How do I use soya mince?

ChocClare

If you're not sure, then how about making a quantity of it up with boiling water or stock so that it's more of a mince consistency, then adding it a tablespoonful at a time to your mince? You can freeze any leftover stuff for next time.

The reason I say this is that my lot were very sniffy at the thought of anything being added to the ol' spag bol, so I g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y added stuff - a spoonful of lentils the first time we tried it, then two etc. until they got used to the fact that that's just what spag bol tasted like ... :T

If he makes a big fuss the very first time, then maybe you could use the stuff you've made up on its own in something like a chilli which already has beans and chilli and other things and just tell him it's vegetarian chilli. Served with nachos or garlic bread and sour cream, he probably wouldn't even notice...

babyshoes

From past experience, the difference with soya mince is the taste more than the texture, so if you have a fairly bland type of soya mince, or your mince meals are full of herbs, spices, tomato, garlic etc then the flavour of the final dish won't be too affected by the soya mince.

I agree to start small though. If you make up a batch with stock, taste it and from there decide how much or how little you will add at first, then do a bit more next time. It may have improved since I last used it, as the flavour then was quite artificial, but you could usually add about a quarter to a third of soya without anyone noticing.

I have recently started gradually adding oats to my spag bol, and my partner hasn't noticed yet - and last time I added a large handful! It helps that I add them just before the stock, so they soak up all the beefy flavour of the stock and brown nicely before I add tomato. I can see them if I look for them, but they don't affect the flavour or texture in any way - if you don't know they are in there, you would never tell!

kitschkitty

babyshoes wrote: »

From past experience, the difference with soya mince is the taste more than the texture, so if you have a fairly bland type of soya mince, or your mince meals are full of herbs, spices, tomato, garlic etc then the flavour of the final dish won't be too affected by the soya mince.

I agree, my OH likes "real mince" and was most offended after eating spag bol one day when I told him it was about 60/40 mince and soya - he hadn't noticed at all, in fact I asked him how it was (before telling him) and he said lovely! :rotfl:

So long as you get/make good flavourful meat/seasoning/sauce you can add a fair whack I recon.

ubamother

I am a big fan of this stuff - don't like the texture of lentils with mince so this bulks out my mince dishes - I use 2/3 mince to 1/3 soya. I always use it to make meatballs - with no extra moisture - because it is dry it soaks up the moisture from the onions and beef/lamb mince and the meatballs really hold together well. Also, I find it works particularly well with cumin/coriandar/cinnamon type minced based dishes - homemade donnar type kebabs are excellent with a lamb/soya mince mix.

Sweey_as_a_nut

First time for me to visit this part of the site, so if what I wrote as been said before, sorry.

I eat meat, and as we are told it's not good to eat to much. So what I do now is instead of using beef mince I use soya, the dry type you have to rehydrate it before use and to use it like that don't taste very nice. What I do is use 50 grms of soya and to rehydrate it I have 150ml of hot water and 2 bovril cubes dissolved in it, leave to absorb in the soya, as good as the best beef mince.

Alison_Funnell

Hello! Nice to see you here.

I agree stock cubes in with it when you hydrate it makes the flavour far better. Better than that you found some in Tescos. I have never spotted it there but I shall looker harder next time, they don't seem to have it online for home delivery that I can find either.

I must just have bad luck.

Fire_Fox

Be careful with how much salt you are adding, two stock cubes is about a teaspoon of salt which is the entire days allowance for one adult. :eek:

Penelope_Penguin

I tried using dried soya once, to bulk out beef mince. We didn;t like it, and prefer lentils

I'll add this to the existing thread to keep ideas together.

Penny. x

Sweey_as_a_nut

I bought mine from Tesco, it's to be found with all dried products such as pulses. It's in a clear bag and it says Tesco whole foods, bag size 375gms it's a beige colour and in pieces about an eighth of an inch.

You really need to rehydrate it with 2 oxo or bovril cubes, and it needs to be measured like I said 50 gms to 150 ml of hot water and the cubes dissolved in the water add it to the soya and let it absorb all the liquid.

And when you add it to a sauce it's as good as mince, those that say it's not have not done it correctly, the quantities are important. And someone wrote that it's as expensive as mince have really got it wrong, one bag 375 gms will make 7 meals as 50gms is enough for 4 people. it use to cost £1.45 last month now gone up to £1.75. Thing is a bag of it will stay in the cupboard for ages, no freezer cost, a good standby.

Do not make the amount they give in the instructions far to much, unless you are a school cook.

Fire_Fox

If your Tesco has a world foods section, Fudco dried soya mince is only £1.01 for 300g.