What? Two soy curl recipes in a row??! You probably think you won the lottery! Maybe you did. All I know is that I made this dish last night and it was so good, I had to share it right away. It wouldn’t be fair to make you wait weeks for it.
Last night I asked Tom the question he dreads every day – “What do you want for dinner?” He dreads it because it’s so hard to choose but I always ask in case he wants something specific or if I can’t think of what I want either. He said he felt like Chinese food so I started the brown rice cooking while I tried to figure out what to make.
Asking Tom if he wanted soy curls was really not necessary because he always enthusiastically says yes. Who wouldn’t? Butler Soy Curls are amazing! I’m working on my 100 recipes with soy curls and this dish is definitely in my Top Ten.
I’ve made vegan orange dishes before – I made this Vegan Orange Chicken with Zucchini Noodles, Orange Hoisin Tofu with Cashews, Orange Balsamic BBQ Tempeh with Cheesy Polenta, and Vegan Orange Soy Maple Sticky Tenders. I love the combination of orange with deep savory flavors like balsamic vinegar, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. The orange brightens up the salty umami flavors and it’s so delicious.
This time I wanted to make a more authentic version of the classic orange chicken dish which meant I had to make the “chicken” part crispy. It only takes a little bit of arrowroot powder or corn starch to make that happen. I pan-fried the soy curls in seasoned arrowroot powder. It made a really crispy exterior and I had to control myself to not just eat them all straight out of the bowl.
Since I wanted this to be a one-pot dish (except for the brown rice cooking in its own pot), I did everything in stages. First I made those amazingly crispy soy curls. Then I steamed the broccoli. Next I sauteed a bunch of veggies. I used what I had so the mix consisted of scallions, green beans, bell peppers, carrots and celery.
After the veggies were done and transferred to a bowl, I made the sauce. It’s just orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, tamari, aromatics and a slurry made of arrowroot powder and water. I add more orange juice than most recipes call for. I mean, it’s orange “chicken” so why so little orange juice and so much lemon juice? I want it more orange-y. The sauce gets thick really fast once you add the slurry so you have to get those soy curls (or what’s left of them) back in the pan quickly. Toss to coat the soy curls in the sauce and you have the most decadent orange flavored “chicken” ever!
Then I tossed the mixed veggies in the sauce too. The steamed broccoli was served separately just so everything wasn’t covered in sauce – not that that would be a bad thing.
This Vegan Orange Soy Curl Chicken is sweet, spicy, sticky and delicious. It was declared a “favorite” last night so I know I’ll be making this again. Enjoy!
Vegan Orange Soy Curl Chicken
GF
For the Soy Curls
1 package Butler Soy Curls
2 Tbs. arrowroot powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. 5-spice powder
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the dish
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, julienned
3 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ lb. green beans, chopped
¾ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
3 Tbs. gluten-free tamari
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbs. arrowroot +3 Tbs. cold water
Scallion greens for garnish
Brown rice
Empty the soy curls into a bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand 10 minutes until softened. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and pat dry. Toss with arrowroot powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and 5-spice powder.
In a deep saute pan or wok, heat a few spoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook the soy curls until browned, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and try not to eat them.
In the same pan, heat more oil and add the celery, carrots, scallions, bell peppers and green beans. Saute over high heat until the veggies begin to soften. They should be crisp=tender. Transfer the veggies to a bowl and set aside.
In the same pan, add the orange juice, lemon juice, brown rice vinegar, tamari, and Sriracha. Mix in the brown sugar, garlic, and ginger until you have a smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning adjustments. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer a minute or two.
In a mug, mix the arrowroot powder and water. Pour this into the sauce and mix well. Quickly add the soy curls back into the sauce and toss to coat. Add the veggies back to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Garnish with scallion greens and serve with rice.
The “V” Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.
- For the Soy Curls
- 1 package Butler Soy Curls
- 2 Tbs. arrowroot powder
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. 5-spice powder
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- For the dish
- 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, julienned
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ lb. green beans, chopped
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup brown rice vinegar
- 3 Tbs. gluten-free tamari
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
- 1 Tbs. arrowroot +3 Tbs. cold water
- Scallion greens for garnish
- Brown rice
- Empty the soy curls into a bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand 10 minutes until softened. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and pat dry. Toss with arrowroot powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and 5-spice powder.
- In a deep saute pan or wok, heat a few spoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook the soy curls until browned, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and try not to eat them.
- In the same pan, heat more oil and add the celery, carrots, scallions, bell peppers and green beans. Saute over high heat until the veggies begin to soften. They should be crisp=tender. Transfer the veggies to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the orange juice, lemon juice, brown rice vinegar, tamari, and Sriracha. Mix in the brown sugar, garlic, and ginger until you have a smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning adjustments. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer a minute or two.
- In a mug, mix the arrowroot powder and water. Pour this into the sauce and mix well. Quickly add the soy curls back into the sauce and toss to coat. Add the veggies back to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Garnish with scallion greens and serve with rice.
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