Vegan Dinakdakan

I had a similar dish at the wonderful Gerarda's Restaurant in Bohol, Philippines during a recent trip there with a group of high school classmates from St. James Academy, Malabon this past February. This refreshing salad/appetizer was one of the favorites of our group. The gracious owner generously shared the ingredients they used in preparing this fusion version of an iconic Ilocano dish.

Dinakdakan is customarily made with pig parts that are boiled till tender then grilled. The sauce is even made with pig's brain. A recipe for carnivores can be found in Panlasang Pinoy.

This vegan version is based on the fusion preparation of dinakdakan by Gerarda's Restaurant. They used green tomatoes and red onions and grilled pork. I really have been been wanting to duplicate their version but I could not find green tomatoes. I decided to substitute green pepper since if one tasted the dish one could mistake this vegetable for the green tomatoes  anyway.

Since I wanted a vegan version, I have to decide between tofu or sweet potatoes as the pork substitute. I opted for the latter and was very pleased with the choice. Done properly the sweet potato pieces had the crunch and flavor of the grilled pork.

The dressing used makes the dish. I followed the ingredients shared by the owner. I utilized balsamic vinegar but you can use white or cider. I combined it with vegan mayonnaise and added a little sugar. There were other ingredients enumerated by the owner but their contribution to the dish was minimal I am skipping or making them optional in the recipe below. I believe coconut milk, ginger and hot pepper were also added. I totally skipped the coconut milk and made the latter two optional.

Here is the simple recipe. My oh my I had this this morning and for lunch yesterday. I would have had it for supper but I was full from a wonderful buffet I attended.

Vegan Dinakdakan

About two servings

1/3 green pepper, cut into small cubes

1/2 small white or red onion, sliced

1/2 medium tomato, sliced into bite sized pieces

1 medium sweet potato, cubed (cooked in vegetable broth till cooked but crispy and doused with hoisin sauce and just heated)

2 tsp vinegar, ( I used balsamic)

2 tsp vegan mayonnaise

1/4 tsp ginger powder (optional)

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 tsp sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and enjoy.