Mushroom and Tofu Sisig

Sisig is a Filipino dish originally using pork. It is seasoned with calamansi (citrus fruit) juice and soy sauce, and usually served "sizzling".  Over time it has been reinvented using other types of meat and fish.

Using a recipe from Astig Vegan, this vegetarian sisig uses mushrooms and firm tofu. I added a personal twist by using a mix of fresh and dried mushrooms. I specifically  used dried shiitake mushrooms and dried wood ear mushrooms because they mimic the chewy-crunchy texture of the original pork sisig ingredients.  I also soaked the dried mushrooms in water with some sugar cane vinegar (taking some idea from a mushroom ramen dish that I had).


Serves 2 - 3 people
Preparation time: 40 minutes (70 minutes including soaking time for dried mushrooms)

Ingredients

For soaking dried mushrooms:
2 cups of water
2 tbsp of sugar cane vinegar

Mushroom marinade (for the re-hydrated and fresh mushrooms):
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup sugar cane vinegar
green onions
2 tbsp of kalamansi or lime juice
1/2 tsp of freshly grounded black pepper

Main ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp of fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red onion or shallots, sliced

2 jalapeno chili's, sliced
7 pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms
2 pieces of dried wood-ear mushrooms
fresh mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms)
firm tofu
kalamansi juice
salt and pepper to taste


Preparation

1. Mushroom preparation:  
* Soak the dried mushrooms in water with a little vinegar for at least 30 minutes. Drain and slice into small pieces. 
* Combine all the ingredients for marinade, and marinade your mushrooms for at 15 minutes. Once done, drain the mushrooms. Reserve the marinade.

2. While marinading the mushrooms, you can start frying the tofu. Slice the tofu in 1/2-inch cubes and season with a little salt. Heat the cooking oil and fry the tofu. Turn from time to time until all sides are golden brown.  If you're using a small pan, fry the tofu in batches to make sure the oil is kept hot enough for frying. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. In the same pan, heat a little cooking oil and saute onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Add the mushrooms (both re-hydrated and fresh). Stir fry for around 10 minutes. Add the tofu, then add the marinade and the sliced green onions. Mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve sizzling hot with warm rice and extra kalamansi on the side.

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