Vegan Mechado Stew Recipe (Filipino Meat-and-Potato Stew)

Meat stews in Filipino food come in many forms. My favorite is Mechado. It’s a meat-and-potato stew with an incredibly creamy sauce and savory ingredients. Just like most Filipino food especially when it’s saucy, Mechado goes well with a side of rice. I have written a recipe for vegan Mechado before, but over time I have tweaked and improved it further. With this updated recipe, it’s proof you can enjoy a traditionally meaty dish void of meat. It’s easier to cook because you don’t have to wait for hours for the meat to be tender.

What is Mechado

What separates Mechado from the rest of other Filipino tomato-sauce based stews is its fatty flavor. I have learned that the fattiness comes from adding pork fat or lard during cooking. The pork fat may be related to Mechado‘s name origin. “Mecha” in Spanish or “Nitsa” in Tagalog means candle wick. Perhaps the name compares to fat melting away like a candle. To veganize lard, use cooking oil or vegan butter. With simple substitutions, you can keep the same traditional essence of Mechado without using animal products.

When to cook Mechado

Mechado suits for occasions like potlucks and gatherings because it’s a crowd pleaser. It also goes great for batch cooking. I usually make a big pot then freeze the leftover. When hunger strikes or if I have to bring lunch to work, I can resort to my frozen Mechado. It’s much better than conventional, bland TV dinners.

Vegan Mechado Stew Recipe (Filipino Meat-and-Potato Stew)

 

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Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons cooking oil, plus two tablespoons for finishing
• 3-6 cloves of garlic, peeled, crushed and minced
• 1-2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 3-4 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1-2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4-6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 6 cups meat alternative (any or all of the following: fried tofu, fried mushrooms, or mock meat). I used the mock meat brand, "Meat Magic". See notes below on how to prep "Meat Magic".
• few pinches muscovado sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• vegan fish sauce to taste (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons vegan butter (optional)

Instructions

1. Pour 4 tablespoons of oil to a medium pot and turn on the stove to medium heat. Once oil is hot, add garlic and cook until golden. Add tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle few pinches of salt. Mix and cook until the tomatoes are mushy and onions are slightly translucent.
2. Add potatoes, carrots, soy sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Mix well and cover the pot with lid. Turn down the heat to low and simmer until potatoes have softened and can be pierced with a fork. Occasionally stir the pot so nothing sticks on the bottom.
3. Once potatoes are soft, add meat alternative (see notes below if using "Meat Magic"). Season with salt, pepper, and muscovado sugar. Taste and adjust accordingly. You can add more soy sauce or use vegan fish sauce if available. The taste should be more savory than preferred if serving Mechado with rice.
4. Add two tablespoons of oil or vegan butter. Mix well and cover with lid. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes.
5. Turn off heat and serve with a side of rice.

Notes

"Meat Magic" is a dried meat substitute made of soy and wheat protein. It mimics the texture and strands of beef. "Meat Magic" is available in Manila, particularly at the vegan grocery store, "The Vegan Grocer" in San Juan.

To use "Meat Magic" in Mechado and other dishes, you have to prepare it ahead of time. There's a strong wheat taste if you use it directly. To remove the wheat or "cardboard-like" taste, follow the steps below:

For two cups of "Meat Magic", boil it in 4-6 cups water with ¼ cup vinegar and few pinches of salt. Boil for 3 minutes then once cool to touch, squeeze out the moisture. Season with ¼ cup vegetable broth and 4-6 tablespoons soy sauce. Remove from the seasoning and squeeze out the liquid. Fry in pan with oil over medium heat until all sides are darker and firmer.

Alternatively, you can also soak "Meat Magic" in lemon water for at least 30 minutes and squeeze out the liquid. Repeat the process two more times in new batches of lemon water.

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Here’s the video version of the recipe:

I am thrilled to be back shooting YouTube episodes and to shoot it at my condo in Manila. With the help of my friends, we worked hard to put together this episode for you. I hope you find it enjoyable and helpful to watch. If so, please don’t forget to subscribe to the channel. Thank you so much for watching and for trying the recipe. Kain na, let’s eat!