Recipe of the Month: Crispy Citrus Soy Curls (with bonus dessert)

Last week, with Memorial Day approaching, Brian and I were casting about for a Recipe of the Month for May. After taking stock of what we had in the fridge, he did a little hunting online and came across a suitable-looking dish on, of all places, Instagram. The post featured (of course) an exquisitely arranged photo with the title, "Crispy citrus soy curls with soba noodles and roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli." Neither of us actually has an Instagram account, but fortunately he didn't need one to grab the recipe; he just copied all the text out of the post, pasted it into a Google doc, and went from there. 

As usual, Brian made a few minor modifications to the recipe. First, he decided to use only Brussels sprouts rather than a mix of sprouts and broccoli, since we had plenty of them on hand. He also replaced the agave nectar the recipe called for, which we didn't have, with simple syrup. (He thought he might need a substitute for "vegan hoisin sauce" as well, but it turned out the hoisin sauce we had in the fridge was vegan; I guess this qualifier was only added because there are some varieties that aren't.) And finally, he added a little salt and nutritional yeast to the soaking water for the Soy Curls to boost their flavor a bit.

My picture of the finished product isn't as beautiful as the Instagrammer's, but I'd bet it tasted just as good. The fried Soy Curls and roasted Brussels sprouts were nice and crisp, drenched in sticky, sour-sweet sauce rich with the flavors of citrus, garlic, and ginger. And the soba noodles, with their earthy buckwheat flavor and chewy texture, made a more interesting backdrop to the dish than rice. I wouldn't say we like this dish better than our other Soy Curl recipes, but it's nice to have it in our repertoire in case we ever feel like a change of pace.

Here is Brian's version of the recipe:

Crispy Citrus Soy Curls with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Soba Noodles

Toss 1 lb. halved Brussels sprouts with ½ tsp salt and enough olive or canola oil to coat. Roast at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes (until browned).

Mix ½ tsp. salt and 1 tsp. nutritional yeast in 1 ⅓ cup hot water, then add 4 oz. Soy Curls to soak. When the curls are soft, remove from liquid and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Sprinkle ½ cup cornstarch on the soy curls and toss to fully coat. Fry curls in oil, stirring constantly, until crisped and browned.

Mix ¾ cup orange juice, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. tamari, 3 Tbsp. agave or simple syrup, and 2 Tbsp. (vegan) hoisin sauce. In a separate bowl, mix 1 Tbsp. cornstarch in 2 Tbsp. water.

Mince 4 cloves garlic and saute with 1 tsp. (or more) minced or grated ginger root on low heat until softened. Stir in juice mixture and simmer for ~3 minutes. Stir in cornstarch slurry and continue to stir until sauce is thickened and smooth.

Cook 9 oz dry soba noodles until done. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine Soy Curls and sauce until curls are well-coated. Serve Soy curls, sprouts, and soba together.

And if you'd like a vegan dessert to go with that, here's a chocolate cookie recipe Brian made up on the spur of the moment for a game party last weekend. They're both vegan and gluten-free, yet surprisingly moist and tender. For a completely improvised recipe, not bad at all.

Brian's Impromptu Double Chocolate Cookies

Combine in mixing bowl:

• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup refined coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup aquafaba
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp almond flour
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup vegan chocolate chips

Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 14 minutes.