Craving some Chinese takeout? This Saucy Stir Fry with Soy Curls will hot the spot! And the best part, it’s a lot healthier for you than the average meal at your favorite local takeout spot. Paired with fresh veggies and a rich garlicky sauce, soy curls make a satisfying protein addition to this dish. If you’ve never cooked with soy curls, fear not! They are easy to make, and if you don’t have them, just substitute with tofu or add more veggies. This whole dish comes together in about 30 minutes and will not disappoint. Ready, set, go!
Why you’ll love this Saucy Stir Fry with Soy Curls
-It’s oil free!
-Can easily be adapted to Gluten Free
-Healthy and high in protein
-Ready in 30 minutes
-Customizable by using different veggies
What are Soy Curls?
Soy Curls are a plant based product made from whole soybeans. They come in a dried form and can then be rehydrated and cooked with various methods as a perfect addition to many vegan and vegetarian dishes. They most closely resemble chicken, and used in many creative ways, such as soups, stir fries and vegan gyro meat.
Soy Curls are:
-Gluten Free
-Non-GMO
-Sodium Free
-High in Protein
-Cholesterol Free
The most common brand is made by Butler Foods, but they are still not ready available in most supermarkets. I buy this six pack on Amazon and it lasts for several months.
Also made in the USA, you can see why these would be a great addition to any vegan kitchen.
Can I still make this dish without Soy Curls?
Yes and yes. You can easily substitute tofu for the soy curls in this dish. In fact, I do this often at home, when I am in the mood for tofu. And the cooking method is somewhat similar, so it is an easy substitute.
Cooking method for Tofu:
-Press and drain your tofu by wrapping it in a kitchen towel and placing something heavy, like a cookbook or two, on top. You can also use a tofu press if you have one on hand. Allow to sit and drain for 15 minutes.
-While your tofu is sitting, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Alternatively, you can use an air fryer if you have one.
-Unwrap the tofu, and cut into bit size cubes.
-Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and spread cubes so they are not touching. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and crispy.
-If using an air fryer, place cubes in basket and air fry for 15-20 minutes on 380 degrees
-Add to stir fry after you have added the sauce to the frying pan, per the instructions in the recipe below.
How can I make this stir fry Gluten Free?
If you have been following a gluten free diet for some time, this will be somewhat obvious to you. For those new to a gluten free diet, there are two ingredients in this dish that contain gluten: soy sauce and miso paste.
For the soy sauce: substitute Tamari or Coconut Aminos. Both are gluten free and have a similar flavor to soy sauce. Note, if you are using coconut aminos, it is less salty than soy sauce or tamari, so you may need to use more. In this case, take away 1 tbsp of water for each additional tbsp of coconut aminos you add to the sauce.
For the miso paste: substitute a gluten free miso paste. These are a bit more difficult to find, but there should be readily available store bought options made of chickpeas and other creative ingredients.
If you can’t find a gluten free miso alternative, just omit. The sauce will still be delicious without it.
Happy Cooking!
If you are looking for more take out style recipes, try our Vegan Noodles with Peanut Sauce or our Portobello Veggie Stir Fry!
Saucy Stir Fry with Soy Curls
Equipment
- Oven or Air fryer
Ingredients
Stir Fry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup soy curls
- 1/4 to 1/2 of an onion sliced (depending on the size)
- 4-5 cloves of garlic sliced
- 2 scallions chopped white part only (reserve the green part for a garnish)
- 1 bell pepper sliced red or orange works well, but green is also good
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced any mushroom of your choice
- 1 small crown of broccoli cut into bite size pieces
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tbsp miso paste (use gluten free miso paste for gluten free)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic chili sauce (or any type of chili or hot sauce)
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Place your soy curls into a small to medium size bowl and cover with boiled water so they are completely submerged. Let sit for 10 minutes
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F if using oven to cook soy curls. If using air fryer, skip this step.
- While the soy curls are soaking, prep all your veggies for the stir fry.
- Combine all the "Sauce Ingredients" into a small bowl and stir well to combine.
- When the soy curls are done soaking, drain the water and place insde of a kitchen towel. Squeeze the towel until most of the excess water has drained out.
- Place soy curls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes until crispy on the outside with browned edges, but not completley hard in the middle. If using the air fryer skip to the next step.
- Add onion to a medium size sauté pan and sauté on medium heat until slightly browned.
- Add garlic and chopped scallions and continue to sauté for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add bell pepper and mushrooms to the pan and stir to combine, adding a small amount of water if needed to preven sticking. Saute for about 5 minutes.
- If you are using an air fryer for the soy curls, now is a good time to start cooking them. Place inside air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes. They should be cripsy and slightly browned on the outside, but not completely hard. Check them after 5 minutes. Many air fryers are different and you will need to watch closely to make sure they don't burn.
- When the mushrooms and peppers have begun to soften, add the broccoli and cover the pan completely. The cover will act as a sort of steamer. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for about 3-5 minutes until broccoli is fork tender but still bright green.
- Remove your soy curls from the oven or air fryer and set aside.
- Remove the cover from your pan and add the sauce, raising the heat back to medium. Stir to combine until sauce has thickened (only about 1 minute.)
- Add soy curls immediately and stir well to combine so that all soy curls and veggies are coated in sauce.
- Serve with chopped scallions (the green part you reserved) and sesame seeds over rice or noodles. Enjoy!
Notes
