As a vegetarian, I tend to eschew most meat alternatives such as veggie hot dogs or fake hamburgers. I know they don't taste like the real thing and many varieties are full of processed ingredients. But one interesting and hearty vegetarian ingredient I've just come upon is the soy curl. Have you tried these out? Here's a quick recipe for sesame ginger soy curls on salad.
As a kid, I have fond memories of eating Chinese chicken salad at the mall with my Mom. Those contrasting textures and tastes of napa cabbage, spiced chicken and crunchy noodles had my 6-year-old palate in a veritable tizzy. Washed down with a large lemonade and with a pair of new saddle shoes in a bag, I felt like a very special princess. I'm sure most important to this shiny memory is the solo time I spent with my hard–working Mom, and our grinning at each other.
It's funny how much certain meals and smells pull at your heartstrings of time gone by. While I stopped eating chicken salads pretty soon after that lunch, I missed that mess of flavors and textures. I've recreated versions with tofu and chickpeas, but it just wasn't the same. Until I met my new favorite meatless product: soy curls!
These things are made of textured vegetable protein and come dried. You just rehydrate them and stir fry them with any manner of strong flavors you have on hand. They absorb sauces and other ingredients beautifully; much like tofu. Don't be shy with your favorite marinades and a little oil — they cook up beautifully and are very tender.
Sesame-Ginger Soy Curls with Napa Cabbage Salad
Serves 4
For the Soy Curls:
2 cups soy curls
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 or 2 shallots, finely sliced
salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste
For the Salad:
1/2 Napa cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sesame oil to taste
almond slices for garnish
Place soy curls in a medium size bowl. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and pour over the soy curls. Cover the bowl with a plate and let the curls reconstitute; this takes about 3-5 minutes. Strain and squeeze out excess water with your hands and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add soy curls and all other ingredients. Cook on high heat for about seven minutes until soy curls are lightly browned and become a little crispy. Don't stir excessively, or else the soy curls won't brown or crisp. Stir only every minute or so. Add a little water if things are getting sticky or cooking too quickly.
In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrot, sesame oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and plate the salad. Put soy curls on the bed of cabbage, garnishing with the almond slices.
Buy Soy Curls Online: Food Fight Grocery & Amazon
Related: Meat Substitutes: Love 'Em or Hate 'Em?
(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)
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Comments (13)
I've never seen soy curls. Where do you get them?
I'm curious about where you get them as well. If you can't find them though, they kind of look like the faux chicken strip "Meal Starters" by Morningstar.
@chicagocook and @jrossl1217, i get mine from my local organic food co-op but you can order them online from Food Fight for 3.87/package. hope that helps! they come dry and you have to rehydrate them with water.
I bet seitan or wheat gluten would work just as well.
I really like soy curls, but I find them sort of heavy, so I don't use them often. My mother swears by them for subbing out meat in any casserole that calls for chicken.
Elizeh--If you can't find soy curls, then seitan would be good texture-wise, but soy curls are so porous that I find that they soak up flavors even better than gluten.
TVP is one of the worst things you can put into your body. It is so highly processed, and they put some gnarly stuff in it. Pretty much the dregs of vegetarian protein. Go read the Wiki article on TVP, then come back here and tell me that "defatted thermoplastic proteins" sounds tastier than black bean soup.
Soy curls are supposedly made from whole soy beans, not processed soy flour, like TVP.
Soy curls are wayyyy better than TVP and like KristaB said, they are made from dehydrated whole soy beans. They contain no preservatives or additives. Butler Foods is the main (maybe only) company that makes them. You can read more about the soy curls on their website. You can also find locations by Country and State. http://butlerfoods.com/products/soycurls.htm
If you can't find them near you, I HIGHLY recommend you support Food Fight Grocery, they are rad.
Nice to see a non-meat recipe!
http://smultronsoul.blogspot.com/
Definitely going to search for these curly things! I just recently became aware of the processed status of meat substitutes so it would be very welcome to know more about this subject. Could anybody help me out with some information?
Love Marijn
kitchendesires.tumblr.com
I'm so intrigued by soy curls! I'd never heard of them before. But I just put in an order...
Anyone know where I can buy a single bag online and not pay 2-3 times as much for the shipping fees? I'm tempted to order in bulk for that reason, but I want to make sure I like them first.
Thanks Leelacydross for the Food Fight tip--I just ordered there. By the way, if anyone else is wondering, the Butler Soy Curls are certified kosher by Oregon Kosher.