Vegan Dragon Chicken Soycurls – a plant-based twist on a Indo-Chinese classic that is easy to make with simple ingredients.
Continuing with fabulous and interesting Indian fare with this vegan spin on Dragon Chicken – chewy soy curls in a sweet and spicy sauce that is deliciously good. A mouth watering Indo-Chinese vegan dinner that is rich in flavor and taste and unique. Indo- Chinese is an extensive subcuisine of Indian cuisine with various fusion dishes like meat or cauliflower manchurian, Chili paneer or meats, Indo Chinese styles of fried rice, noodles, chopsuey, veggie stir fries and more. Yes there are Indian restaurants dedicated to just this fusion cuisine. There are more vegan versions coming to the blog this year!
This dish can be served as a starter but I usually serve it for lunch or dinner. It can be easily made at home when you crave a restaurant-style take-out.
Like many Indochinese restaurant-style dishes, this one is uses fairly easily available ingredients to make at home. It’s mostly the garlic, the bell peppers, and cashew nuts, soy sauce, black pepper, chilies and ketchup that deliver unique sweet and spicy notes to this dish.
what is dragon chicken ?
Dragon chicken is a fusion dish usually made with battered chicken that is fried and then tossed in a spicy sauce.
For the vegan version we use soycurls that are marinated then battered and baked or panfried then tossed in the fiery sauce.
More Stir-fries:
- Sticky Ginger Sesame Tofu Veggie Stir fry
- General Tso’s Soy Curls
- Hoisin Noodles and Tofu stir fry
- Cashew Tofu and veggies
- Soy-free tofu Stir fry with Sunbutter Sauce
- Lemongrass Tempeh with Sesame Noodles
- Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
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Dragon Chicken Soycurls (Indo-Chinese Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) dry soycurls
- 1 ½ cups (354.88 ml) vegetable broth heated to hot
For the marinade:
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce , use tamari for Glutenfree
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne or Indian red chili powder or use 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or paprika for less heat
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste or finely minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste or finely minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons oil divided
- ¼ cup (35 g) raw cashews or use roasted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger, minced
- 2 dried red chilis use Indian red or cayenne for hot , california red or Kashmiri chilies or mild
- ¼ cup (40 g) white parts of green onion reserve the green part for garnish
- ½ green bell pepper thinly sliced
- ½ red bell pepper thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce or use tamari for gluten free
- ¼ cup (60 ml) ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or use Asian chili sauce of choice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) water
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Soak your soy curls in the hot vegetable broth for 5-10 minutes. Then drain really well and squeeze out a bit of the excess water. Add to a bowl
- Marinade: Then to the bowl, add the soy sauce, black pepper, cayenne/chili powder , ginger, and garlic paste, oil and toss well to coat. Then sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss well to coat the soycurls.
- Distribute the soy curls over a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (206 c) for 15-20 minutes or until crisp to preference. You can also pan-fry these in a skillet with 1-2 teaspoon oil until they're crisp on the edges. Set aside
- Make the sauce: add 1 teaspoon oil to a skillet then add cashews if they're not roasted and roast for 3-4 minutes until golden then remove from the skillet. If they're already roasted, then skip this step.
- Add the other teaspoon oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and dried red chilis and cook until the garlic is starting to turn golden.
- Then add in the white parts of green onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and a good pinch of salt and mix well and cook until the peppers are starting to turn golden on some of the edges but still crunchy. 2 mins
- Then add in soy sauce and ketchup and sambal oelek, sugar and black pepper and mix well. Mix cornstarch in water and Add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Then add in the crisped soy curls and toasted cashews and toss well then immediately serve over rice. Garnish with some green onion.
Video
Notes
- For extra sauce, you can add in 1 cup of water instead of ⅓ cup and additional 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed in and bring to a boil. This will add additional sauce to the soy curls.
- For nut-free, omit cashews and use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- Soycurl substitute: Use seitan or other vegan chicken subs or jackfruit(squeeze all brine out of jackfruit). Skip soaking in stock. Add to the marinade, then bake or panfry and proceed
- soy chunks : they are chewier and need longer soak in hot or boiling water/broth(soak according to instructions on package). After the soak, chop them smaller so that they absorb more of the marinade and then proceed
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- bell pepper: Green, yellow or red peppers that give a crunchy and sweet note to your dish. You could either mix and match or can stick with one variety
- Stir-frying cashew nuts along with dry red chilies, ginger and garlic gives crunchy and spicy flavors to the cashews as well
- sauce: soy sauce, ketchup, and sambal oelek are the main ingredients that you will need to make the final sauce
- a touch of sugar is added for sweetness
- the sauce is thickened with a small amount of cornstarch
Tips:
- For extra sauce, you can add in 1 cup of water instead and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed in and bring to a boil. This will add additional sauce to the soy curls.
