What is “Asopao”?

Asopao is a thick rice soup usually accompanied by a protein and some vegetable. In traditional asopao recipes you will see the use of chicken, shrimp, pork or other proteins generally used. The meats provide different textures and umami notes that makes the soup unique. The vegetables often vary a lot too. For example, my mom only likes auyama and chicken in her preparation, but other households may add things like peas and corn. Asopao translates to rice stew for us.

Is there an alternative to using tofu in this recipe?

If you are dealing with a soy allergy, you can make this as a vegetable only soup and serve your favorite protein on the side. Or you can opt for chickpeas, white beans, black eyed peas or red lentils as your main protein source here. If using dry red lentils, I would suggest adding 1/2 cup red lentils to the pot and adjusting the amount of water you use as you will likely need more to make it your preferred consistency.

Why does this recipe seem different from how my family makes it?

As my mom says, every household has their preferred way of making different dishes. Even further then that, a lot of Caribbean spots like the Dominican Republic share very similar renditions of the same style of recipes using similar flavors and cooking techniques. However, everyone still finds a way to do it different. My Puerto Rican friends make their asopao slightly different, but even within cultures like this you’ll see differences household to household. This soup is literally meant to be made as a budget friendly meal using what you have at home.

How can I lower the sodium in this soup?

You can adjust sodium in a few ways. First, think about the main sources of sodium in this recipe. It includes the salt, broth, adobo, sazon and soy sauce. All of these components can be adjusted. I would recommend adjusting the broth first. You can always use more water compared to broth or one less bouillon cube if needed. You can also use low sodium broth too. If you can save salting for the end, you will likely be able to add enough that is palatable for you without having to add a ton during the cooking process. Cooking tends to dissipate the sodium a bit which makes it almost feel less salty then it actually is.

Vegan Asopao Dominicano - Plant Based RD

Name: Vegan Asopao Dominicano
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Dominican
Ingredients: 1 block of super firm tofu or extra firm tofu**, pulled into chunks; 1 tsp oregano; 2 tsp sazon, divided; 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce to make gluten-free); Juice of one large lime; 1-2 tbsp avocado oil; 1 large onion, diced; 2 stalks celery, finely sliced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 5 cloves garlic, crushed (about 1 tbsp); 4 tbsp tomato sauce; 1/2 tsp dry thyme or fresh thyme; 6 cups water; 2 vegetable bouillon cubes or 1 tsp better than bouillon (vegan chicken or vegetable works); 1 cup auyama or kabocha squash, diced; 1 cup long grain white rice, rinsed and drained; 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup frozen peas, optional; 1/4 cup frozen corn, optional; Salt to taste

Description

This Asopao Dominicano is hearty and full of flavor even though we aren’t using meat. This vegan soup is perfect to cozy up to during the colder months.

Ingredients

Scale

Tofu Seasoning

1 block of super firm tofu or extra firm tofu**, pulled into chunks
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp sazon, divided
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce to make gluten-free)
Juice of one large lime

Asopao

1–2 tbsp avocado oil
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed (about 1 tbsp)
4 tbsp tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dry thyme or fresh thyme
6 cups water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes or 1 tsp better than bouillon (vegan chicken or vegetable works)
1 cup auyama or kabocha squash, diced
1 cup long grain white rice, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas, optional
1/4 cup frozen corn, optional
Salt to taste

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Instructions

Take your pulled tofu chunks and place in a medium sized bowl. Top with seasonings, soy sauce and the juice of half a lime and toss to coat.
Heat your oil in a large soup pot and add your tofu. Sear the tofu, allowing it to lightly brown and crisp up a little bit on all sides.
Add in your onion, celery, and pepper along with a pinch of salt and sauté until the vegetables have softened.
Stir in the garlic, sautéing it until it becomes fragrant. Then pour in the tomato sauce and sauté again for 3-5 minutes to cook the tomato sauce down.
Pour in your water, bouillon, thyme, and squash and bring everything up to a boil.
Once the pot it boiling, add in your rice, cilantro, peas and corn. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring on occassion to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Allow to cook for 25 minutes or longer depending on how soft you want your rice. You can adjust how soupy it is by adding more water as desired. Adjust seasonings and then serve.

Notes

If using extra firm tofu, make sure to press excess water out of it before pulling into chunks.

Stir the rice occasionally. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot as it cooks.

Cook the rice until your desired doneness. I like my rice to still be tender, but some like it much softer. I have listed the time I used, but feel free to add more water and cook a little longer.

You can add more water to make it more soup-like, but if you like more thick, creamy consistency, you can cook it down as much as you like.

Keep some hot water on hand on the side. I like using my electric tea kettle to keep hot water on hand to add to the soup as needed. Hot water will prevent your rice from cooking slower and seizing.