.5 - 2 tbsp soy sauce , adjust to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp minced garlic (optional for colour but highly recommended - see notes)
- 4 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth (see notes)
Vinegar, For Serving
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 small red onion diced
- 1-2 tsp sugar adjust to taste
- 1 red chili sliced (optional)
Tofu Scramble
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 9 oz extra firm tofu tokwa pressed and drained
- 1 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast optional
- 1/2 tsp black salt or sub for regular adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- Ground black pepper
- Sprinkle of liquid aminos or soy sauce, to taste
Tapa, For Cooking
- 2-3 tbsp neutral oil see notes
To Serve
- Fried Garlic Rice (Sinangag) , recipe here
- Tofu Scramble or fried egg (if vegetarian)
- Vinegar for dipping
Instructions
SHREDDED TOFU FOR TAPA
- For the Tapa, Remove the 500g/17.50z block of tofu from the water or packaging and drain from any excess water. Pat dry with a towel.
- Using a cheese grater, carefully grate the tofu into shreds.
- Meanwhile, preheat your air-fryer or oven to 350F/180C.
- On a lined baking tray or air fryer basket (I used parchment paper to line mine), place the shredded tofu and try to spread it out as thin as possible.
- For air-frying, air-fry for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown - do not overcook since it can easily harden and become too dry.
- You can flip the tofu halfway through cooking. It’s also okay not to get even browning and even have the tofu still white, since this can add to the different textures of the overall tofu dish.
- If baking, you may need to bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes or longer.
MARINADE FOR TAPA
- While the tofu is cooking, prepare the marinade by mixing everything together. Feel free to adjust to your taste.
- Marinate the tofu in the marinated after baking/air-frying. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. You can also leave this overnight in the refrigerator.
VINEGAR FOR DIPPING
- For the vinegar, mix the onions and vinegar together. Mix in some sugar to counter the acidity. Add red chili, if using. Allow to soak for 10-15 minutes. The vinegar will turn pink from the onions.
- This is best prepared in advance and can be stored for days.
TOFU SCRAMBLE & GARLIC RICE
- You can cook the garlic rice and tofu scramble the same pan as the tapa. I like to cook the garlic rice, then the tofu scramble, before the tapa.
- Heat a large wok or pan over medium. Once hot, add in the 9oz/250g tofu and crumble using a fork. Mix in the spices and coat the tofu. Season with some liquid aminos or soy sauce. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until cooked. Set aside so you can use the same pan for the tapa.
COOKING TAPA
- To cook the tapa: Heat the wok or pan over medium high heat, add in the oil. Once hot, add in the marinated tofu shreds for the tapa.Sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes and allow the marinade to reduce until the sugars start to caramelise and coat the tofu shreds.
- Once cooked through and the sauce has reduced, turn off the heat.
- Serve the tapa with the garlic rice, tofu scramble, vinegar, and sliced tomatoes. Enjoy while hot.
- I like to enjoy this by scooping some of the vinegar with onions over the tapa, getting a scoop of the vinegar-ed tapa and and having it with the garlic rice and tofu scramble.
WATCH Video
Notes
OIL
- I add a generous amount of oil since traditional tapa made of beef has lots of oils from the fat. Using oil for this vegan tofu version ensures it’s not too dry.
TO REHEAT
- For leftover tapa, this can tend to dry up in the refrigerator. To reheat, you can heat a pan and add 1/2 to 1 tbsp oil.
- Once hot, add the leftover tapa and then cook over medium heat until hot and read to enjoy.
DARK SOY SAUCE
- This is what gives the tapa the distinct brown color so if you have access to dark soy sauce or dark mushroom soy sauce, I really recommend you do so. It’s also not salty like regular soy sauce, so a little goes a long way to get it a nice brown color.
VEGETABLE BROTH
- Depending on the vegetable broth used, you may need to use more or less soy sauce. If your vegetable broth is well-seasoned then you can lessen the soy sauce.
- I used 1/2 a vegetable bouillon/cube from Edward & Sons, then diluted it in hot water.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving (tapa and scramble) | Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1384mg | Potassium: 532mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 204IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 4mg
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