Vegan Carne Asada (Soy Curls)
Vegan Carne Asada using SOY CURLS! Super delicious and perfect in Tortas, Tacos, Burritos, whatever you like!
Carne Asada is ubiquitous in Los Angeles, and I’ve eaten my fair share. Getting some tacos or burritos after a night of drinking was one of my favorite past times, and Asada was always on the plate!
When I went vegan, I thought I’d never get to enjoy that again. However places like Cena Vegan and El Cocinero showed me that wasn’t true! I’ve been making this Vegan Carne Asada with Soy Curls for years now, and it’s one of my favorites!
It’s great on tacos and maybe my favorite, a TORTA! But use it however you like!
I’ve also got a Seitan Carne Asada recipe as well!
ingredients for vegan carne asada
The main ingredient is going to be Soy Curls! One of my favorites!
While Soy Curls are a specific product, the concept behind them is not new. It’s essentially just TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and there are variations of it around the world. Sometimes they are called Soya Chunks too.
The ones I use are made by Butler Foods. You can get it directly from them or on Amazon. But I suggest getting them direct from Butler Foods as it’s way cheaper. This post isn’t sponsored by the way, I just love Soy Curls!
the marinade
For the marinade, we’ll be using a few ingredients to impart some BEEFY flavor. I always use stuff like some Beefless Bouillon, Vegan Worcestershire, Mushroom Seasoning and Blackstrap Molasses. You can swap or leave some of these ingredients out however if you can’t find them, so don’t sweat it!
Other than that, we’ll be employing some traditional Asada Marinade ingredients like orange and lime juice, garlic, jalapeños and cilantro. Optional but recommended is some Mexican Beer! It’s a super flavorful marinade and one of my favorites!
HOW TO MAKE Vegan Carne Asada
This couldn’t be easier! First rehydrate the soy curls in some water for about 10 minutes.
Then squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Make the marinade by combining everything.
Toast the Soy Curls in a pan to dry them out a bit more, then pour over the marinade.
You can add a tablespoon of something like Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet for some color.
Next we just need to reduce the marinade down until it’s mostly absorbed. This will take some time, about 45 minutes or so.
Then it’s done! Use as you wish on tacos, burritos or tortas!
handy dandy video here!
tips for cooking soy curls
- Rehydrate the soy curls for at least 10 – 15 minutes. I have found that using cold, warm or hot water doesn’t make a noticeable difference.
- Using broth will infuse a light amount of flavor into the soy curls. This is good for something milder in flavor like chicken. However for something like a Soy Curl Beef, I find that reducing them down in broth will render them even more flavorful.
- No matter what you hydrate them in, you’ll want to SQUEEZE out as much of that liquid as possible.
- You can also further dry them out by toasting them in a dry pan to cook out even more of the moisture. This should help remove the aftertaste as well as any mushiness. It should yield a chewy soy curl that’s still juicy.
storage
Store in the fridge and eat within 3 – 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
other recipes you’ll dig!
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Vegan Carne Asada
Ingredients
- 8 oz Dried Soy Curls (1 bag)
Marinade
- 2 cups Beefless Broth
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire (vegan)
- 2 Tbsp Mushroom Seasoning (I used Imperial Taste Brand) (or 2 tsp Miso Paste)
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses (optional)
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Tbsp Diced Chipotle in Adobo
- 1/4 cup White Vinegar
- 6 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 6 Tbsp Orange Juice
- 4 – 6 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 -2 Jalapeños (small dice)
- 1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne
Instructions
- Rehydrate the soy curls by covering them in some water for about 10 minutes.
- While soy curls are hydrating, prepare the marinade by adding the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Strain your soy curls, and using your bare hands, squeeze out the excess water. You want them to be as dry as possible.
- Sauté your soy curls in a pan over medium heat in a bit of oil for about 6 minutes or so, until slightly browned.
- Add in the marinade and reduce down to your desired consistency, should take about 30 – 45 minutes.
- That's it! Now just enjoy however you would like, in tortas, tacos, burritos etc! Whatever you like!
- ENJOY!
Notes
-
- Rehydrate the soy curls for at least 10 – 15 minutes. I have found that using cold, warm or hot water doesn’t make a noticeable difference.
-
- Using broth will infuse a light amount of flavor into the soy curls. This is good for something milder in flavor like chicken. However for something like a Soy Curl Beef, I find that reducing them down in broth will render them even more flavorful.
-
- No matter what you hydrate them in, you’ll want to SQUEEZE out as much of that liquid as possible.
-
- You can also further dry them out by toasting them in a dry pan to cook out even more of the moisture. This should help remove the aftertaste as well as any mushiness. It should yield a chewy soy curl that’s still juicy.
Just tried this recipe and omg SO good!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Excellent, thank you!
One my go-to recipes, it’s amazing and so is the seitan asada
Awesome, thank you!!
Another winner! You nailed the flavor, you have a talent for building full rounded flavors in your recipes, this was easy and tasted fantastic, what more could you want in a recipe!
Excellent, thank you love to hear it!
Made these for some vegan burrito bowls with cilantro rice, beans, guac, etc – and while everything tasted great together, these absolutely stole the show! Will be bookmarking this recipe, it’s a keeper! Thanks!
Heck yes, glad to hear it, they are one of my favorites!
just made and it was so good! thanks so much! a new go to us for us now!
Excellent! It’s a staple at my house too! Thank you!
I highly recommend making this a day in advance. It was good the day I made it but definitely improved with time. I made mashed potatoes and had a partial shepherd’s pie.
I can’t find soy curls here but I did find smaller chunks of tvp so I would experiment with making the pieces smaller so it’s more ground beef like.
Can I use tvp instead?
If you are using the bigger chunks then yes. If you mean the ground stuff, then not really unless you are okay with it being more of a ground beef type of texture!
What a delicious recipe! I love that it’s basically oil free (aside from sauteing the soy curls, which took very little oil). To make the marinade, I was too lazy to chop and mince things so I just threw it all in the blender! I’m going to make soy curl tacos with avocado! Next time I want to make some slaw to go with them. I will be keeping this recipe forever, and I can’t wait to prepare them for vegan- friendly family and friends!
Awesome, a food processor or blender is smart, I need to do that next time, so glad you dig it!!
I have not yet made this as I am only starting to explore different recipes. We’re having our annual family gathering and this year there will be at least three vegetarians in attendance.
I would like to know if this could be fully prepared in advance and frozen. We’ll be hosting several family members in our home for the long weekend gathering and I don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen! I’d like to know if I could freeze this and let it thaw in the fridge overnight before quickly reheating it on a griddle or in a pan.
I’ll be trying to recreate Mongolian soy curl “beef” tomorrow as my “gateway” recipe since my husband adores that dish.
Thanks for having a nice collection of recipes for me to try. Even though I am an omnivore the cost of animal proteins are getting ridiculously high and using soy curls seems like a win-win money saving option.
Hi, I haven’t tried freezing this, but I think that should work out fine, good luck!! And thank you!!
I made without OJ, molassus since wanted more savory than sweet. Turned out great for burritos and lots left over. Its good just straight out if the pan!
Excellent, glad you liked it!!