- Even though I have used sambel oelek in moderate quantity, you could increase it to satisfy your craving for spicy takeout foods
- This vegan dragon chicken tastes best when served warm and fresh out of the frying pan.
How to make Vegan Dragon Chicken:
Soak your soy curls in the hot vegetable broth for 5-10 minutes. Then drain really well and squeeze out a bit of the excess water. Add to a bowl
Then to the bowl, add the soy sauce, black pepper, cayenne/chili powder, ginger, and garlic paste, oil and toss well to coat. Then sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss well to coat the soy curls.
Distribute the soy curls over a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (206 c) for 15-20 minutes or until crisp to preference. You can also pan-fry these in a skillet with 1-2 teaspoon oil until they’re crisp on the edges. Set aside.
Make the sauce: add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet then add cashews if they’re not roasted and roast for 3-4 minutes until golden then remove from the skillet. If they’re already roasted, then skip this step.
Add the other teaspoon oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and dried red chilis and cook until the garlic is starting to turn golden.
Then add in the white parts of green onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and a good pinch of salt and mix well and cook until the peppers are starting to turn golden on some of the edges but still crunchy. 2 mins.
Then add in soy sauce and ketchup and sambal oelek, sugar and black pepper and mix well.
Mix cornstarch and water, Add to the skillet and bring to a boil.
Then add in the crisped soy curls and toasted cashews and toss well then immediately serve over rice.
Garnish with some green onion.
Garnish with some green onion. These soy curls are crispiest when just done , so toss in the sauce and serve immediately.
Even if you do serve them later, the texture is still great and it makes a fabulous dry-ish side.
Vicky Rowe
This was quick and delicious to make, yet another one that was a big hit with the family.
Vegan Richa Support
So glad to hear it!
Deb Earnshaw
I made this the other day using Richmond frozen roasted “chick’n” pieces, and it was excellent!
Will definitely make again.
Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Super! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Stefanie
Ohhhhh that was soooo delicious as per usual. Thank you for your recipes, it was my first time using soy curls and definitely not the last!!!!
Vegan Richa Support
So glad you liked it!
Carly
This recipe is out of this world. Best thing Ive ever made. This is my first experience with soy curls. Yum is an understatement !! I adore Vegan Richa’s recipes and this one has stolen my heart, my family’s heart, and it was gone in a flash! Make this. Right now!!
Vegan Richa Support
Good to hear! Thank you.
Julia
This was excellent! Fairly easy to make and just so flavorful and good…definitely a keeper!
Vegan Richa Support
awesome! thanks so much for your kind comment!
Erin
This is my family’s favorite recipe! We eat it at least once a month! It’s easy to make and DELICIOUS! We love all Richa’s recipes but this is our all time favorite!
Richa
Yay!!!
Katha
I love this recipe. It’s so tasty and healthy and keeps me full for a long time. Thank you for this nice recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you for trying it! glad you enjoyed!
Lisa Muniz
Love this. Better than restaurants and happy it is plant based.
Vegan Richa Support
That is high praise. Thank you!
Christina
Incredible! I doubled the bell peppers and added half a zucchini squash, a cup of shredded carrots, and some broccoli. It was so delicious. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Yummy!
Jessica
Haven’t tried it yet, sounds amazing, as usual. Question: if substituting seitan or another chicken substitute, how much would you use? Obviously the 6 oz is not going to be enough, since that is the pre-reconstituted weight. Thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
They tend to double in volume – so 8-10 oz of a substitute would work well.
Chris
My wife and I love this. I have a sensitivity to heat with a gum problem so decreased that a bit. Very flavorful.
Vegan Richa Support
sounds good
Valerie
So delicious! Thank you.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for stopping by !
Debbie B
This recipe is delicious, I took some of your recommendations to lower the spiciness. It turned out perfect for me. The soy curls were amazing. I made some extra soy curls, I am thinking of making some sort of panini with them.
Vegan Richa Support
Hooray!! creative idea 🥪
Sarah
Made this tonight. So good!
Richa
Yay
Fred
I haven’t actually made the entire recipe yet, but I wanted to say thank you for the tip about baking the soy curls! I let them get really crispy, and I’ve just been snacking on them on their own. They are great! I promise I’ll make the recipe soon, though.
Richa
Yes! I need to post a snack version recipe of the crisped soycurls!
Fred
Okay, after snacking on about 1/3 of the soy curls, I made the recipe. Glad I doubled everything, plus added more veggies. Yum, thanks!
Richa
Yay!!
Carmen
This is SO good!! My new favorite dish!
