Crispy Soy Chunks – Chicken Style

Turn dried soy big steaks into savoury chunks with a crisp outside and a pleasantly juicy centre. Tearing the soaked steaks by hand creates irregular, bite-sized pieces with a chicken-style look. A flavourful marinade and a light coating of cornflour and breadcrumbs add plenty of flavour and crunch – perfect for salads, wraps, sandwiches and bowls.

Allergens

Contains soy and mustard, plus celery when made with the umami seasoning described below. Contains gluten if the soy sauce or breadcrumbs contain wheat or other gluten-containing cereals. For a gluten-free version, choose gluten-free versions of both products. Check the ingredients if using a different seasoning blend.

At a glance

🍽️ Yield: approx. 2–3 servings as a topping, depending on use
🕒 Preparation including soaking and marinating: approx. 25–30 minutes
🔥 Frying time: approx. 10–15 minutes; allow longer when frying in batches
🌿 Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

Base

• 100 g dried soy big steaks (large textured soy protein steaks)
• Hot water for soaking

Marinade

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp umami seasoning blend
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the crisp coating

• 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tbsp fine breadcrumbs, ideally homemade from leftover bread

For frying

• A little neutral vegetable oil

Optional, to serve

• A little freshly grated lemon zest

About the umami seasoning

The blend I use contains paprika, tomato chips, sea salt, roasted onions, celery, tomatoes, lovage, onions, garlic, turmeric, parsnip and smoke flavouring.

For a similar savoury flavour in place of 1 tsp of the blend, use ½ tsp tomato powder, ¼ tsp onion powder and ¼ tsp garlic powder with a small pinch of salt. This is an approximation rather than an identical replacement. If you do not have tomato powder, use a little extra nutritional yeast instead. The flavour will be slightly different, but it works well too.

Method

1. Soak the soy big steaks

Place the dried soy big steaks in a large bowl and cover completely with hot water. Soak for about 10–15 minutes until soft. Follow the packet instructions if they require a longer soaking time or simmering.

2. Squeeze thoroughly

Drain the steaks, let them cool briefly if needed, then squeeze out as much water as possible. This step matters: excess water dilutes the marinade and makes it harder to achieve a crisp finish.

3. Tear into chunks

Tear the squeezed steaks by hand into irregular, bite-sized pieces. Keep them fairly chunky so they stay juicy when fried.

4. Marinate

Stir together all the marinade ingredients. Add the soy chunks and mix thoroughly so that every piece is evenly coated. Leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.

5. Add the crisp coating

Sprinkle the cornflour over the marinated chunks and gently mix it in. Add the fine breadcrumbs and toss again. Aim for a thin, slightly uneven coating rather than a thick layer of breadcrumbs.

6. Fry until golden

Heat a little vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chunks over a medium-high heat until golden and crisp all over. Let the pieces sit undisturbed between turns so a crust can develop. If the pan is too small, cook in batches: arrange the pieces in a single layer so they fry rather than steam. Depending on their size and the pan, allow around 10–15 minutes per batch.

7. Serve

Finish with a little freshly grated lemon zest if you like, and serve straight away.

Serving suggestion

Use these crispy soy chunks as a savoury salad topping, tuck them into wraps and sandwiches, or add them to rice and vegetable bowls. They are also lovely with oven-baked potatoes or as a snack with your favourite dip.

Storage

The chunks are crispiest straight from the pan. Once cooled, promptly transfer leftovers to a sealed container in the fridge and use within 2–3 days. Reheat in a frying pan or air fryer to help restore some of the crispness, making sure the chunks are piping hot throughout.