This filling, flavorful stew, a veggie-rich Vegan asopao (rice, textured soy & vegetables pottage) is perfect to atone for days of excesses and give our bodies a rest, or as a comforting soups for vegans, vegetarians and for those who'd like to enjoy the occasional meatless day.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Dec 28, 2012
Why we ❤️ it
Do you ever feel like your body is asking you to slow down? Those are the days when a comforting, healthful dish like a vegan asopao comes handy.
It's also a great choice for vegetarians vegans looking to stay connected to their roots, and for the ones wanting to reduce meat days in their diet.
About textured soy
Textured soy, also known as textured soy protein, texturized vegetable protein, soy chunks or soy meats is a dehydrated protein-rich vegetable produced derived from soy beans. It is a popular meat substitute or protein source for vegans and vegetarians.
Textured soy can be found in different sizes from ground-meat substitute, to small chunks. For this recipe I used bits about ¾-inch [1.5 centimeters]. You can use larger chunks if you find them.
In the Dominican Republic they can be found in chain supermarkets as "carne de soya".
Okra and vegan asopao.
Serving suggestions
Keeping with the vegan theme, our favorite side dish, Tostones (fried green plantain), is also vegan, and for a lighter version, try my Air fryer tostones (can be made in an oven too). Fritos maduros and some avocado slices will make this an unforgettable meal.
Serving Casabe with asopao was common in my family, so that's another great choice.
We love adding some hot sauce to it, and our traditional Agrio de naranja (o Agrio de vinagrillo) adds the right amount of spice and citrus flavors.
Top tips
- Other veggies: For this recipes I am using the classics from our cuisine, but feel free to add or remove veggies as you see fit.
- Substitutions: I have tried this same recipe with sliced veggie sausages, diced veggie burgers, seitán (gluten "meat"), and even mushrooms. You can try whichever you prefer.
- Vegetable broth: You can use my homemade vegetable broth recipe if you want to start from scratch (and have leftovers to save). To save time, you can buy broth from the supermarket, or dissolve a vegetable bouillon cube in 1 quart [1 liter] of hot water.
About this recipe
Typically, Dominican - and Puerto Rican - asopao combine rice, vegetables and some kind of meat or seafood (chicken is the most popular), but by popular demand, I have created vegan versions of some popular Dominican dishes (see more at the bottom).
I first try textured soy as a child, when my dad would often come home with random edible things that would catch his eye. He called it "soy meat", and my mom used to prepare it in a similar way as minced or chopped meat.
This recipe follows on that family tradition.
Recipe
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Vegan Asopao (Rice, Textured Soy & Vegetables Stew)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
- 1 tablespoon fruit vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup auyama (kabocha squash), diced
- ¼ cup green peas, (petit pois)
- 1 stalk celery, sliced (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup pitted green olives, (optional)
- 1 doz cherry tomato, halved
- 1 cup textured soy
- ½ taza tomato sauce, (or 2½ tablespoons of tomato paste)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste)
- 1 quart vegetable broth, [1 liter]
- 1 cup rice, (carolina, medium grain)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon parsley, roughly chopped (or cilantro)
Instructions
1. Sauté the vegetables
- In a large pot, heat the oil over very medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion turns translucent.Stir in oregano, vinegar, auyama, peas, celery, peppers, olive, and tomato, and cook stirring until they are heated through.Add the textured soy, tomato sauce, and a 1 ½ teaspoon of salt, and stir to mix. Cover and simmer until the vegetables start to release liquid.
2. Cook the rice
- Add the vegetable broth and rice and stir.Simmer covered, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes, or until the rice has doubled its size.Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the parsley.
3. Serve
- Remove from the heat and serve per suggestions above the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More vegan recipes
I have "veganized" many of our recipes (check the very popular Vegan sancocho!), because we want everyone to be able to enjoy our Dominican flavors. We have almost 150 very enjoyable vegetarian recipes and many lovely vegan recipes.
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