Added some other veggies I found in the fridge (e.g. carrots and green beans) which was also delicious 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
sounds delish
Suzanne
Richa, you have done it again. Another wonderful recipe. The soy curl prep takes it to the next level. I used the leftover squeezed broth as the “water” for the sauce and followed your directions to double the sauce. I feel it was just right (otherwise it may have been too dry). I had mushrooms in the fridge and I used them. This was truly outstanding. Thank you.
Vegan Richa Support
oh@ good idea! thank you
Sarah
Absolutely delicious! I love the step by step instructions on the blog too.
I made this for the first time last night. The recipe was easy to follow and it tasted great.
Vegan Richa Support
perfect
Carolyn
This tasted sooo good!
Vegan Richa Support
Excellent
deb
Another winner! Super flavors!
Vegan Richa Support
winning!!!!
Colleen
Just made this. So easy and delicious! I’ve never tried baking the soy curls but it made the texture perfect. Will definitely try that method in other dishes 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Richa
Yes it’s so handoff to marinate and bake them! Also improves flavor and texture
Maneesha
Excellent recipe, Richa! You nailed it again with this Indo-Chinese recipe! I love the Indo-Chinese recipes you have on your blog! I made this with pressed extra-firm tofu, turned out great!
Richa
Great idea to use tofu!
Diane
Thank you for another awesome fast recipe. Everyone loved it and it came together easily. I replaced the sugar 1:1 with monk fruit and everyone seemed pleased (aka didn’t notice). I also added a ton more veggies (broccoli and mushrooms) and decreased the amount of soy curls.
Richa
Awesome
Jeanne
This was fantastic. So flavorful, we all enjoyed it. Made it with the extra sauce and was glad I did. We will definitely make this again. Thanks for so many delicious and reliable recipes Richa!
Richa
Yay!
Kelly Stevens
Made this for dinner last night it we loved it! Nice heat and the soy curls were just right (and I can be fussy about soy curls). This will be going in our dinner rotation for sure. Looking forward to more of your vegan versions of this style.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you – esp from a soy curl connoisseur !!
Toube
Made this for Sunday dinner and doubled the batch… SO GLAD because it’s 6am on Monday morning and I am already excited for dinner tonight! It’s the PERFECT amount of heat. The soy curls crisped up beautifully in the oven. Way better than any take-out!!! Thank you for this culinary gem!
Vegan Richa Support
wow – dragon power – Yay!
Erin
We made this the other day and it was awesome. Easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Richa
Yay!
Julie
Delicious! The only thing I will do differently next time is to double the recipe. With two teens, this doesn’t feed 4 ; )
Richa
Yes definitely double or triple!
Joanne Wakefield
I made this for the two of us tonight and boy was it spicy. That’s not a negative comment, but I think I’ll cut the cayenne in half next time!
Richa
Yes reduce or omit cayenne and use paprika as mentioned. Black pepper also adds latent heat so reduce that as well
Shay
Wonderful recipe! Delicious and easy to do.
My soya chunks needed boiling and instead of ketchup I used tomato extract mixed iwth vinegar. Thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
nice adaption!
Christina
Where do you get dry soycurls and what brand do you use? I have a really hard time finding this ingredient. Thanks!
Richa
On Amazon or on butlerfoods.com . I also find it in my local coop. But they’rr cheaper and always available online
Wendy
I made this last night and it was delicious! Baking the marinated soy curls makes a huge difference in the texture. They felt much more meaty and held up very well even after being added to the sauce. This recipe is a keeper!
Richa
Yay! Yes the baking on panfry g improve the texture so much!
Doe mora
Since people have asked, there is another product similar to soy curls called SoyJock, organic ( Amazon)
Richa, thank you for all your recipes!
Richa
Ooo they do look very similar. Prob easily available in Asian stores
Sylvia W
Thank you! I just ordered them! I like that they are non GMO and organic – worth the slight extra cost! Definitely looking forward to trying this and other recipes that call for using the curls!
Sylvie Al-Karawi
The recipe was were easy to follow. Easy to get the ingredients. It was delicious and spicy. Great combination.
Richa
Yay! Thanks
Anita
I live in Mexico and have never seen soy curls. Is there a substitute or a way to make them?
Richa
Soycurl substitute: Use seitan or other vegan chicken subs or jackfruit(squeeze all brine out of jackfruit). Skip soaking in stock. Add to the marinade, then bake or panfry and proceed Try with seitan or other chicken sub.
Abhaya
Are soy chunks a replacement for soy curls?
Richa
Soy chunks are chewier and need longer soak in hot or boiling water/broth(soak according to instructions on package). After the soak, chop them smaller so that they absorb more of the marinade and then proceed
Gaétane
You will find soya texturizada at Soriana.
Vicky
Hi great recipe! Where do we get the soy curls from?
Richa
I buy it online on Amazon or directly from butlers website. You can also use seitan or other chicken sub ms