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Who says veggies have to be a dreadful, boring chore? When you need a one-pot dinner that hits creamy, protein-packed, and heavy-on-the-veggies all at once, this ginataang gulay recipe is taking names all the live long day. Think of it as a nutritious Filipino curry, loaded up with kabocha squash, okra, Japanese eggplant, and a killer coconut milk broth that turns it into pure comfort, ready in under an hour.
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Ginataang is a Filipino cooking method that translates to "cooked in coconut milk." Actually, this recipe is kinda like the lovechild of ginataang kalabasa and ginataang langka, with a similar vibe to Aviyal, an Indian curry with a ton of veggies all cooked together.
This one's a ride through rich textures: meaty golden tofu, jackfruit playing the plant-based part of pork belly, and eggplant that practically melts in the mix.
This gulay recipe is also ultra-customizable depending on what's in your fridge or garden, so don't stress if you're missing a veg or two.
Already planning round two with some extra okra because I'm apparently that person now!😆 This is absolutely deeeeelicious!!
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🥰Why you'll adore this vegan gulay recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all of my vegan Filipino recipes, this one is gloriously free of shrimp paste, fish sauce, dairy, chicken stock, and any other stuff that belongs on/in a living animal's body. It's nut-free, won't trigger your lactose-intolerant uncle into a dairy-fueled life crisis, and is about to secure a spot in your Rolodex of gluten-free vegan recipes for good.
🍳 One Pot Wonder: With just 1 pot and a handful of pantry staples, there's less cleanup, and more chill time featuring you kissing a horse wearing a baseball hat.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this ginataang gulay has been through the kitchens of hundreds of recipe testers from all over the planet.
🤫 Learn the secrets for perfect vegan Filipino meals
This guide to my most popular plant-based recipes from the Philippines is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🫛Ginataang gulay ingredients
Kabocha
This Japanese variety of pumpkin is prized for its deep orange flesh, edible external skin, and concentrated sweetness. The only thing I hate about kabocha is that it's one of the very few squashes that has seeds that don't toast up into a yummy snack. Booo. Thanks a lot, God.
If you can't find kabocha, regular pumpkin, acorn squash, or butternut squash are good stand-ins-just remember you'll need to peel them first since their skins aren't edible.
Sitaw or Green Beans
Yardlong beans (sitaw) are long beans that you can find at most Asian grocery stores. I use them in everything from my adobong sitaw to Indonesian sambal goreng tempeh and Javanese sayur lodeh, they're that versatile. If you can't get sitaw, regular green beans (like you'd use in som tam or green curry tofu) or slender haricots verts will do the trick.
Jackfruit
Canned young green jackfruit mimics pulled meat with its tender shreds and pulled-pork-like texture. I also use it to make vegan carnitas and jackfruit tamales, where it soaks up flavor and delivers that chewy, slow-cooked energy. Rinse and press it well before cooking to eliminate excess brine so that it doesn't splatter a lot when you sauté it.
Japanese Eggplants
Japanese eggplants are ideal for stewing-they absorb flavor without turning bitter. I use this kind of eggplant to make Thai basil eggplant and Filipino ensaladang talong. If subbing, globe eggplant or Italian eggplant can work as long as they are cut into 1-inch pieces.
Okra
To reduce its signature goopiness, make sure the okra is dry on the outside and then slice it just before cooking. Want it completely non-slimy? My bhindi dry recipe shows you how to coax okra into its crisp, slippery-free potential.
Vegan Fish Sauce
I like the Ocean's Halo brand for a reliable store-bought option. If you want to amp up the funk and heat, use my vegan fish sauce recipe instead. If neither's realistic for you, vegetarian oyster sauce or hoisin sauce will work fine in the recipe, too.
Calamansi
Calamansi is the traditional Filipino citrus juice used in recipes like this one and in my tofu sisig. It comes bottled or frozen at most Asian food stores, but if you can't find it, lemon or lime juice works just fine as a substitute.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make ginataang gulay
I saw you hovering over that "Jump to Recipe" button like you're about to pass out from hunger. Scroll to the recipe card if you're in panic-mode. Otherwise, here's how to nail this bad boy from scratch:
Step One
Backstreet Boils:
Bring a pot of water up to a boil over high heat. Add the kabocha and let it cook for 6 minutes until almost fork-tender.
