Indo Chinese Chili Chicken Soycurls make for an amazing weeknight dinner! Chewy, marinated soy curls in a sweet, spicy and sticky stir-fry sauce made with a simple homemade green chili paste. Gluten-free.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indo Chinese

Ingredients

For the soy curl chicken:

  • 4 ounces dried soy curls
  • 2 cups broth
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 2.5 tablespoons of cornstarch

For the sauce:

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
  • 2 green chilies (hot such as serrano or Indian chilies, or use mild green chilies, you can use 1 mild green chili such as anaheim)
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Cilantro/coriander stems (reserve the leaves for garnish)
  • 1/2 cup chopped red or white onion
  • 1 green bell pepper (chopped into 3/4 inch pieces or sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons white parts of the green onion (reserve the green parts for garnish)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari for Glutenfree
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or red asian chili sauce
  • 1.5 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or use 1/4 teaspoon for less heat
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in 1/2 cup of water
  • green onion and cilantro for garnish

Method

  1. For the soy curls: Soak the soycurls warm broth or water for 10 minutes or until they are fully soaked. Then drain and press slightly to remove just a bit of the excess liquid.
  2. Transfer to a bowl, add the soy sauce, black pepper, and oil and toss well. Then add the cornstarch and toss well to coat.
  3. Spread the soycurls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 C) degrees celsius for 15-20 minutes or until crisp.
  4. Make the sauce: add oil to a skillet over medium heat then add the garlic and ginger and cook until the garlic starts to turn golden in some edges.
  5. Meanwhile, mince the green chilies and mix with the vinegar, or blend the green chilies with the vinegar into a paste. (Or use 1-2 tbsp Indian green chili sauce)
  6. Then add this mixture to the skillet with garlic and ginger cooking. Mix well. Cook for a few seconds then add in the onion, bell pepper, green onion, coriander stems, and salt and mix well. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  7. Then add the soy sauce, ketchup, sambal oelek,white pepper, sugar, cayenne, and mix.
  8. Add the cornstarch slurry which is the 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water and mix in. (For saucier use 1 cup water)
  9. Once the mixture starts to thicken, add in your baked soycurls and toss well to coat. Then switch off the heat.
  10. Taste and adjust salt sweet and heat. Garnish with the green onion and cilantro and serve over rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.