Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Okay, I got soy curls and cooked them and they were gross. I soaked them 10 minutes, then stir fried them with some oil and flavorings (garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar, I don't remember what else, maybe that was it). When I do this with seitan, it is tasty. Not so much with the soy curls. I've seen a lot of people talking about how great they are and I still have 1/2 a bag, so what should I do with them? There has to be a way to make them tasty, right?

I'm not a big fan of them either, but really liked them done this way.

http://www.veganappetite.com/2008/05/moroccan-style-cous-cous-with-soy-curls.html

I've also heard great things about a soy curl recipe in Vegan Diner. Sorry, I forget the name of it.

i only tried them once, but i soaked them, and then squirted half a bottle of BBQ sauce on them and cooked it through and put it on buns with caramelized onions.

i think next time i will rehydrate them with some flavored water.

I soak them in vegetable or mushroom stock for about half an hour usually.

i like them in lazysmurf's vegan al pastor tacos. her recipe calls for seitan, but i cut the spices in half and reconstitute the soy curls in it. then i proceed with the recipe from there. so yum!

I've only recently purchased them and loved the smoky soy curls recipe from Vegan Diner. It was so good, I was eating them cold out of the fridge.

The tacos in Vegan Brunch are awesome and the Smokey Soy Curls in Vegan Diner are to die for!

Yeah, they are more like a sauce-vessel, so they're best when thouroughly mixed with sauce. Oh and after you soak them, squeeze out the water good so it soaks up the sauce like a sponge.

Yes to squeezing the sauce. I soak them in hot chicken type broth and a bit of salt, never just in hot water. They tend not to get crispy if they're too wet so I cook them sauceless and then add any sauce I'm using once they're browned. BBQ sauced soy curls make tasty sandwiches with slaw!

What the others said. The seitan comes out tasty because it has already been marinated in a broth. Soy Curls are the greatest when used right.

My favorite way to use soy curls is mock chicken salad. First I break up the larger pieces so they are all in bite size chunks, and soak them in hot vegetable broth for about 15 minutes. I drain the soy curls and let them cool in a bowl, then mix with vegenaise, a little mustard, celery, and onion. Add salt & pepper to taste and chill. The salad is good with greens or in a sandwich.

Desdemona's blog has a bunch of awesome soy curl recipes. Her fajitas are soooo good!

And the VB smoky curls are stupidly simple and so addictive. Yum.

The trick is to squeeze the heck out of them after they soak and are hydrated. Squeeze squeeze squeeze until you can't get any more liquid out of them. Then saute or cook. For BBQ soycurls i brown them with a caramelized onion and some garlic and whatever other seasoning you like. Then add a little maple syrup or even soy sauce to help them brown up, then add some BBQ sauce and cook until it gets all caramelized. MMMmmmmM.

I'm excited to see so many suggestions for making soy curls awesome!

kittee's spot on with getting as much of the liquid out of them as you can. sometimes i put them in a strainer and press them with a coffee mug or a small plate. this works well too!

Okay, next time I will definitely soak them in something other than water and press them after. I totally did not do that, and I think part of the reason they didn't cook very well is because they were pretty wet. Thanks for the awesome ideas!

I really want to try soy curls. I can't find them in stores locally, so I ordered some on line (Spencer's)

but they were packaged TERRIBLY. I got soy crumbs instead of curls. Grrrr.

oh no! write to them. i'm sure they would want to keep a happy customer and will send you another set. (hopefully in a box this time)

Yeah, I sent an email on Monday. No reply yet :( meh.

ive found that if I marinate them overnight then bake them they get awesome

would you say you "bake in... the flavor?"

that clarifies a lot!

Brains a smart man...

I haven't tried any of her recipes yet, but Bryanna Clark Grogan has a bunch of soy curl recipes on her blog, even suggestions for the crumbs if you've got a lot left.