All about TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)

[harpy]

Mine didn't seem very keen on TVP but they do like the chicken-style slices you can buy here (mostly made of wheat gluten/seitan I think).

However, if your cat's ill I'm not sure that you are likely to succeed in introducing an unfamiliar food. You are more likely to be able to coax him to eat with something he already likes. You might want to consider postponing the introduction of a new food until he's feeling better.

[indigorainhemp]

Hello - I am new to this board so I apologize if this question has already been brought up.

I am veggie TRYING to go vegan slowly.

I have had TVP many times but I have never cooked it myself.

I tried this weekend to add it to pasta but it really didn't taste too good and it was very mushy,,,not chewy like "ground beef" texture.

I do not think I am preparing it correctly.

Can anybody help? I first poured hot water over the TVP and added a pinch of ketchup and tamari sauce ,,,let it rehydrate. Then I sauté the TVP for about 10 min and added it to the sauce. Then slow cooked the sauce with veggies and such ....

I was not sure if I even needed to re-hydrate since it was going into the sauce anyway ??

Can someone let me know what the "process" is for TVP and when to re-hydrate and when to NOT rehydrate etc...??

Any recipes would be great as well ~ thanks so much!

[DianeVegan]

Welcome to the forum!

Here is a very basic rehydration recipe for TVP:

1 cup TVP
3/4 cup boiling water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or shoyu, tamari, Bragg's)

Boil the water then add to the TVP and soy sauce.

I don't really like TVP but will sometimes add it to Chili or Mock Shepard's Pie. It will never have the texture of ground beef no matter how you prepare it. You may find some recipes online at vegweb.com (http://www.vegweb.com) or other sites but most vegans don't use it much. I have a lot of recent vegan cookbooks and I don't think even one has TVP as an ingredient. I think it is a misconception by a lot of non-vegans that vegans eat TVP.

[LittleNellColumbia]

Hi guys, i was wondering how much TVP expands? and seitin? Because using 1/4 dry doesnt seem like much and i dont think it would be very filling! Thanks:) :o

[abrennan]

Hello Indigorainhemp

Try the method advised by Dianecrna. We have it once in a blue moon at my place, usually as a pasta sauce. I've made pies outta the stuff.

Hey happycow dried TVP does expand quite a bit bit Seitan if you mean gluten by that I've never bought it dried only fresh or canned. But if you have it dried things usually expand quite a bit.

On the weekend I had fried gluten with chilli and ginger at a vietnamese/malaysian/chinese place in Marrickville where I live. Mmm Lovley. I had stir fried mixed veggies and young coconut juice. Woo hoo

antony:p

[LittleNellColumbia]

Thanks alot abrennan! :)

[PumpkinGuy]

Reading this thread has been quite helpful for me. I bought some TVP to experiment with but I also had a hard time finding any recipes for it in my favorite vegan book.

I had a difficult time figuring out what to do with it. It doesn't resemble ground meat IMO (then again I can't figure out why vegans need something that does.)

The short of this being that after reading your experiences, I can see why no recipes call for it. Now I just need to use mine up. Is it OK for making burgers? :confused:

[DianeVegan]

It can be added to your favorite burger mix but I wouldn't use it as the base. You may want to add tofu, wheat gluten, beans, bread crumbs, etc. to give it more body. I've tried experimenting with it but have not had much luck.

[cedarblue]

veggie mince...

now i usually buy the frozen stuff but i've noticed in a vegan cookbook i have that one receipe for meatballs speaks about the mince as if it can be squeezed out of the packaging and moulded.

its an american book - has anyone come across this product? loose mince never binds together very well i find.

[Risker]

I get the frozen stuff, morrisons own brand no less (I'm amazed that they even have it, it doesn't seem a very veggie friendly company).

I'd like the dried stuff but can't seem to find it anywhere.

Personally I'm not overly fond of it, I don't mind it and it's handy for saving time, but I prefer using something that's actually just plant rather than a product. Otherwise I'd much rather use lentils or kidney beans.

[pavotrouge]

Weird, no one really seems to like TVP but me... but on the other hand, I'm not too keen on tofu and seitan... I use TVP pretty often, whether the mince for bolognese-like sauces or the bigger chunks in Asian stir-fries (especially in Japanese sobameshi, it is great!). I like the texture and don't think it is too meaty.

Also, it's not expensive over here...the only bad thing about TVP is that is is barely nutrious, just plain protein. But since I seldomly use other processed meat substitutes, I guess it won't kill me.

@Tigerlilly: I know you can make seitan froms plain flour, as well, though I haven't tried it myself yet.

[PygmyGoat]

Cedarblue - have you tried the Dixer Diner dried faux meats from Veganstore?

[Jamie]

I have been using tvp on occation and didn't know it wasn't that healthy! oh well. My fave recipe for it is out of the Eva Batt Vegan Cooking book, curried TVP is the recipe, it's a lot like the curried sausages my mum used to make when I was little (but I never liked it then! lol needed to swap the meat for tvp chunks!!). I have also tried it in the mince form in just a couple of things but nothing else tastes as nice really. I might only use it if I wanted a mince type thing for a particular recipe, or the chunks in a stew or curried tvp.

Seitan, I have tried it from a packet mix from veganstore.co.uk which ends up quite expensive for the amount you get but I suppose it's a lot quicker and easier. I didn't actually make it, hubby did, but I suppose it just needed mixing and kneeding. It seemed to taste quite similar to what I had made from standard flour. I have made it from standard flour before and that takes an increadible amount of kneeding and a lot of water too, but obviously is much much much cheaper!!! I do get sore knuckles from all the kneeding though. I have only really used the end result in attemping to make a 'fried chicken' type thing, following the recipes in La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer... although we have added in breadcrumbs to the coating mix, and for the next time I'll go online to find out what the KFC secret herbs & spice blend is supposed to be and add some of that into the coating mix. It'll be Kentucky Fried Compassion! lol. ;)

[PygmyGoat]

^ yum, let us know what that's like Jamie, I couldn't eat it but I'll enjoy imagining it! :D

[Haniska]

TVP gives me terrible gas. I gave it to my omni-dad.

[Jamie]

I've never noticed any excess gas from it! We just fart all the time anyway!! lol! But for me at least it doesn't smell that bad since I went vegan. Apart from after a curry. Hubby's just smells awful lots of the time and putrid the rest! He's lacto-ovo still though! He gets confused about the ettiquette though and farts in small spaces while he's still in them... or farts in our bedroom as he's leaving the room instead of in the hall where it'll disperse better and we don't have to sleep! :eek: :rolleyes:

[Risker]

He gets confused about the ettiquette though and farts in small spaces while he's still in them... or farts in our bedroom as he's leaving the room instead of in the hall where it'll disperse better and we don't have to sleep! :eek: :rolleyes:

Hahaha, I don't know why but this made me laugh. :)

Farting etiquette, brilliant :)

[Dreamer]

TVP gives me terrible gas. I gave it to my omni-dad.
same here. i question how much is actually absorbed if the gas is so terrible. i'd rather eat grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and tofu for protein. much easier to prepare IMO, cheaper, easier to find, and not nearly as much gas.