Roddick’s Tapa (Vegan Filipino Recipe)

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This is a vegetarian Filipino rodic tapa made using extra firm tofu – yes extra firm tofu, fried until crispy before being marinated and cooked in a sweet-savory sauce with garlic rice, tofu scramble and of course some vinegar. is served. This is a very hearty Filipino dish that you can eat for breakfast or any time of the day.

Filipino heat

Filipino tapa is traditionally made by curing beef with salt and cooking it until dry and crispy.

It is usually paired with seasoned vinegar and fried garlic rice and a fried egg that we call tapsilog.

Tapsilog is a very famous Filipino dish. Tapa (‘Tap’), usually served with cured meat, sinangag (‘C’) or garlic rice and an egg (‘itlog’ = log).

What is RODIC’s TAPA?

Roddick’s Tapa is known for sweet and savory beef slices that they cut into small pieces. It is served with garlic rice or sinnagag and a fried egg, which when put together makes tapasilog – tapa (Filipino cured beef), sinangang (fried garlic rice) and an egg or itlog. From the words tap-c-log, (tap)a, (c)nangag and it (log).

This vegetarian Roddick’s-style tapa is made using extra-firm tofu that is sliced ​​and baked or air-fried to extract excess water to create an almost dry-meat texture.

Rodic’s Diner is an iconic eatery that first opened its doors in 1949 at the University of the Philippines, Diliman which is why it is almost always associated with UP- which also happens to be my alma mater. Their most iconic and popular dish is beef tapa, a Filipino-style cured meat.

I first saw Roddick’s in the Area 2 shopping center before finding its new home on Balagtas St. next to the Alumni Center on campus. In addition to that, they now have multiple branches across Metro Manila.

What type of tofu is best to use for this recipe?

Using extra firm tofu or tokwa is important for this recipe. Firms can work hard but crumble easily. Silken or soft tofu definitely won’t work because it won’t be able to hold up when sliced.

Tofu is shredded for this Rodic’s Tapa

Tofu is sliced ​​and baked or air-fried to release excess moisture to create a unique texture that’s almost like ground beef.

I first stumbled upon this torn tofu trick on Tiktok and don’t remember exactly whose video I saw but was really intrigued and decided to give it a try. I like that the tofu comes out almost like minced meat, texture-wise, since baking or air-frying it really draws the extra moisture out of the tofu.

I cooked mine until golden brown and crisp on the edges while some pieces are still white and soft so when you add everything together, you get a really nice mix of textures.

Ingredients for this tapa recipe

You can find the full printable recipe on the recipe card below!

tofu

• 17.5 oz extra firm tofu or tokwa

Marinade/Sauce

Vinegar, for serving

• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• Adjust 1-2 tsp sugar as per taste
• 1 red pepper chopped (optional)

Tofu Scramble

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 9 oz extra firm tofu tokwa pressed and drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast optional
• 1/2 teaspoon black salt or regular sub to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Ground pepper
• Sprinkle with liquid aminos or soy sauce to taste

for cooking

to serve

Preparation and cooking

Cut the tofu into pieces

• Remove tofu from water or packaging and drain excess water. Dry with a towel.
• Using a cheese grater, carefully shred the tofu.
• Meanwhile, preheat your air-fryer or oven to 350F/180C.
• On a lined baking tray or air fryer basket (I used lined parchment paper), place the sliced ​​tofu and try to spread it as thinly as possible.
• For air-frying, air-fry for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown – do not overcook as it can burn easily and become bitter. You can even flip the tofu halfway through cooking to get it browned. It’s okay to not even brown and even keep the tofu white, as it can add to the different textures of the overall dish.
• If baked, you may need to bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes or longer.

MARINADE

• While the tofu is cooking, prepare the marinade by mixing everything together. Feel free to adapt to your taste.

Tofu Scramble and Garlic Rice

• You can cook the garlic rice and tofu scramble in the same pan as the tapa. I like to cook the garlic rice, then stir in the tofu, before the tapa.
• Heat a large wok or pan over medium. Once hot, add the tofu and mash using a fork. Mix the spices and coat the tofu. Season with some liquid aminos or soy sauce. Fry for 3-5 minutes until cooked. Set aside so you can use the same pan for tapping.

the heat

• Heat wok or pan over medium high heat, add oil. Once hot, add the marinated tofu pieces. Fry for 2-3 minutes on medium heat and allow the marinade to reduce until the sugars start to caramelize and coat the tofu pieces.
• Once cooked and the sauce has reduced, turn off the flame.

Serve and enjoy

• You can serve it with garlic rice, tofu scramble, vinegar and diced tomatoes. Enjoy hot.

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