How do I use soya mince?

rikgear

went out for a meal the other day with a veggie and now i've ended up saying i'll cook a chilli with this soya stuff so i found this thread for a bit of advice thanks to all of the posts (only got 4 pages in though)i'll post on here the outcome of the meal.

One thing i have noticed is the comparisons with beef mince and people pointing out the soya mince swells up so you get more than you think, but have not seen anyone point out that beef mince also cooks down (cooking out the fat and water content near enough halving the weight) and the cheaper the mince in the first place the more it'll cook down.

Cheeselady

I'm going to buy some dried soya mince next week, and am looking for recipes to use it with. I'm also going to buy some red lentils as well. Thanks for any ideas to make the most of these ingredients.

I've always bought ready meals before, so haven't made anything from scratch using soya at all.

VfM4meplse

I think it's mostly used as a meat substitute, what you make depends on how you buy it. The grainy stuff can be used like mince, for pies etc, chunks can be used in stews I suppose. Do make sure that you use enough fluid so it cooks through properly.

Cheeselady

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I think it's mostly used as a meat substitute, what you make depends on how you buy it. The grainy stuff can be used like mince, for pies etc, chunks can be used in stews I suppose. Do make sure that you use enough fluid so it cooks through properly.

As far as I know they only have it in mince, not chunks.

EstherH

I bought some the other week after reading about it on here. I am going to use it together with normal mince to make a large amount of basic sauce for bolognaise, lasagne and chilli.

I'll cook it all together with lots of veg; onions, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes, herbs etc., in the slow cooker. Then make up a lasagne and with the rest split in two and use one half to freeze as bolognaise sauce and add kidney beans and chilli to the other half and freeze as chilli.

This is the plan anyway. Haven't been brave enough to try yet and not going to mention the soya until after it's eaten. Hope its alright. And hope the answer helps you, although not having tried it we are in the same boat.

meanmarie

I often use soy mince in bolognese etc, it works well and OH rarely notices the difference. Have not used the chunks although I have a bag in the cupboard...think it would be more difficult to disguise than mince, but can't leave it there for ever so any tips would be useful!

Marie

babyshoes

Did you want purely veggie recipes, or are the suggestions above about adding it to meat mince more your style?

Cheeselady

babyshoes wrote: »

Did you want purely veggie recipes, or are the suggestions above about adding it to meat mince more your style?

Veggie recipes.

Pink.

Hi cheeselady,

This thread has lots of recipes and ideas:

How do I use soya mince?

And this thread should help with the lentils:

red lentils

I'll add your thread to the first link later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

jayII

I use it just like mince, in lasagne, shepherds pie and so on. Sometimes for all of us, sometimes just for DS who is veggie.

Just:

Fry the onions, garlic, and any other diced vegetables as usual,
Reconstitute the soya according to instructions, (I use 100g for 4+ good sized portions), and add to the pan
Cook for a few minutes, just to combine the flavours.
Add tomatoes, seasoning, and stock cubes if wished (I often add beef gravy granules, which are usually vegetarian, LOL).
Voila, soya mince sauce for spag bol or whatever.

It is cheap, nutritious, and very easy to use.