Lemon Soy Curls

Difficulty: Easy

Serves 4

I’m yet to make it to Spoon’s Vegetarian Butcher in Newtown however my brother did bring me home a few special treats from his recent visit. Amongst these treats was a bag of soy curls; think TVP but in big, chickeny pieces and lighter in colour. This was my first encounter with soy curls but they seem to be incredibly versatile. I decided to use them to make a dish based on lemon chicken and the result was sweet, tangy and delicious. The texture is reminiscent of chicken and absorbs flavour really well. This is a dish you can whip up in a flash on a weeknight, so keep the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients

• 230 gram packet soy curls
• 1 chicken style stock cube
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into sticks
• 1 red capsicum, cut into chunks
• Parsley and spring onion, finely chopped
• Fresh lemon to serve

• Juice of 3 lemons
• 1 cup chicken style stock
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegan syrup (I use Sweet Freedom)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Tip the soy curls and one stock cube into a large bowl and fill with hot water until it just covers the curls. Set aside for 10 minutes before draining any excess liquid.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wok and add the onion, garlic, ginger and soy curls. Cook for about 5 minutes before adding the carrot. Cook for a further few minutes before adding the capsicum and fresh herbs.
3. In a saucepan combine the lemon juice, stock, cornflour, soy sauce, brown sugar, syrup and bring to the boil until thickened.
4. Pour the lemon sauce into wok and stir through.
5. Serve with rice and a slice of lemon.