How do I use soya mince?

exlibris

I use the mince to pad out the chicken I make 'shepherd's' pie with. As said by othrs it is OK if well flavoured. I still have some soya chunks which are horrid. The texture is like gristle. Anyone any ideas before I consign it to food recycling please?

lightisfading

Just thought I'd add to this as I'm veggie.

Quorn mince isn't made out of soya but a mushroom-based thing. It's nt the same beast at all when it comes to flavour and texture. It IS much nicer but it's a lot more expensive so not a 'bulking out' ingredient for meat eaters. I have no problem with quorn in anything - I just cook it according to the 'meat' recipe, maybe a little less cooking time.

Soya mince I only occassionally use. I a) soak it in stock/splash of worcester sauce/etc to flavour it, and b) use MUCH less water than recommended. You can always add more if it's too dry but it's disgusting if you use too much. Pre-soak it in much the same way that you 'cook' couscous - in a bowl with barely enough liquid to cover it. Don't 'cook' it in a saucepan! I generally use it in a chill with loads of beans and veg - not as the main ingredient - and added near the end.

Bogof_Babe

I take it this was 'generic' soya mince, i.e. Holland & Barrett, and not a flavoured packet product like Beanfeast? I can recommend Beanfeast for your future experiments, especially the Bolognese Style variety, which is really rather nice. It used to be about 75p a pack (probably more now) that says "serves 2" but I find it makes four meals with added tinned tomatoes etc. It works out a lot cheaper than proper meat. I can make veggie bolognese for four for about £1.20 including the pasta!

I always add a good sloosh of soy sauce to the Beanfeast for extra flavour, which keeps it vegetarian.

[Deleted User]

I added some soaked soya mince to real mince last week, when I cooked spag bol. I soaked the soya and squeezed it so excess water was removed and I added about 1/4 soya to 3/4 beef. It was really lovely

CAT££

Hi

Why don't you add a tin of baked beans, some chili powder and chili flakes and cook slowly on the hob/slow cooker/oven, and serve with rice and some grated strong cheddar on top. Voila, you have veggie chili.

Hope you enjoy.

Cat.x

Greatgimp

All these suggestions are a bit of a gamble really, cos if it does nothing to improve the taste/texture, you're throwing more money away.

Gryfon

I used to use dried soya mince in spag bol when I was a poor student and it always tasted yummy! Did you remember to soak the mince before you used it? Maybe throw in a bit of Worcester sauce, garlic puree and some tomato puree.

Menolly_2

kittie wrote: »

I added some soaked soya mince to real mince last week, when I cooked spag bol. I soaked the soya and squeezed it so excess water was removed and I added about 1/4 soya to 3/4 beef. It was really lovely

I did this when making the Humongous Chilli Con Carne for Samhain last week - it helped to make the mince go further. Of course, it was a rather "hot" chilli, so I think that helped too. Those proportions seem to be about right - enough make the meat go further but not so much as to be "noticeable".

irishwexford

I have two veggie granddaughters and often cook spag bol with Tesco veggie mince or quorn and they taste fine. OH and have the same meal. When its just for us I often make it half meat and half veggie. I do put extra tomato paste and not so much liquid in the veggie one.

Penelope_Penguin

I tried soya mince once - never again _pale_ I'll add this to the existing thread [URL="javascript:;"][/URL]

Penny. x