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Whether you’re brand new to cooking with soy curls or you’re a seasoned pro, I know that you’re going to love these flavorful Soy Curls Fajitas! They comes together just like traditional fajitas, very quickly, but with soy curls instead of chicken or steak.
UPDATE: I wrote a whole post about soy curls with a round up some of my favorite recipes! Check it OUT HERE!
Have you ever tried soy curls before!? They’re so underrated and I’m excited to be cooking with them more. They’re widely available in the Portland, Oregon area so ever since we moved here, I’ve had so much fun with them.
I was first introduced to soy curls by Caitlin from From My Bowl. She has several DELICIOUS soy curls recipes like this Vegan Sesame “Chicken” and this Vegan “Beef” & Broccoli.
But before we dive into the recipe….
What are Soy Curls?
Soy curls are exactly what they sound like, curls of SOY. They have just ONE ingredient in them: “textured whole soy beans”. I love them for being so simple!
The texture and look is weirdly similar to chicken although they are softer and a bit chewier. They’re easy to cook with and work well to absorb different flavors making them very versatile.
One of the other things that is great about soy curls is that they are store at room temperature and will last in your pantry for quite a while (mine had an expiration date about 6 months after the date that I bought them). SO, if you can get your hands on them, I suggest picking up a few packs and keeping them on hand for easy dinners!
How much protein in soy curls?
Soy curls are relatively high in protein and contain 11g of protein per serving. It’s a great protein source and meat substitute!
When you buy soy curls, they are dried and kind of resemble a thick potato chip.
Before you cook them, you need to re-hydrate them. The package has you do this in about 3 cups of very hot water. However, we’re going to use a fajita marinade of sorts. We’re going to rehydrate them AND marinate them at the same time!
To do this, you simply add the soy curls to a large bowl and then mix in the broth, lime and orange juice, plus all of the spices and flavorings. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and that’s it!
Once done, gently squeeze the excess moisture from the soy curls and you’re ready to cook with them! The
While the soy curls are marinating, I sautee the veggies and then set them aside. Then you add the soy curls into the same skillet and cook them for just about 5 minutes so that they can get a little brown on all of the edges. Add the veggies back in ENJOY!
So simple but seriously SO GOOD!
I really can’t wait to hear what you think of the soy curls and this recipe! Snap a quick photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! OR come back here to leave a comment.
See how to make the Vegan Fajitas here:
Soy Curls Fajitas
Ingredients
For the Soy Curls:
- 2 cups of soy curls
- Juice and zest of 1 orange, ~¼ cup of juice
- Juice of 2 limes, ~¼ cup of juice
- 3 tablespoons of cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke, optional
- 2 cups of extra hot broth, you can also just use water but the broth adds a lot of nice flavor
For the Fajitas:
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- For serving: avocado, guacamole, salsa, tortillas
Instructions
- Place the soy curls in a large bowl and add in the remaining soy curl ingredients: broth, orange juice and zest, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, oregano, salt, cumin, and liquid smoke. Stir to combine everything and press the curls down into the liquid. If your curls aren’t *mostly* covered (see video for reference), you can add an additional cup of hot broth/ water. Let sit for at least 10 minutes or even up to an hour.*
- While the soy curls marinate, saute your veggies. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the peppers, onions, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the veggies are soft. Set aside.
- Using your hands, remove the soy curls from the marinade and gently squeeze out the excess moisture. Place in a clean bowl. You *do not* need to remove all of the moisture and keeping a little will add extra flavor. You just don’t want them to be soupy and totally dripping wet when they go in the skillet.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and add in the soy curls. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, so that they are lightly browned on all sides.
- Add the peppers and onions back to the skillet and stir to combine everything. Cook for an additional 2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
- Serve as desired and ENJOY!
Delicious and pretty easy! Soy curls are amazing and fun to experiment with.
Look forward to good recipes.
Which soy curls do you recommend?
