Soy curls

[Veganite]

What is a good technique for pressing out the soaking water?

I have a couple dish towels for this that serve as reusable cheesecloth. I like the ziplock bag method too, but I suspect this method removes more liquid, as you can really wring them out in the cloth.

However, I do soak mine first in water and then whatever marinade I'm using. So for my first squeeze I want as much liquid out as possible. Depending on what I'm making with the soy curls the second squeeze is often not as thorough as the first. The fact is you want the marinade flavour in there.

When I make jerky I squeeze quite a bit out the second time as well. The rest will evaporate in the smoker or dehydrator, leaving you with a nice flavorful, tender, but slightly chewy product. I find the texture very much like the real deal.

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[KLS52]

I think I’d really like soy curl jerky. I tend to overcook mine anyway because I like them dry and chewy. It’s why I prefer them leftover and reheated in the air fryer. I don’t like smoke flavor in anything though, but I imagine I can flavor them any way I want if I make the jerky.

 

[vegan89]

I have cooked a lot of Asian stir-fry dishes at home with Butler Foods soy curls, and also with common alternatives like tofu, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, etc. Regarding soy curls:

Pros:
+More meaty chewing experience than regular tofu
+Much lower fat than meat... great to lose weight
+Resembles chicken in a stir-fry
+When reconstituting them to prepare for use, you can marinade them with sauces or stocks instead of water to add flavor
+Obviously a great protein source for stir-fries that you can use instead of tofu

Cons:
-Flavor obviously is not meaty at all (for those who are looking for that experience as a vegan)
-Many other meat substitutes like Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods products have much more meat-like flavor, texture, chewing experience, etc

 

[Veganite]

-Flavor obviously is not meaty at all

No offense, but I beg to differ, especially the soy curl jerky I make. I would challenge any meat eater to critique my homemade soy curl jerky against real jerky. Real wood smoke works wonders for a real meaty flavour. It's not just the smoke though. I make buffalo style soy curl jerky as well, that doesn't go in the smoker. The hot sauce flavour is infused in the soy curls. Dehydrating it gives it a perfect buffalo flavour and meaty texture.

Also, as a former chef, and in my most humble opinion, I can tell you the flavour I've attained is indeed very meaty tasting. I believe I could pass off the smoked jerky as real carni jerky with ease. That should say something about flavour. I have to say that the chewing experience is also spot on, which also helps makes it passable as real jerky. I've also made a Chinese 5-spice, toasted sesame oil, infused jerky, which was also incredibly flavorful and meaty.

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[vegan89]

No offense, but I beg to differ, especially the soy curl jerky I make. I would challenge any meat eater to critique my homemade soy curl jerky against real jerky. Real wood smoke works wonders for a real meaty flavour. It's not just the smoke though. I make buffalo style soy curl jerky as well, that doesn't go in the smoker. The hot sauce flavour is infused in the soy curls.

You're talking about new flavors they take on after you add or marinate them with other things, not the flavor of the soy curls by themselves. Based on that, I don't think we have any disagreement. I was talking about the flavor of the soy curls by themselves, and acknowledged their flavor can change if you add things to them, marinate them in things, etc...

Perhaps they take on some better flavor after you add some other things to them, but the soy curls by themselves taste nothing like meat. I mean, to a person who has ate meat their whole lives and doesn't care about veganism, they would choose chicken every time if asked to compare it with a soy curl.

But those types of people often (perhaps not always) report better experiences with stuff like Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat, because those are much better meat substitutes (in terms of flavor, chew experience, etc).

 

[Veganite]

Very much like tofu the soy curls by themselves obviously would not be very appetizing. Soy curls are merely a blank canvas, if you will. I don't see that as a con/negative though. One could say the same thing of pasta...pretty boring without the sauce.

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[Calliegirl]

You're talking about new flavors they take on after you add or marinate them with other things, not the flavor of the soy curls by themselves. Based on that, I don't think we have any disagreement. I was talking about the flavor of the soy curls by themselves, and acknowledged their flavor can change if you add things to them, marinate them in things, etc...

Perhaps they take on some better flavor after you add some other things to them, but the soy curls by themselves taste nothing like meat. I mean, to a person who has ate meat their whole lives and doesn't care about veganism, they would choose chicken every time if asked to compare it with a soy curl.

But those types of people often (perhaps not always) report better experiences with stuff like Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat, because those are much better meat substitutes (in terms of flavor, chew experience, etc).

Soy curls aren't meant to be eaten as is.

Most meat eaters wouldn't like meat as is either, it's very bland. That's why it's always cooked in a way to add flavor: fried in oil, marinated, covered in seasonings or sauces, added to other seasoned foods like sauces and soups.

 

[Brian W]

Soy curls aren't meant to be eaten as is.

Most meat eaters wouldn't like meat as is either, it's very bland. That's why it's always cooked in a way to add flavor: fried in oil, marinated, covered in seasonings or sauces, added to other seasoned foods like sauces and soups.

