Textured soy (tofu)

Hey everybody, first time poster, new vegan too. My wife and I went to our Chinese restuarant (Vegan actually) and we had different stuff to eat. She had some basil tofu (preatty good) and I had a mock chicken General Tso. The diference was that my, I'm quessing it was tofu or vegtable protein, had a texture identical to chicken. It wasn't soft or plain like the tofu we buy at the store. I live in Maryland, does anyone know a brand that we can get, maybe like a block or a big pack and whats it called? Thanks.

Jon

Probebly wasnt tofu, it was probebly seitan, which is wheat gluten.

Easy recipies for it all over the site, and the web, and you can find it in stores.

Welcome by the way

Hey mtguy1976;

I live in Maryland too.

You definately want to look at this link for vegan resources in your area

viewtopic.php?f=65&t=14946

You also want to look at this D.C. Metro Area link

http://www.vegdc.com

Tofu is curdled soy milk. You get soy milk when after soaking soy beans you blend them up, strain out the fibers and heat it slightly. Tofu is a centuries old food originating in China though "tofu" is the Japanese name.

The other thing you and wife had was probably textured soy. It is basically soy flour, sometimes mixed with wheat gluten ( wheat protein ) textured and combined with flavorings to make faux meats in the orient.

You can get more of that from "Terry's Health Food" in Bethesda. "Terry" is a Taiwanese gentleman who supplies Asian faux meats to many Chinese restaurants in the North East. He opens up his warehouse on the weekend. You will not believe the culinary treasures that await you. The Chinese have a 600 year head start on us for perfecting faux meats and it shows. Terry is also one hell of a guy:

http://www.vegdc.com/groceries.php

Congratulations on the move to veganism. It is one of the most positive choices people can make. It is rare in one's life to be able to do something that helps other living beings, people, the environment and get rewarded with good health for it.

Thanks everybody for the replies. I know exactly where Terry's is, I used to train muay thai next to his shop, we are going to check it out tommorow. Thanks again.

Jon

Was this up at Yuan Fu? I think their mock General Tso's is seitan, which you can easily make yourself with some vital wheat gluten.

No, this was at Vegtable Garden on 355 in White Flint

No, this was at Vegtable Garden on 355 in White Flint

I believe theirs is seitan as well. And you can always ask. They're very friendly there, as I'm sure you've noticed.

Also, welcome from a fellow DC/MD vegan!

Thanks everybody for the replies. I know exactly where Terry's is, I used to train muay thai next to his shop, we are going to check it out tommorow. Thanks again.

Jon

Terry's is only open on the weekends. Call before you go.

Im surprised nobody has mentioned these: Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips I get these ANYWHERE...walmart even! They come in frozen bags for like $3-$4. I use these in recipes all the time and they are AWESOME. The ingredients include the dreaded "natural flavoring" but, have no fear...its vegan! You can nuke em, bake with em but I like to saute them in olive oil for stir fry and the like. They make a steak version, too that is not as good to me but the chikn ones are great in texture and taste and easy to find in your average grocery store if you don't feel like hunting around much! One potential drawback is that they are already lightly seasoned so may not "fit" into every recipe but I definitely recommend trying them.

Hey mtguy1976;

You can get more of that from "Terry's Health Food" in Bethesda. "Terry" is a Taiwanese gentleman who supplies Asian faux meats to many Chinese restaurants in the North East. He opens up his warehouse on the weekend. You will not believe the culinary treasures that await you. The Chinese have a 600 year head start on us for perfecting faux meats and it shows. Terry is also one hell of a guy:

http://www.vegdc.com/groceries.php

Terry's is a gold mine, we bought so much my wife couldn't carry the bag, thanks for giving his store.

ecopunk- we got the morningstart stuff too, it looks like chicken, thanks also.

Thanks everyone who made suggestions

Freeze the firm tofu (not the silken) and the texture is very much like chicken when it's thawed.