the only ones I have ever tried are the Butler brand
This message is for the author: Yes, by all means, you can certainly marinate Butler Soy Curls overnight. In fact, that is the only way that I make any type of “meat” recipe using Butler Soy Curls. Whether it’s making Mongolian “Beef” and Fried Rice, Chicago-Style Italian “Beef” Subs, Vegan “Pastrami” Sandwiches, Corned “Beef” (for Vegan Reuben Sandwiches or Corned “Beef” and Cabbage), Vegan “Steak” Fajitas, or anything else. I should add, though, that the minimum that I make is an 8 ounce batch of Soy Curls (or multiples, thereof), which is the standard size package. (Although, since Soy Curls are the primary vegan meat substitute that I use, I buy it in bulk, and just weigh out the Soy Curls. In regards to your recipe, this would essentially be a triple batch, as 8 ounces of Butler Soy Curls by weight is about 6 cups by volume.) An 8 ounce package of dry Soy Curls, once re-hydrated, yields the equivalent of 1 1/2 pounds of “meat.” The Vegan “Steak” Fajita Marinade that I use for 8 ounces of Butler Soy Curls is: [LIQUID INGREDIENTS] 5 cups Mushroom Broth; 1/2 cup Tamari Sauce; 3/4 cup Orange Juice; 3/4 cup Lime Juice; [DRY INGREDIENTS] 2 tablespoons Chili Powder; 1 tablespoon Dried Cilantro; 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano; 2 teaspoons Cumin; 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder; 2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt; and 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke. Using Mushroom Broth and Tamari Sauce (along with the Liquid Smoke) helps to give the Soy Curls a more “beefy” flavor, and the two ingredients also act as a vegan “browning sauce.” (This yields a light to medium brown color. If I need a darker brown color, I will add 1 teaspoon of Non-Alkalized [i.e., “Natural”] Cocoa Powder per pound of yielded “meat,” which, in the case of 8 ounces of Butler Soy Curls would be 1 1/2 teaspoons of Cocoa Powder. To add pink or red coloring to the “meat,” to make Vegan “Pastrami” or Corned “Beef,” for example, I add a small amount of red beet powder to the marinade, just prior to pouring it on the Soy Curls.) I always use a marinade of 7 cups of liquid ingredients to 8 ounces (or 6 cups) of dry Soy Curls (whether it’s 6 cups of Mushroom Broth, 1/2 cup of Tamari Sauce, and 1/2 cup of Canola Oil [which is my basic “Beef” Marinade]; or as was done here, where the mushroom broth amount is reduced by a cup, the oil is removed, and the fruit juices “take up the slack”). Yes, this may yield much more marinade than one may need to cover the Soy Curls, but I have found that less than this (and not letting the “meat” marinate overnight) does not yield as good of a result as using these amounts and methods (with any remaining “unflavored Soy Curl” taste being almost completely eliminated by marinating in this amount of liquid, and always marinating for at least 12 hours before cooking. With the first batch of Vegan “Steak” Fajitas that I made early last year, I followed other recipes that use a much lesser amount of liquid and the company’s suggested length of”re-hydration” time, and I didn’t care for the results). The way that I make any Soy Curl “meat” is by first doing my mise en place – weighing out the Soy Curls (which I put in a large food storage container that will hold both the Soy Curls and the Marinade) and measuring out all of the dry herbs, spices and seasonings. Then, in a large saucepan, combine the liquid ingredients; whisk in the dry ingredients until the seasonings are dissolved and/or thoroughly mixed; and over medium-high heat, bring the marinade to a boil, whisking or stirring occasionally. Once the marinade has begun to boil, take the saucepan off the burner, and pour it over the Soy Curls. Then, using a slotted spoon, stir and submerge the Soy Curls until they are evenly saturated with the marinade and begin to soften. Leave the food container with the marinating Soy Curls out on the counter for at least thirty minutes, to cool down; then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. When ready to make your Fajitas, sandwiches, etc., remove the marinated Soy Curls from the refrigerator, and squeeze the excess marinade from the Soy Curls. (I know some other chefs and cooks like to press the Soy Curls against a sieve or colander with a spoon. I’ve tried it, and I don’t care for that method. Like you, I have found that the very best, and easiest way is to squeeze the excess marinade from the Soy Curls using your hands. I also squeeze the excess marinade back into the original food container that I marinated the Soy Curls in, and then I place the “squeezed” Soy Curls into another container, so the remaining marinade can be ladled into the Soy Curls, when cooking, if desired; or the marinade can even be bottled as is, or made into a sauce, to be used at a later time.) With the above Fajita recipe, I transfer about 2 cups of the remaining marinade to a 2-cup glass measuring cup, and since everybody likes different “toppings,” I wind up having to prepare onions, peppers, etc., separately; as well as preparing the “meat” separately, and then assembling each Fajita “to order.” When preparing each topping, as well as when cooking the seasoned Fajita “Steak” Strips, I pour small amounts of the marinade in with the ingredient that I am cooking, to better flavor it, and keep the taste consistent. As I generally make Fajitas using large “Burrito” size flour tortillas that I make from scratch (i.e., about 10 inches in diameter, but not exactly consistent in size or shape, as I roll them out with a rolling pin, and me keeping tortillas perfectly round, for whatever reason, is a virtual impossibility; as is putting the tortilla onto a hot comal without one edge or other folding on me, and having to try to quickly unfold it with tongs before it cooks that way [an attempt that is rarely successful]), this particular recipe, using 8 ounces of Soy Curls, will yield 4 large Fajitas. I would imagine using 6-inch “Taco” size flour tortillas would yield 6 to 8 – depending on how much “meat” and veggies you put in your Fajitas. This recipe is still one of my “Test Kitchen” recipes (of course, I am still in the “Test Kitchen” phase), so I have not determined “meat” portion sizes for each Fajita, but I have settled on this recipe for the marinade. To be honest, I have no idea how I got to this webpage, or why I have spent over an hour writing this gargantuan comment (especially, since I never post comments anywhere); however, in any case, I hope that this comment helps you, and encourages you to experiment more with Soy Curls (and I’m quite sure that it has removed any inkling of a doubt, as to whether or not you can marinate Butler Soy Curls overnight). Best wishes. –The Healthy Hermit
This might indeed be one of the longest comments I have ever received on my blog and I absolutely LOVE IT! Thanks for the recommendation on marinating them overnight. I’m still pretty new to cooking with them but I’m so excited to experiment some more. And I will certainly be saving your recipes to try soon :)