Vegan Binakol

You will love this comforting, delicious, and chickenless Binakol recipe loaded with the goodness of papaya, coconut water, and sili leaves. This is originally a Filipino recipe made into a delicious vegan version that is super easy and quick to cook!

What is Binakol?

Chicken Binakol was first made famous in the Bicol region, located in a wonderful country—the Philippines. The main ingredients to make a delicious Chicken Binakol are chicken meat, spices, coconut water, unripe papaya slices, moringa or sili leaves, and coconut meat. Filipinos are famous for their delicious soup recipes, and Binakol is one of the favorites among the many delicious and easy-to-cook soup recipes in the Philippines. It is comparable to the Chicken Tinola and Chicken with Coconut Milk soups, except that this recipe uses coconut water as its main liquid ingredient.

Binakol is also known as comfort food for Filipinos and is served more during the rainy season. The natural sweetness from the coconut water, a kick of spice from the chilies and their leaves, and the tenderness of the chicken are already a complete meal in itself.

Do you know that cooking a vegan version of the classic Chicken Binakol is quite easy? Read on to find out how to give Binakol a delicious, nutritious, and easy vegan twist to it!

Tips and Procedures:

• Always use unripe papayas. They are more delicious and great to use in soups like the Vegan Binakol instead of the ripe ones.
• If sili leaves are not available, use moringa or malunggay leaves instead. Both are loaded with vitamins and minerals.
• Do you have lots of coconut in your place? Use it to serve the Vegan Binakol for a more festive look!
• Use olive oil in sauteing the ingredients for a healthier option.
• If unripe papayas are hard to find in your place, replace them with sliced potatoes.
• Serve Vegan Binakol with garlic rice during breakfast or any time of the day. They are always a winning pair!

How to Make Vegan Binakol:

These are the ingredients that you will need:

• coconut oil
• cloves of garlic
• red onion
• ginger
• firm tofu
• water
• tomato
• green papaya
• lemongrass
• young coconut water 
• young coconut meat
• salt
• pepper
• sili leaves or malunggay

Preheat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Then add garlic, onion, and ginger and sauté until translucent:

Then add tofu and fry until lightly browned:

Next, add water, and tomato, and cover with a lid until it boils:

Covering the pot with a lid will make the water boil much quicker.

Add papaya, and lemongrass, and continue cooking until it boils again:

Then add coconut water, and coconut meat and cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes:

Mix in salt, and pepper:

After that, add the leaves and cover the pot with a lid for 1 minute, and then turn off the fire:

Vegan Binakol is best served immediately and eaten with steamed white rice. Yum!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can I use rice wash instead of plain water for the Vegan Binakol recipe?

A: Many Filipinos use rice wash in their dishes so it’s alright to use rice wash for this recipe.

Q: Can I add ginger to the Vegan Binakol recipe?

A: Yes sure, you can! Adding it gives a stronger hint of spice which makes the soup more interesting and delicious. Ginger is also a good herb to use in dishes like the Binakol.

Q: Can I add glass noodles to the Vegan Binakol?

A: Yes you can add glass noodles to this recipe if you want it to be complete with carbohydrates from the glass noodles.

Looking for more Filipino Authentic Recipes? Try these ones:

• Adobong Kangkong
• Ginisang Monggo
• Vegan Pochero
• Ensaladang Talong
• Pinakbet
• Vegetable Lumpiang Shanghai
• Vegan Bopis
• Vegan Laswa
• Vegan Dinuguan

And here are my favorite Filipino Desserts:

• Buko Pandan
• Cassava Cake
• Mango Float

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