How do I use soya mince?

[tiff]

Just read the Quinoa thread and it reminded me that I have a packet of soya mince in the cupboard that I've been too frightened to use not knowing what it tastes like.

Is it a good substitute for Quorn/mince for spaghetti bolognese/chilli etc or does it taste yuk?

[Austin Allegro]

I tried it once. It was pleasant enough, but you could tell it wasn't 'real' mince. It could be used perhaps to 'cut' real mince, but as I recall it cost about the same as real mince anyway!

[Trow]

Put it this way - I served up a friend who is a chef a soya bolognaise and half way through eating he looked at me and said in shock 'are you eating meat?'

Soak it in boiling water for a while till it is soaked in before you cook - I don't bother measuring, I just pour on water and if it all soaks in add some more till there is some left - after all you need liquid for the sauce

[tiff]

Actually Austin it was about 92p for the packet but not sure how far that will stretch.

Thanks Trow, might have it tomorrow night in bolognese and see if the kids turn their noses up lol

[Debt_Free_Chick]

Originally Posted by tiff

Just read the Quinoa thread and it reminded me that I have a packet of soya mince in the cupboard that I've been too frightened to use not knowing what it tastes like.

Is it a good substitute for Quorn/mince for spaghetti bolognese/chilli etc or does it taste yuk?

It tastes yuk, but then does Quorn and minced beef ... on their own I find that all these things just provide bulk & texture (and protein), but the flavour is in the seasoning, herbs and other add-ons like tinned toms, onions, garlic etc

Just use it as you would mince ... bolognaise, lasagne, Cottage Pie.

[fazer6]

I got some bogoff in tesco so it'll work out healthier and cheaper than normal mince. I plan to use it to stretch meat further rather than as a complete replacement.

[tiff]

Was the bogof on frozen or dried soya, fazer?

[fazer6]

Frozen. It was £1.99 for a bag of 454g. Just checked my receipt as I couldn't remember if it was that or the chicken boobs that were £1.99. My tesco also has all their turkeys half price so I got a big 4-6 person one for £6. There's only 2 of us so it'll be turkey for weeks when I cook it.

[tiff]

Yes, I got one of those turkeys and cooked it last weekend, except ours was £8.50 for 8 to 10 people. It made 3 1lb portions for the freezer plus sandwiches. I didnt know until today that you can get frozen soya mince, I've only seen dried!

[fazer6]

I think it was soya mince, could have been quorn though, I've slept since then so I'm not entirely sure. I remember I was looking for soya mince because someone had mentioned it on here, and then I saw the bogoff stuff. It's not meat and that's all I can be sure of.

I was looking at the bigger turkeys but persuaded myself that a £12 turkey for 2 people might be slightly excessive!

[nickinoo]

Soya mince is great stuff, I have served it up to numerous carnivores in various forms with no complaints. I think the texture is more like proper meat than Quorn (except I haven't eaten meat for years so I could be deluded), Holland & Barrett sell soya chunks which would be a great substitute in pies etc but I personally find them a bit "too meaty".

[Trow]

As to the argument that it is more expensive - I don't believe so, as when you buy meat mince the weight you get is the weight you get, whereas with soya mince it is usually dried so that you add water and it bulks up a lot.

[fazer6]

and depending on the meat quality you'll get some fat too which I do try and drain off to be healthier so I'm throwing away what I've paid for but that won't happen with soya.

[tiff]

Erm, I really wanted to like it but I hated it. I made Spag Bol in the usual kind of way, softened onions and peppers (we dont have mushrooms in ours due to husband not liking them) added soya and 3/4 pint of water, added tin toms, stock cube, mixed herbs, garlic, tomato puree and kept on adding the puree but the soya had a nasty tang. Threw a load of cheese on top and ate it but not for us I'm afraid.

[Luis]

Hello!

Currently in the use-up-what-I-can-find-in-the-cupboard mode, and found a bag of Soya Mince purchased from Sainsbug's ages ago on a whim for 67p, as my Granny used to use it a lot for veggie cooking. Decided to make a 'Shepherd's / Cottage' type pie with it.

Only, when reconstituted (soak in boiling water for 1 min then drain and use as normal mince), it makes about 4 times as much (says on packet 200g dry makes 800g mince.......).

So - used 100g at a cost of 33.5p, tin value toms 17p, tin Aldi beans 7p, 1 onion 10p, tatoes for mash say 25p, 2 stock cubes few pennies, squeeze tomato puree, pinch paprika and pinch chinese five spice and voila a 4 portion meal for less than a quid! And it was delicious!

Also, according to various sites I have trundled around on the internet, soya is claimed to lower cholesterol, be virtually fat free, high in fibre, reduces the risk of breast, prostrate and colon cancer etc.

PLUS - it is so easy to flavour and store.

Can't see me buying real mince again ever.

[catznine]

I have been using soya mince for many years now as oh cannot have real mince (tho he can manage roast beef, steak etc :rolleyes We find it very money saving and filling.

I use it in currys, chillis, spicey pasties, shepherds pies in fact anywhere I would use the real mince. I don't really like the soya chunks though.

[Lyndsay_21]

wow i might get some i used to buy veggie mince to bulk out real mince dishes but it is expensive where in the aisles can it be found and what roughly does it look like?

[bailey]

Taste wise is it much different from quorn, which i love but its quite pricey. Do Tesco sell it?

[Luis]

I found it in the section where they do all the bags of dry pulses etc, it was just a 200g bag of dry mince, a sort of beigey colour, little granules. It was Sainsbury's own brand - I can't see any reason why Tesco's wouldn't stock it?

I don't think it has any taste of it's own per se, which is why it is so god and versatile for cooking with, you can flavour it as you wish with stock cubes, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, herbs, spices, garlic etc etc.

Had the second portion reheated tonight, even better

I have used it before years ago, but had forgotten it - now I can't see me going back to meat mince ever.

[Jolaaled]

my tesco don't sell it, but i can get it at holland and barrett-type stores..altho tesco do see the frozen variety..but it's far more expensive