Step Two
James Bean:
Add the sitaw or green beans to the pot and boil them for just one minute to soften them a little.
Step Three
Kurt CoDrain:
Drain both vegetables and set aside.
Step Four
Sauté Zonday:
Cut the pressed tofu into cubes. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then sauté the tofu and jackfruit for 6-7 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step Five
Okra Winfrey:
Add additional oil to the pan, and after 60 seconds, when it is hot, add the eggplant, okra, and onion. Cook 5-6 minutes until softened.
Step Six
Coconut Milk Jagger:
Return kabocha, sitaw, jackfruit, and tofu to the skillet. Add garlic, ginger, sliced bird's eye chili, vegan fish sauce, tamari, calamansi juice, coconut milk, water, coconut sugar, and salt. Simmer 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Step Seven
Cilantrony Hawk:
Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with garlic chives and cilantro, if using.
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
💡Serving Ideas
For a full send, pile this on some fluffy white rice, Thai coconut jasmine rice, or nasi uduk. Then, serve some vegan lumpiang shanghai on the side for a crispy, sizzling counterpoint to all that coconut creaminess.
Finish off your meal like you deserve some dessert after all those veggies with turon slicked in lemongrass caramel or buko pandan salad chilling so hard it might as well wear sunglasses indoors.
👉Top tips
- Drain the Jackfruit Well: Squeeze out as much brine as possible using a clean kitchen towel or your hands. Excess liquid will prevent it from browning nicely and will also create more of a mess on your stovetop from the splattering.
- Cook the Eggplant Thoroughly: Undercooked eggplant retains bitterness, sucks so bad, and makes everyone mad. Make sure it's soft and lightly golden before moving on.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes-add spinach, kale, water spinach, or malunggay (aka moringa) during the last minute of simmering. They'll wilt nicely into the broth. Even dried greens like the taro leaves you would normally make laing with are great in this, but add a little extra water so they don't absorb it all.
❄️ Refrigerating:
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Warm in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or coconut milk to loosen the sauce if it has thickened or absorbed into the veggies.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Heat in a covered bowl for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
I mean, if you want to serve lifeless gulay because on an airplane as a punishment for people in economy because you are a disgruntled cook working for Skychefs, then have at it, I guess.
🇵🇭You'll love these vegetarian Filipino recipes too:
Learn to make absurdly good vegan food from the Philippines in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Ginataang Gulay
Equipment
Ingredients
To Boil:
- 3 cups kabocha kalabasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups sitaw or green beans, cut into 1-inch sections
The Tofu & Jackfruit:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu pressed dry
- 20 oz. young green jackfruit drained and squeezed
The Rest of the Gulay:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Japanese eggplants 1-inch diced
- 1 cup okra cut into 1-inch sections
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger grated
- 1 bird's eye chili sliced
- 4 teaspoons vegan fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamari or other soy sauce
- ¼ cup calamansi juice or lime juice
- 13.5 oz coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Garlic chives thinly sliced
- Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the kabocha and cook for 6-7 minutes until almost fork tender.
- Add the sitaw or green beans and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
- Drain the contents of the pot in a colander and set aside.
- Press the tofu dry and cut it into bite-sized cubes.
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the tofu and jackfruit. Cook for 7-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add additional oil to the pan and after 60 seconds, when it is hot, add the eggplant, okra, onion, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Return the tofu, jackfruit, kabocha, and sitaw to the skillet. Add the vegan fish sauce, tamari, calamansi or lime juice, coconut milk, water, coconut sugar, and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is heated through and all of the vegetables are tender.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with sliced garlic chives and cilantro leaves, if using.
Notes
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Paolo Jose Gonzales Peralta says
Your steps are freaking hilarious!!! Im on my way to make gata of all my veggies yo!!!
Tee Hansen says
Already planning round two with some extra okra because I'm apparently that person now!😆 This is absolutely deeeeelicious!!