Tofu Adobo (Filipino Adobong Tokwa) (2024)

This Vegan Tofu Adobo or Adobong Tokwa is a vegan take on the classic Filipino dish, that’s commonly cooked using chicken or pork. This version uses tokwa, which is tofu in Filipino that I sliced into cubes and pan-fried to crisp before cooking down adobo-style. It’s packed full of flavour with the tofu acting like sponges and absorbing all the flavour. You can’t pass off on rice with this dish!

Each family probably has their own take on it based on their preferences. So when cooking this, feel free to adjust the seasonings to your desired taste and see what you like from there!

WHAT IS ADOBO?

Adobo probably one of the most popular Filipino dishes.

Adobo is actually a way of cooking and there are various adobo dishes depending on the main protein/ingredients. Growing up, the most common type of adobo we’d have at home was a classic Pork Adobo or a Chicken Adobo.

These are usually made with pork liempo or pork belly with generous amount of fats in the cut that are cooked with whole peppercorns, bay leaves, lots of onions & garlic in a savoury and sour sauce with a little sweetness from sugar.

OTHER FILIPINO ADOBO DISHES

There are also a lot of types of adobo throughout the Philippines ranging from Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo), Adobong Pusit (Squid Adobo), Adobong Kang Kong (Morning Glory Adobo), and one of the most common—Adobong Baboy (Adobong Baboy).

There are really so many ways adobo is cooked. Some like to add carrots and potatoes (the latter, we love to add to ours at home) since potatoes absorb flavours really well. We also sometimes like to add fried tokwa or extra firm tofu, that act as sponges and absorb the sauce really well too.

WHAT DOES ADOBO TASTE LIKE?

Adobo is predominantly savoury with a kick of acidity from the vinegar and can have a sweet note from the sugar.

It’s really a personal preference how you want your adobo to taste like but a traditional Filipino adobo usually has acidity from the use of vinegar. At home we have a few versions of adobo.

One version is a classic Filipino adobo with more or less equal portions of soy sauce and vinegar for a good savoury and sour kick.

Another versions is more of a Chinese-style adobo, that’s on the sweeter side. Chinese-style adobo we cook at home uses soy sauce with lots of sugar so it’s a lot sweeter. A sweet Chinese-style adobo is my sister’s favourite and she prefers this over a classic Filipino adobo.

There’s really no one-size-fits all recipe to an adobo since there are many different ways adobo is cooking in the Philippines and each family has their own take on it based on their preferences. So when cooking this, feel free to adjust the seasonings to your desired taste and see what you like from there!

See below a version of adobo made with soy chunks and with some diced potatoes! You can check out the recipe here.

THE SOY SAUCE & VINEGAR COMBO FOR ADOBO

Adobo won’t be adobo without the classic soy sauce and vinegar combo. These are essential ingredients in Filipino cuisine and we buy these by the gallons since we use soy sauce and vinegar (toyo at suka) in almost everything.

My mom also likes to add some sugar in adobo, to balance out the acidity. Photographed above is some coconut sugar but brown sugar works great too.

THE SPICES, ONIONS, AND GARLIC

Whole black pepper corns add a little kick of spice (especially when you get to bite into these!) and bay leaves (laurel leaves as we call them in the Philippines) that add that somewhat minty-like layer of texture, perfect for hearty dishes such as adobo.

I always keep a jar of dried bay leaves on hand since they’re used in a lot of other dishes too.

Oh and, lots go onions and garlic too!

TOFU OR TOKWA

Tokwa is Filipino for tofu. For this recipe I’m using extra firm tofu for the best texture and bite.

OPTION: FREEZING TOFU

You can opt to freeze your tofu. This creates a meatier texture. No need to press the tofu before freezing.

You can also freeze the tofu in its original packaging.

To freeze tofu before cooking: No need to press your tofu. I froze a whole block overnight on a tray because I slice the large blocks into slabs and then left this to completely thaw in room temperature before slicing into 1.5-inch cubes. Make sure to press your tofu well to get rid of excess liquid.

To prepare the tofu for this adobo: pan-fry or deep fry the tofu cubes in neutral oil until golden brown and crisp throughout.

COOKING THE TOFU ADOBO

• Move the tofu to the side of the pan. If you want to lessen the oil, feel free to remove some from the pan. But be generous with the oil since adobo is traditionally quite fatty in the sauce from the cooked down meat (especially if using pork belly).
• Add in the onions, garlic, and whole pepper corns. Leave the garlic and onions to cook until tender, around 3-4 minuets.
• Add the bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar, and vegetable broth. Mix well and leave to simmer over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
• Add in sugar and dark soy sauce, if using. Taste the sauce and feel free to adjust to your taste. You can add more soy sauce for saltiness, vinegar for more acidity, or sugar for a hint more sweetness. This is really depending on your desired taste. I love a nice kick of acidity for my adobo that’s greatly balanced with some sugar.
• Leave the tofu to cook in the sauce for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce has reduced. The longer the tofu sits in the sauce the tastier it gets because tofu absorbs the sauce really well (like a sponge!)

SERVE AND ENJOY THE ADOBO

• Serve and enjoy your adobo with some Sinangag (Fried Garlic Rice) –homemade recipe here or plain rice. Enjoy!

OTHER FILIPINO RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:

• Tokwa’t Baboy
• Filipino Kaldereta or ‘Meat’ Stew
• Mushroom Tocino
• Filipino Fried Garlic Rice
• Filipino Lumpiang Gulay or Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls
• Filipino “Pork” Barbecue
• Crispy Tofu Sisig
• Tofu and Mushroom Salpicao
• Bola-Bola (Filipino Meatballs)

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