A crispy outside and the firm chewiness of the Soy Curls on the inside swimming in the sweet, stickiness of the sauce! Topped with vibrant red cabbage! What isn't there to love about Mongolian Soy Curls with Cabbage?!
I first heard about Butler's Soy Curls at a cooking demonstration at VegFest in Colorado. The two cooks waxed eloquently about how wonderful they were, their flavor, their texture, and how they made for a marvelous dish. And, if I remember correctly, they made Mongolian Soy Curls. I immediately went on a search to try and find them in a local grocery store and was having no luck at all until I eventually found them 20 miles away in a natural food market. They were amazing!
Since then I buy them by the case from Butler's Foods: https://butlerfoods.com/.
Soy curls are great to have in the plant-based cooking arsenal.They have a firm, chewy texture. They can take on the flavor of whatever you soak them in. I have fried them in BBQ sauce, soaked them in a vegan un-fish sauce, and also in poultry seasoning (which is fully plant-based, no chickens here).
This recipe has evolved over time. I really like making the Soy Curls crispy with the corn starch and frying. If the amount of oil is a concern, use an air fryer. Reminds me of another dish that I should write up, which is crispy seitan and leeks.
Make sure you use coconut aminos. They provide a nice sweetness to the dish without added sugar. You could also use tamari or regular Liquid Aminos, but will have to figure out the amount of sugar to add yourself.
I hope this gets you hooked on Soy Curls!
Instructions
Place the dry soy curls in a bowl.
Cover the dried soy curls with the boiling water and broth. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.
Collect the ingredients for the sauce.
Mix the sauce ingredients well. Place over medium heat and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
The curls will expand as they soak.
Squeeze as much liquid out of the soy curls as you can. I usually take them in small handfuls and squeeze them at least twice.
Mix the squeezed curls with the cornstarch.
Heat cast iron skillet, add oil, wait until shimmers. Add curls in small batches and fry until browned.
Place all the browned curls back into the pan.
The sauce should be good and thick.
Place the sauce and the greens in the pan with the curls.
Mix and cook until the scallions and cilantro are lightly cooked.
Place the rice on the bottom and heap the Mongolian Soy curls on top.
Finally top with the cabbage.
Variations
Add chopped peanuts on top of the dish.
Add some other vegetables, like green cabbage or bok choy.
Related
Check out these other Main Courses.
Check out these other recipes with Soy Curls!
Recipe
Mongolian Soy Curls, with Cabbage
Ingredients
Curls Ingredients
- 8 ounces Butlers Soy Curls
- 4 cups water boiling
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable broth concentrate, I use Better Than Buillion
- ¾ to 1 cup corn starch
- vegetable oil for frying
Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut aminos can use ½ cup low sodium tamari and brown sugar to taste if can’t find coconut aminos
- ⅔ cup water
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- 4 tablespoons oil Toasted sesame oil, grapeseed
- 1-2 inches ginger fresh, finely minced
- 4-5 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or more if you like spicy
Other
- 1.5 cups Rice pad thai noodles, soba noodles, whatever you want to eat it on
- Black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add the veggie broth to the boiling water. Pour over curls. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Press as much water out of curls as possible. I tend to squeeze them a couple of times in my hands.
- Mix with corn starch until completely coated.
- Cook rice or noodles.
- Heat cast iron pan until hot. Add oil for frying and let it heat until it shimmers. Add red cabbage. Saute until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Heat cast iron pan until hot. Add oil for frying and let it heat until it shimmers. Add the curls in small bunches and fry until browned and crispy, turning them over a couple of times. Place on a pan or plate and do next batch until done.
- Mix all sauce ingredients into a sauce pan and mix well. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is thick.
- In cast iron pan, add curls, and pour sauce over until well coated. You can leave some aside to pour over each serving, but I like it all together.
- Add scallions and cilantro to curls. Cook until desired. I like my greens a little crunchy, so I don’t cook the veggies for long.
- Layer the various items, with the rice or noodles on the bottom, then the curls.
- Serve with black sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, soy sauce or left over sauce.
Raelene says
Soy curls are awesome, and this recipe looks amazing!