How to make Soy Curls (Easy Recipe)
Soy curls are dried strips of whole soybean. Cover them with water for 9 minutes, drain and squeeze them out properly, then fry them in a little oil until the edges crisp and toss them through BBQ sauce. That is the whole method, and it takes about 15 minutes. They are mild and chewy on their own, which is the point: they take on whatever you put them in.
What soy curls actually are
Whole soybeans, cooked and then dried into strips. Nothing else. No isolates, no binders, no flavourings.
That matters because it is what separates them from TVP, the other dried soy product they get confused with. TVP is made from defatted soy flour, a by-product of pressing soybeans for oil, then extruded into shapes. Soy curls are the bean itself, still with its fat in it. Same raw material, two very different processes.
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In the pan you notice the difference straight away. TVP goes soft and slightly grainy. Soy curls stay in strips, crisp at the edges and keep a chew through the middle, which is why people reach for them when they want something to stand in for shredded chicken.
The one thing people get wrong
Squeezing. After the soak, most of the water needs to come out, and the instinct is to give them a gentle press and move on. Do that and they steam in the pan instead of frying, and you get soft beige strips instead of crisp brown ones.
Wring them out in a clean tea towel like you are drying lettuce. It feels excessive. It is the difference between the two results.
Soy Curls with BBQ Sauce
- Prep time: 2 minutes
- Soaking time: 9 minutes
- Cook time: 8 minutes
- Total time: 19 minutes
- Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried soy curls, about 60g
- Boiling water, enough to cover
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 tablespoons vegan BBQ sauce, plus extra to serve
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rehydrate. Put the soy curls in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave 9 minutes. They will roughly triple in size and go soft the whole way through.
- Drain and wring them out. Tip into a colander, then transfer to a clean tea towel and squeeze hard. Get as much water out as you can. This is the step that decides the texture.
- Fry. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high. Add the soy curls in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes so they colour, then turn and do the other side. Season as they go.
- Sauce. Take the pan off the heat before the sauce goes anywhere near it, otherwise the sugar in it burns. Pour over the BBQ sauce and toss until every strip is coated.
- Serve straight away, with extra sauce for dipping.
Tips
- Soak in vegetable stock instead of water if you have some. They take up whatever they are soaked in, and it is free flavour.
- Give them a light bash with a rolling pin before frying if you want the shredded, pulled texture rather than strips.
- Do not crowd the pan. Two batches with space beat one batch that steams.
- Dried soy curls keep for months in the pantry, so it is worth having a bag in there for the night nothing is planned.
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What else to do with them
BBQ sauce is the easy first go. Once you have the soak-squeeze-fry method, the rest is just what you toss them in.
- Fajitas. Fry with sliced capsicum and onion, then smoked paprika, cumin and lime.
- Buffalo strips. Hot sauce and a little vegan butter, off the heat, then into a wrap.
- Stir fry. Straight into a hot wok with garlic, ginger and soy at the end.
- Soup and stew. Skip the frying and add them dry in the last 20 minutes, letting them rehydrate in the broth.
- Sandwiches. Shredded, sauced and piled on a soft roll with slaw.
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Storing them
Dry, in the sealed bag or an airtight jar somewhere cool and dark, they keep for months. Check the best-before on the pack. Long term, the freezer is better than the pantry.
Cooked, in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. They firm up cold and come back well in a hot pan. Sauced ones go softer as they sit, so if you are making a batch for the week, fry them plain and sauce each portion as you go.
They freeze cooked, though the texture loosens a little on thawing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are soy curls made of?
Whole non-GMO soybeans, cooked and dried, and nothing else. No additives, no chemicals, no isolates. Butler Foods is the brand most people mean when they say soy curls, and it is the one usually stocked online.
What is the difference between soy curls and TVP?
Soy curls are made from the whole bean, so they keep the soybean’s fat and fibre. TVP is made from defatted soy flour left over from oil pressing, then extruded. In practice soy curls hold their shape and chew, while TVP goes softer and finer. They are not interchangeable in a recipe.
What do soy curls taste like?
Mild and faintly nutty on their own, similar to plain tofu. They are close to flavourless by design, which is why every recipe for them is really a recipe for what you put on them.
Do I have to soak them?
Yes, unless they are going into something wet. In a soup or a stew you can add them dry in the last 20 minutes and let the liquid do it. For anything fried, they need the soak first or they stay tough.
Why did mine come out soggy?
Almost always because they were not squeezed hard enough after soaking. Wring them out in a tea towel until no more water comes. Crowding the pan does it too.
How much protein is in soy curls?
They are made from whole soybeans, so they bring the protein and fibre the bean has, and no cholesterol. The exact numbers vary by brand, so check the pack rather than trusting a figure from a recipe page.
Where can I buy soy curls?
Mostly online. They are easy to find in the United States and Canada, harder in the UK and Australia, and largely an internet order elsewhere. Butler Foods sells direct and they turn up on Amazon and in health food shops.
Are soy curls gluten free?
Yes, plain dried soy curls are just soybean. The thing to check is whatever you toss them in, since BBQ sauce, soy sauce and most marinades often contain wheat.
Can I air fry them?
Yes, and it works well. Soak, squeeze, toss in a teaspoon of oil, then 12 to 14 minutes at 200C, shaking halfway. Sauce them after, not before.
The short version
Soak 9 minutes, squeeze them until they are almost dry, fry until the edges crisp, sauce off the heat. The squeezing is the whole trick, and everything after that is just deciding what flavour you are in the mood for.
- how to make soy curls
- vegan soy curls recipe
