Friday, August 15, 2008

Baked BeerBQ Soy Curls Sandwich

Say that 10 times fast.

Soy Curls are an Oregon based product that I first tried at a food demo by the lovely Julie Hasson (she enlists me as a cheering section). They are Oregon based and are like big, 'chickeny' strips of tvp waiting to be flavored. You can order cute bags of them online from Food Fight! or if you're in Portland, buy them in bulk from the store. I know this is a tad hypey, but they're a fun change of pace from tofu, tempeh and seitan and cooler than tvp. I'm not much for faux meat, but there's something to the tender texture of soy curls that can be somewhat crispy on the outside, and well absorbing of flavor and again, the texture works.

Behold the BeerBQ sandwich:


And how it came to be:

The key to soy curlin' is to flavor the hydrating liquid.
  • My liquid was a mix of boiling water, beer (an organic IPA) and hot sauce.
  • I then drained the curls, lightly squeezing them of their juices, and tossed with a bit of bbq sauce, tamari and more beer.
  • They sat in this marinade in the fridge for a few hours, while I ran errands, which including picking up some parbaked organic panini rolls and pickles.
  • Then it came to the matter of baking - I have panfried them before with success, but I wanted to use less oil. So I set my oven to 350F, threw the curls with a couple mists of olive oil onto parchment paper on a baking sheet, and cooked for 20 something minutes, tossing a couple times.
  • Then I sauced them with about 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce, cooked an additional 15 minutes or so, tossed, and then turned up the oven for an additional few minutes.
  • And then I bunned em. And ate em.


Time to buy some more.

22 comments:

Unknown said...

Now that I have a scooter I'm totally going to Food Fight to get some Worcestershire (sp?) sauce so I can make proper ceasar dressing. Gosh darnit.

Chelsea said...

I love the soy curls! Such a great idea to make a bbq sandwich with them. I'll have to try that very soon.

Anonymous said...

yay! thanks for this recipe...i just ordered some soy curls online a few days ago because you can't buy them here in missouri and was contemplating what to do with them...this recipe looks so yum, i will have to try it asap!

Bianca said...

That sounds so good! I've gotta order some more from Food Fight. Last time I bought some, I found them in this little po-dunk health food store in rural Tennessee...3 hours from Memphis and about 1 hour from any civilization, except for the old hippies at The Farm commune in Summertown.

I need more! I need to put beer on 'em!

Taylor said...

Very intrigued. I'm actually going to order some so I can try them out.

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

Ok you sold me. I've gotta get me some of those.

Anonymous said...

That looks so good. I am intimidated by soy curls, but your sandwich is making me want to try 'em out.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for trying these for me - I had heard good things about them but was scared to have a go with them. You have convinced me.

urban vegan said...

soy curls....oh my my. I need some, pronto!

Carrie™ said...

Yum! Soy curls sound like a product we have here called So Soya+. They come in oval shapes rather than strips. I never thought of doing this with them. Off to get some buns!!

Animal-Friendly said...

I have been so curious about Soy Curls, but I haven't tried them yet. Now your pictures of BeerBQ Soy Curls are making me even more eager to get some!

Anonymous said...

I've never tried soy curls. I'm with Destiny, they intimidate me for some reason. Looks good though!

Kati said...

Tasty looking sandwich!

I don't think I noticed before or if you changed it recently, but your title bar pictures sure look like you're gearing up for Fall. Me too! I say who needs summer...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip on flavoring the soy curls. I've not purchased these yet, because I haven't known what to do with them. The info you've given today has really helped!

Megan Anne said...

Wow... soy curls are totally new to me but your recipe and photos have convinced me. I must buy some!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a fun new product!

...barbara... said...

i hope to find soy curls when i am back in canada to try this recipe out....
the beer really sold me....i have been missing good beer....

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Soy Curl master!

Jillian of Bitchin' Vegan Kitchen said...

SOLD.

Carolyn said...

OK that's it. I ordered a boatload of these forever ago and they have been sitting in the freezer since then because I have also been sort of intimidated, as others have already posted (WTF? how can grown people be intimidated by inanimate foodstuffs???)They are getting BBQed, dagnabit, very shortly. I did a BBQ seitan strip sammich sorta thing recently and that was really good, glad to have a soy version too. My curls thank you.

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

Do it!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Nice. I have some leftover curls, and I am going to try this!

That last pic is delectable.