My mom would make adobo almost every week when I was growing up. I grew accustomed to the powerful flavors of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and black pepper. When I started dating my now fiancé, bringing him home to dishes my mom made was challenging due to his vegetarian diet. Hell-bent on a quest to help him experience Filipino cuisine, I developed this vegan-friendly recipe that takes half the time of a meat-based adobo and switches up how you think of ingredients like tofu and onion.
15 oz extra firm tofu, drained
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce/tamari/shoyu
½ cup white/rice/cane vinegar
2 tsp black peppercorns, freshly cracked
1 tsp light brown sugar
3 dried bay leaves
2 tbsp + 1 tsp neutral oil, divided
1 yellow onion, cut into ½ inch thick wedges with the root end trimmed and intact
6 oz green beans, chopped into 2 inch pieces
6 oz baby bok choy, cored and leaves separated
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias (garnish)
Wrap tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place on a cooling rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Weigh down with a heavy object (another baking sheet topped with a couple of heavy cans works well). Allow to drain for at least 15 minutes, up to 1 hour.
Combine garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk to dissolve the sugar, then add the bay leaves and set aside.
Unwrap tofu and use your hands to break it up into roughly 2 inch pieces. Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu in an even layer. Cook, undisturbed, until well browned on the bottom, 3-5 minutes. Use tongs to turn the tofu and cook for an additional 3 -5 minutes until well browned. Transfer the crisped tofu to the bowl with the soy sauce mixture and set aside.
Return the pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tsp neutral oil. Add the onion and green beans. Cook, undisturbed, until the onions begin to brown and the green beans char in spots, 3-5 minutes.
Add the tofu and soy sauce mixture. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any browned solids from the bottom of the pan. Add the bok choy, toss to coat, and cook until the liquid reduces by half, 3-5 minutes.
Serve immediately with white rice and top with scallions for garnish.