Ingredients
300g dried soy “meat” (textured soy protein), such as chunks, cubes, steaks, fillets or mince
500ml vegetable stock
Vegetable oil for frying
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
Pepper
Salt
More spices/condiments if desired (tomato purée, paprika, barbecue spice mix, other spice mixes)
Textured soy protein is available in a very broad range of different forms. You can get large soy steaks – which are great for making vegan schnitzel and covering in breadcrumbs; soy fillets – which you can use to make vegan nuggets; soy cubes for goulash and “meat” skewers; soy mince for veggie bolognese; or soy chunks for Greek gyros etc.
Preparing your soy products is really easy. First, decide which meat dish you want to create a soy “meat” replacement for. Soy “meat” is very versatile and can be prepared in many different ways. Textured soy, especially, with its fibers, has a very similar texture to that of the meat it imitates.
Easy and delicious
how to prepare soy correctly
step 1 - soaking
Either: Take a bowl and soak your textured soy protein in hot vegetable stock for around 10-15 minutes. This way, your soy chunks, cubes, fillets etc. will become lovely and soft.
Or: Bring water to the boil in a saucepan, and allow the soy “meat” to simmer in it for a while. After that, take the saucepan off the hob and leave the soy “meat” to soak in the water for around 10 minutes.
step 2 - drain and rinse
When the soy “meat” has become nice and soft, drain it using a sieve. Here's a tip for getting rid of the taste of soy flour: after boiling or soaking, you can also rinse the soy “meat” thoroughly several times with the help of a sieve.
The best thing to do to get rid of the flavor of the soy flavour is to rinse the soy “meat” five times, until the water runs completely clear. This variation takes more effort than just draining, but trust us – it’s worth it. This way, you’ll get neutral-tasting soy “meat” without any soy flour aftertaste – the ideal basis to which to add any seasoning you want.
step 3 - pressing out the liquid
Whether you soak your soy “meat” or boil it, after you've drained it and perhaps also rinsed it, it’s important to press as much liquid as possible out of the chunks or cubes.
To do so, simply use your hands or a flat-bottomed kitchen utensil, and press it firmly onto your soy “meat”. The less liquid that remains in the individual pieces, the better the soy “meat” will be able to take on the seasoning or marinade which you add to it later. More on that in the next step.
step 4 - seasoning
Now it’s time for you to show what good taste you have. Give your soy “meat” pieces a kick of flavor. For this you could use salt, pepper and spice mixes for chicken, Greek gyros, barbecue seasoning, paprika etc. You could also use tomato purée and soy sauce or mustard to conjure up a silky broth which will give your soy “meat” an expertly crafted marinade in keeping with your taste.
Rule of thumb: the more intense you want the flavor to end up, the longer you should leave the soy “meat” to marinate in the seasoning. Go for at least 15 minutes, though.
the products
here you can get the products for your soy preparation
step 5 - frying
Now add your soy “meat” to a pan – ideally, a non-stick one – with hot vegetable oil in it, and fry your chunks, cubes or steaks over a powerful heat. After 6-8 minutes, the outside should be nicely browned and crispy. And there you have it!
All that’s left to do is to wish you: Buon Appetito!
