Try this heartwarming Filipino Vegan Tinola full of flavors from the papaya, ginger, and lemongrass! Yes, it’s vegan, but the flavor of the authentic Tinola Manok is not lost here!
What is Tinola?
Tinola is a Filipino chicken soup usually served as a main entrée with steamed white rice. Its main ingredients include chicken, unripe papaya (green papaya), ginger, onion, and fish sauce.
To make this vegan, tofu is used instead of chicken and I omitted the fish sauce. However, there’s vegan fish sauce in the market that tastes EXACTLY like regular fish sauce.
Tips & Variations:
- Feel free to use your favorite vegetarian meat instead of tofu. Make sure to fry it before adding it to the soup.
- The recipe calls for unripe papaya (green papaya) but you can also use chayote, bottle gourd (upo), or potatoes.
- If you can’t get Moringa leaves (malunggay), fresh spinach is the next best thing.
- Add some vegetarian fish sauce and lemon for an added zest to the dish.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Make Tinola:
Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:
- coconut oil
- tofu
- garlic
- onion
- ginger
- tomato
- water
- unripe papaya (green papaya)
- lemongrass
- salt
- pepper
- chicken-like seasoning
- bell pepper
- chili peppers
- moringa leaves
In a pan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons coconut oil, and once the oil is hot, fry tofu until golden brown. Place fried tofu on a plate lined with paper towels to remove access oil.
In the same pan add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and sauté garlic, onion, ginger, tomato until the onion is translucent:
Next, add water and cover with a lid and bring it to a boil, about 5-7 minutes. Add papaya, cover with the lid and allow the soup to boil again. Then add lemongrass and cover for 2 minutes.
Add fried tofu, salt, pepper, chicken-like seasoning, bell pepper, chili peppers, moringa leaves, and turn off the heat. Best eaten with steamed rice.
Here are more Vegan Filipino Soup Recipes:
Vegan Tinola
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil divided
- 1 ½ cup tofu cut into large cubes
- 4 cloves garlic mashed
- ¼ cup onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons ginger mashed and chopped*
- 1 medium tomato cut in quarters*
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups unripe papaya cut into long chunks
- 1 thread lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon chicken-like seasoning*
- 1 bell pepper julienne cut
- 2 chili peppers*
- 1 cup moringa leaves
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons coconut oil, and once the oil is hot, fry tofu until golden brown. Place fried tofu on a plate lined with paper towels to remove access oil.
- In the same pan add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and saute garlic, onion, ginger, tomato unttil the onion is translucent.
- Next, add water and cover with a lid and bring it to a boil, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add papaya, cover with the lid and allow the soup to boil again.
- Then add lemongrass and cover for 2 minutes.
- Add fried tofu, salt, pepper, chicken-like seasoning, bell pepper, chili peppers, moringa leaves, and turn off the heat.
- Best served with steamed rice.
Hi Justino, thank you for your kinds words! I appreciate it and I’m glad you’ve tried this recipe. I hope you can try my other vegan Filipino recipes too. 🙂
Hi, I really like your recipe about vegan tinola, we’ve tried it and it is worth it, however may I ask if you can give me, its nutrition facts. Thank You.