You have no idea what I used to be like! I always thought that in most cases, additions such as sauces and seasonings ruined the flavour of meat. It is certainly not bland.

 

[shyvas]

You have no idea what I used to be like! I always thought that in most cases, additions such as sauces and seasonings ruined the flavour of meat. It is certainly not bland.

I agree. Meat is certainly far from being bland.

 

[Zardyplants]

I've got a pretty great recipe for soy curl bacon. I use it for BLTs and breakfasts. You can find the recipe here.

 

[PTree15]

I made buffalo soy curls. These are so freakin good! I first rehydrated them in veggie chik'n broth, squeezed out the broth and then cooked them in the broth the way the Sweet Simple Vegan does it. A little broth at a time. I also mixed some of the broth with Frank's hot sauce to get the soy curls good and spicy. I put that in and then and cooked the curls until the Frank's mixture was absorbed. They don't even need buffalo sauce! Although I did put a little on when I made a wrap. I also made a Vegenaise-based dip/dressing to put on the wrap. The recipe called for both vinegar and lemon juice, and while alone it's tart, it pairs great with the buffalo soy curls. Very nice flavor.

 

[shyvas]

. One could say the same thing of pasta...pretty boring without the sauce.

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Not 100% Italian organic durum wheat semolina pasta which is slow dried. I often eat it with just
a drizzle of evo and a sprinkle of sea salt.

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[Veganite]

Not 100% Italian organic durum wheat semolina pasta which is slow dried. I often eat it with just
a drizzle of evo and a sprinkle of sea salt.

I think you missed my point.

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[shyvas]

I think you missed my point.

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OK fine.

 

[Veganite]

I made some Char Siu style soy curls yesterday (second time). I decided to put a bit of smoke on it this time. The end result is not what I was expecting. Before adding the smoke they had a really nice Char Siu BBQ flavour. It was really tasty and had a nice sticky texture, as you would expect. Smoking it however changed it into something I didn't expect. Also, keep in mind that a smoker works like a dehydrator. So the end result was not only infused with smoke, but dehydrated to a jerky like texture.

I had a bit of a reputation for my smoked salmon and candied salmon recipes back in the day. So when I tasted the smoked Char Siu soy curls it totally reminded me of the candied salmon I used to make. Candied salmon is just that, candy. It's very sweet. I seem to have mimicked the texture and sweet flavour of it in the Char Siu soy curls. It was not what I was expecting, but a somewhat pleasant surprise.

So far I have made a few kinds of soy curl jerky in the smoker. Every one of them has turned out amazing. Oh, I also tried smoking some of the buffalo style soy curls. It was super tasty and a very addictive snack, but I actually prefer the buffalo flavour unadulterated by the smoke. So they will just go in the dehydrator next time. It's all been a wonderful experiment.

Soy curls are here to stay. Love them!

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[vegan89]

Soy curls aren't meant to be eaten as is.

Most meat eaters wouldn't like meat as is either, it's very bland. That's why it's always cooked in a way to add flavor: fried in oil, marinated, covered in seasonings or sauces, added to other seasoned foods like sauces and soups.

Well to be fair most people don't eat meat as-is either. Sauces, seasonings, and flavors are almost always added to it.

So I think the intrinsic flavoring of each probably matters to some extent and is worth mentioning as a pro/con like I did.

 

[Lou]

Has anyone prepared meals with soy curls? I bought a bag, not quite sure what I would do with them, but I saw a recipe for soy curls BBQ sandwiches and thought I might try that, since I always used to like BBQ pulled pork. Just curious if anyone has any tips for cooking them, or any other recipe suggestions.

I use them in stir fry. They replace meat of tofu in my recipes.

right now I'm about to try tofu jerky for the first time.

 

[Veganite]

I use them in stir fry. They replace meat of tofu in my recipes.

right now I'm about to try tofu jerky for the first time.

Do you mean soy curl jerky or did you actually mean tofu jerky?

Also, the OP you quoted hasn't posted in 3 years. I'm not optimistic they're coming back.

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[Lou]

Do you mean soy curl jerky or did you actually mean tofu jerky?

I mean soy curl jerky. I tried two different techniques but I'm not that impressed with either. I'm going to have to go back and look at all your suggestions.

Also, the OP you quoted hasn't posted in 3 years. I'm not optimistic they're coming back.

you know how sometimes you open a thread and it goes to the an earlier page and you don't notice.

 

[Veganite]

@Lou

Are you using a smoker or dehydrator? I'm not sure it would make a huge difference, but the real smoke does definitely add a wonderful flavour. That said, you could do this in an oven if super careful. I haven't tried the oven method, but I do believe soy curls are very forgiving.

May I ask what you didn't like about it and perhaps I can help? Was it the taste, the texture, what went wrong?

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