In my pre-vegan days, I loved the Mongolian Beef at PF Chang’s. After going vegan I never thought about a vegan version of the dish until Ethan and I were in Portland in August. We had lunch with Julie & Jay Hasson at Kung Pow, a new Chinese restaurant in northwest Portland. Ethan ordered Mongolian Soy Curls and they were amazing. My quest to recreate this dish had begun. After much research I realized how easy this dish is to make. This dish comes together very easily and has that same wonderfully sweet soy glaze I love so much.
Tips: Prior to this, every time we used soy curls, except when making JL Fields‘ Soy Curl Mac & Cheese, Ethan didn’t care for them. Soy curls have a very strong flavor, like a bland dry cereal, if they are not seasoned properly. The key to flavoring them is in the rehydrating liquid. A little no-chick’n bullion gets rid of the cereal taste. The other tip for this recipe is to make sure the curls are very dry after being rehydrated. If they are soggy, they won’t get crisp when fried. Just give them a good squeeze after draining them to get the excess liquid out.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 minutes
Servings: 4
4 cups boiling water
1 no-chik’n bullion cube
3 cups Butler soy curls
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon ginger, minced
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
½ cup low sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free option)
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about ½ cup)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 large green onions, sliced on the diagonal into one-inch lengths
Directions:
1. Put the soy curls into a large bowl. Dissolve the bullion cube in the boiling water. Pour the liquid over the soy curls and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out any excess liquid from the soy curls. You want them pretty dry.
2. While the soy curls are rehydrating, make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds.
3. Add the soy sauce and water and mix well. Add the brown sugar and stir to completely dissolve. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until it thickens. Remove it from the heat.
4. Toss the soy curls with the cornstarch and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the cornstarch to adhere and dry a little.
5. Heat up the oil in a wok or a skillet over medium heat until it’s nice and hot, but not smoking.
6. Add the soy curls to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until they begins to darken on the edges. Use a large slotted spoon to take the soy curls our and drain a paper towel lined plate. Pour any remaining oil out of the wok or skillet.
7. Return the wok or skillet to the stove and heat over medium. Add the soy curls back into it. Pour the sauce over the soy curls. Cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
8. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
