Vegan Bicol Express

March 13, 2017
By Chef Barni Alejandro

This plant-based edition of the Bicol Express stays true to the traditional flavors and ingredients of the original version while eliminating all animal products, making it a perfect choice for vegans and vegetarians.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup green beans, sliced diagonally into 1 inch lengths

1 cup winged beans (sigarillas), sliced diagonally into 1 inch lengths

3 tbsp refined coconut oil, divided

1 block firm tofu, sliced into cubes

¼ cup onion, chopped

1 tsp ginger, chopped

2 tsp garlic, chopped

½ cup coconut milk

½ cup coconut cream

1 tbsp canned tausi, rinsed and pounded into a paste

3 pcs finger chili, seeds removed and sliced diagonally in half

2 tsp Carp vegan patis (optional, available in Uni-Mart)

1-2 pcs bird’s eye chili, seeds removed and chopped (optional)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a saucepan, boil the green beans and winged beans in water until crisp-tender. Set aside.
  2. In a non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Pan-fry the tofu cubes until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
  3. In the same skillet, add the remaining oil. Saute the onion, ginger and garlic until soft and fragrant.
  4. Add the coconut milk, coconut cream and tausi paste. Stir for 1 minute until well combined.
  5. Add the green beans, sigarillas, finger chilies and vegan patis. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Garnish with bird’s eye chilies.

The Sexy Chef was originally established in 2004 as a diet food delivery service catering to residents of Metro Manila. Now going on our 11th year as Manila’s premiere diet and health food provider — and just like our ever-growing clientele of healthy eaters — we have grown, in our case expanded from a mom-and-pop operation out of our Lola’s kitchen into a team of highly qualified cooks, customer care specialists, marketing and finance department personnel that work hand in hand to achieve our mission: to provide nutritious meals and easy weight management solutions for our health- and figure-conscious clients, among them some of the country’s top celebrities.

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