Try this delicious and nutritious Vegan Pochero Recipe that is easy and without the animal fat and not compromising in taste. Vegan Pochero is comfort food and a Filipino favorite in many homes.
What is Pochero?
Pochero is a famous Filipino main dish inspired by the original stew dish of the Spaniards. The word “Puchero” literally means stew pot.
Most Pochero recipes use chunks of pork meat, vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes and saba banana cut also in generous chunks. Some also cook Pochero using beef and chicken breast.
Some even add in chorizo, cabbage, green peas, and leeks. The taste of Pochero is mildly sweet which comes from the saba bananas and savory, which comes from the seasoning like fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and salt.
Pochero truly is comfort food for many, as it is a complete meal in itself. You get loads of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals from the vegetables and tomato sauce.
This vegan version of Pochero has now become a popular option for Filipinos and non-Filipinos who also love the Pochero dish. Because we are using pork-like vegan meat, you really won’t know it’s vegan.
Tips and Tricks for Making This Vegan Pochero Recipe:
- Do not overcook your vegetables. A delicious Vegan Pochero has to have that crunch from the vegetables.
- If you do not have coconut oil for sauteing the spices, you can use olive oil instead. Just remember that olive oil has a high smoke point so you have to be quick in sauteing and adjust the stove heat properly.
- If you are not in a hurry, you can fry your veggies separately. By doing so, you get that slightly crispy texture from your vegetables.
- Make sure to cut your vegetables evenly – not too small and not too big – just enough for them to get cooked faster and evenly.
- You can mash the vegetables like the sweet potatoes to thicken the soup of the Vegan Pochero.
- If you love stews with tomato sauce, you can add tomato sauce to this Vegan Pochero recipe.
How to Make this Vegan Pochero Recipe:
Here’s a quick overview of all the ingredients you will need:
- coconut oil
- garlic minced
- onion
- sweet potato
- water
- ginger
- saba banana or saba na saging
- carrots
- lemongrass
- soy sauce
- pork -like protein meat (bought in Buddhist Shop or any health food store)
- bell pepper
- pechay (bokchoy)
- salt
- pepper
Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat with oil. Sauté garlic and onion:
Add in the sweet potato and cover until potato softens:
Add water to the sauteed spices and sweet potato:
Cover until it boils. You can mash it to thicken the Pochero soup:
Now it’s time to add the cubed potatoes:
Add ginger to enhance the flavor of the soup:
Add saba bananas:
Add in the carrots, lemongrass, and cover with a lid until it boils:
Mix in soy sauce:
Add in the vege meat, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Mix and season according to your taste:
Add pechay or cabbage then cover to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Do not mix:
Here it is! Vegan Pochero with all the lively colors from the vegetables. This is such a nutritious and healthy treat!
Serve this Vegan Pochero with steamed rice or quinoa 🙂 I am sure you will love the taste of the Pochero soup.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Vegan Pochero:
Q: Where do you buy the vege meat or pork-like protein?
A: For this Vegan Pochero recipe, I bought the vege meat or pork-like protein in a Buddhist shop.
Q: What does Pochero mean?
A: Pochero means stew pot in Spanish.
Q: How many minutes do carrots and potatoes get cooked?
A: They can get cooked in just 5 to 7 minutes because of their size and even size. Covering the pot also helps with softening it fast.
Q: Can I add in tomato sauce to this recipe?
A: Sure you can. make sure to add little at a time to make sure you don’t overdo it.
Q: Can I add coconut milk as soup base for this Vegan Pochero recipe?
A: Yes, you can add in coconut milk after adding a bit of water to the vegetables. I am sure that would be a delicious twist to this Vegan Pochero recipe.
Here are more delicious Filipino Food to try:
PrintVegan Pochero
A comforting vegan stew recipe that has all the goodness of vegetables and protein you need in a main dish – Vegan Pochero!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
- Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 5–7 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato cut into cubes
- 4 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 5 saba banana cut diagonally and in half*
- 1 large carrots, peeled and roughly cut
- 1 string of lemon grass knotted and tied (optional)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 5 pork -like protein meat (can be purchased in Buddhist Shop or health food store) looks like chopped pork
- 1 med size bell pepper, julienne
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3–5 pechay (bokchoy) leaves or 1 small size cabbage roughly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat with oil.
- Sauté garlic, onion, sweet potato and cover until potato softens.
- Add water and cover until it boils. (you can mashed it to thicken the soup)
- Add ginger to enhance the flavor of the soup.
- Add saba bananas, carrots, lemongrass and cover with a lid until it boils.
- Mix in soy sauce, vege meat, bell pepper, salt, and pepper.
- Add pechay or cabbage, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes (do not mix).
Notes
*if you’re in the Philippines it’s also known as saba na saging
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