This Vegan Cansi is a soup bursting with savory and sour flavors of young jackfruit and spices.  Some of the notable ingredients of this recipe are the young jackfruit, tamarind powder, lemongrass, and star anise.

What is Cansi?

This delicious dish called Cansi (also spelled as Kansi) is a native favorite of the Ilonggos, locals from the beautiful place of Iloilo. Cansi is usually made with beef bones with marrows and a bit of beef fat and tastes like Bulalo and Singing combined

And to veganize it, we used jackfruit instead of the beef, but no flavor was lost when making this dish!

Health Benefits of Jackfruit:

• A great source of beta carotene
• A filling fruit that is low in calorie content
• Sodium-free
• Loaded with vitamins like Vitamins A and C
• Fiber-rich and grat for the lowering of blood sugar

Tips on How to Make Vegan Cansi:

• To keep the jackfruit flesh from browning after slicing them, soak it in water squeezed with a bit of lemon juice or calamansi juice.
• If you are avoiding salt, you can use mushroom seasoning. You can find this at your local Asian market or Trader Joes
• To know that jackfruit is good to use for this recipe, the color of the jackfruit of the flesh should be white and not yellowish.
• Do you love a rich coconut milk dish? Incorporate coconut milk into the soup. Add it instead of adding water. For sure, you will love the rich, sour and milky taste!

How to Make Vegan Cansi:

These are the ingredients that you will need:

• dried soybeans 
• water
• young jackfruit
• red onion
• red tomatoes
• ginger
• Batwan or tamarind powder
• lemongrass
• star anise 
• annatto powder
• tofu
• magic soy protein meat (here’s a similar version of the protein meat)
• salt 
• pepper
• chili peppers
• sesame oil

In a pot over medium heat, add 1 ½ cups of water,  dried soy beans and cover the pot and cook until beans are soft, about 20 minutes:

Note: Some of the water will evaporate and be absorbed by the beans so you may need to add 2 cups of water again and allow it to boil. 

Next, add young jackfruit and cover pot with lid until it softens, about 10 minutes:

Then add onions, tomato, ginger and batwan or tamarind, star anise, lemongrass, mix and cover until it boils:

Once it’s boiling, add annatto powder:

Now, it’s time to add the tofu cubes:

Then add the vegetarian meat:

Season with salt, pepper, and chili peppers mix until combined, then cover for a minute or two:

Add sesame oil to attain the fatty meat usually seen in boiling meat:

And that’s it! Vegan Cansi is so easy to cook and the ingredients are easy to find! I love to have this with warm, steamed rice 🙂

 

Frequently Asked Questions for the Vegan Cansi Recipe:

Q: Can I make this dish a day ahead?

A: Yes, for sure. You can cook it a day ahead and refrigerate it. Make sure to warm it up before serving.

Q: How many servings does this recipe have?

A: It will be enough for three to four persons, depending on how much you love Vegan Cansi 🙂

Q: Can I put coconut milk into the soup?

A: Wow! That would be a great twist to this recipe. If you do, I’m sure it would taste delicious.

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More Filipino Recipes:

• Vegan Kare-Kare 
• Vegan Laswa
• Vegetarian Bicol Express
• Ginataang Gabi
• Vegan Humba
• Vegan Dinuguan
• Vegan Bopis
• Vegan Ginataang Puso ng Saging

Here are some of the fan-favorite Filipino desserts:

• Cassava Cake
• Binignit
• Biko
• Avocado Milkshake

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