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You can get plant-based kare-kare, isaw, sisig, pork belly, and more from these Filipino food joints
In case you haven’t heard, you can still enjoy the same sumptuous flavors of your favorite dishes in plant-based varieties.
Some stores have been selling plant-based alternatives to your favorite meat-based dishes, such as kare-kare, kaldereta, sisig, isaw, tocino, bacon, and pork belly.
In an episode of “Brigada,” GMA News reporter Mav Gonzales explored some choices you can try if you wish to a plant-based diet.
Veggie Guys
A hole in the wall in Quezon City called Veggie Guys are one of the food joints that offer plant-based dishes.
According to its chef Aldwin Monserate, they use veggie “chon” as meat or what is known as “texturized soy protein.”
Mav, who observed how the meat was cooked, said the veggie chon cooked faster than real meat.
Its owner Camille San Digeo said more than its health benefits, plant-based diet also “also [helped] the environment [and] animal rights advocacy.”
Camille said when she started to eat plant-based food, she liked it and it suited her lifestyle. “And I wouldn’t want my restaurant to not have the same treatment that I’m giving my body,” she said.
“We’re here to build awareness para mabuild din ’yung health sa mga tao sa Pilipinas,” she added.
The Good Choices PH
Another option is The Good Choices PH. They offer frozen plant-based meats and ready to heat and eat choices for those who don’t have time to cook at home.
According to The Good Choices PH founder and head kusinera Camille Acosta, their tagline is, “you won’t believe it’s not meat.”
“So that was the tagline that we ended up using for our products so my approach was to make ’yung texture and appearance (close) to its meat counterpart as possible,” she said in the episode.
Camille makes pork belly from scratch using tapioca starch and texturized soy protein.
According to their website, they offer breakfast packs including tocino (P500/700g), bacon (P400/300g), tapa (P500/700g), longganisa (P500/500g), and tofu scramble (P250/500g).
They also have packs that are ready to heat and eat, including adobo (P500/500g), bistek Tagalog (P500/500g), sisig (P500/500g), caldereta corned beef (P300/300g), embutido (P500/700g), and burger patty (P500/500g).
What does being vegan mean?
According to Philippine Society of Nutritionists-Dietitians’ Jake Brandon Andal, a vegan or a vegetarian diet means most of your choices when it comes to food come from vegetables and other products without animals involved.
Lakpati Basa, the group admin of Manila Vegans’ Facebook group, said: “Pagdating sa veganism, you become vegan, you abstain from abusing hurting animals. You eat plant-based of course kasi dahil ayaw mo noon and if you do it right then you become super healthy.”
Meanwhile, Jake said one is considered a vegan when your “choices go way beyond sa ating mga ginagamit. Maaaring ’yung mga choices na ghinagamit natin sa ating personal care sa ating mga sinusuot ay hindi rin dapat gumagamit ng kahit anong hayop.”
Lakpati said what they wanted was to liberate the animals, “and hindi sila gawin na parang gamot or property ng kahit sino, na they have rights na katulad din ng rights natin, pinaka-basic ang rights para mabuhay.”
Aside from its helpful benefits, Jake said a plant-based diet had lower carbon footprint.
Misconceptions about vegetable protein
According to Jake, one of the biggest misconceptions about vegetable protein is that it is not comparable to what we get from animal meat.
“In fact kung titignan natin mas maraming magiging benepisyo ang pagkunsumo ng protina mula sa mga vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds, or ’yung mga plant-based na protein dahil may mga functional benefits,” he said. – Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/RC, GMA News
