Soy Curls with Chickpeas and Tomato Sauce
I would say this recipe reminds me a bit of chicken cacciatore and it’s one of my favorite ways to make Soy Curls. I find Soy Curls need to be seasoned well and it’s nice to have a sauce to cook them in for better flavor. Sometimes I add sautéed eggplant to this recipe, but I didn’t have any today, so it’s just onions, soy curls and chickpeas in tomato sauce. I served mine with multigrain rice from Trader Joe’s but you can also serve this over pasta, couscous, quinoa or another rice of your choice.
Soy Curls are a non-GMO product made by Butler Foods and come from Portland, Oregon. So if you’re in Portland you will find them at Food Fight Vegan Grocery, Whole Foods and other health food stores. You can also sample them in dishes at places like Homegrown Smoker Food Cart, A N D Cafe, Blossoming Lotus Restaurant and many more.
There are a lot of different ways you can prepare Soy Curls. I like that they are a dry product that you can keep in the cupboard as opposed to having to refrigerate it or freeze it and it’s unflavored so you can season it however you want.
Here is what the package looks like. One package will make 3-4 recipes for 4 servings.
If you don’t live in Portland you can buy Soy Curls online and have them shipped anywhere in the continental USA (my mom orders these and has them shipped to her place in Texas).
I prefer to not use the chicken style seasoning they sell as it contains hydrolized soy protein which is another term for MSG. (For more info on food ingredient terms that contain or mean MSG check out http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html)
Here is one of my favorite ways to prepare Soy Curls. You can use this recipe or adapt it to contain whatever seasonings you desire. You can even turn it into a curry if you want to add cayenne pepper or hot chilies too.
Soy Curls With Chickpeas In Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (I use Muir Glen Organic)
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained (I use Eden Organics Salt-Free)
1 – 1 1/2 cups Soy Curls (buy on Amazon here)
Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute to taste (or other salt free herb seasoning)
Herbamare or salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Soak Soy Curls in a large bowl of warm water and sprinkle in some salt and 21 Seasoning Salute. Adding some salt will help give the soy curls some flavor. Leave for 8-10 minutes while you chop your onion and garlic.
2. In a large non-stick skillet or wok sauté onion and garlic dry for 4-5 minutes until soft.
3. Drain the Soy Curls, season with more 21 Seasoning Salute or salt free seasoning and add to the pan and sauté until the soy curls dry out a bit (4-5 minutes.)
4. Add tomatoes and drained chickpeas, and stir. Break up the tomatoes and season to taste with Herbamare or salt and pepper and any other desired seasonings.
5. Cook until tomatoes are soft.
6. Serve with rice, quinoa or pasta.
Have you ever tried Soy Curls before? What’s your favorite way to cook them?
Made the recipe tonight and we really, really liked it. Had never heard of Soy Curls before, but went to the local Seventh Day Adventist store and they had them — Butler’s Soy Curls in packages, and also in the bulk bins.
The taste of the recipe was very, very good. The soy curls added extra texture and made it look like thin strips of chicken were in the curry.
Thank you — this recipe is a definite “Keeper”!!
You’re welcome Tina. I really love adding soy curls to recipes because their taste (when seasoned) and texture are a great replacement for chicken. I use them in stir fries, curries, pasta recipes and more. Pretty much any recipe with a sauce can work with soy curls and they are quite popular in Portland where they originate from the restaurants even have them on the menu. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Every time i go down to Portland or Seattle I pick some up!
I’ve made this recipe a few times. I adjust the spices, leave out the onion and garlic because of allergies and use crushed tomatoes instead of diced. The spices I use are: oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. This is delicious and everyone in my family will eat it! Thank you!
I like soy curls. I think that homemade seitan ( I do not like that word!!!) would also work :). This is a comfort food. Thanks again.
I love the sweet and sour receipe put out by the makers of soy curles. I plan to try this one withe the chickpeas and tomato sauce. It looks delicious.
I make a broccoli soy curls casserole from Susan’s fatfreevegan.com. Delicious!
This really looks soo delicious – and so simple to make!
I’ve never seen soy curls before. I’ve always stayed away from anything with textured soy protein – but this looks quite different. Am going to see if I can get them shipped to Australia.
Thanks for the recipe:)
I add them to Chili, make a wonderful “chicken like salad”