Vegan Lemongrass "Chicken" Bowls

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4.75 from 8 votes

Vegan Lemongrass "Chicken" Bowls

The most amazing lemongrass soy curls are served over rice and topped with the greatest peanut sauce of all time.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Calories: 574kcal

Author: Lauren Boehme

Ingredients

Lemongrass "Chicken"

6 Ounces Soy curls, I used Butler's(soaked/drained according to pkg. directions.)
1/4 Cup Lime juice
1/4 Cup Soy sauce or Tamari for GF option
1 Tablespoon Rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil or sesame oil
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Shallot, minced
2 Stalks Lemongrass, finely minced, pureed or 2 tbsp of premade paste*
1 Cup Vegetable broth
1/4 Cup Olive oil
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

Peanut Sauce

1/2 Cup Peanut butter, natural or regular
2 Tablespoons Soy sauce or Tamari
1 Tablespoon Rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Lime juice
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
2 teaspoons Chili crisp or chili garlic sauce**
2 Cloves Garlic, grated
1 teaspoon Ginger, grated
3-4 Tablespoons Warm water, to thin out

For Serving

Steamed rice
Cilantro
Extra Chili crisp or chili garlic sauce

Instructions

First, you want to marinate the soy curls. After soaking them according to the package directions, drain them and squeeze any excess water out of them. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, garlic and shallot. Whisk to combine.
Now, you want pound the stalks of lemongrass and either very finely mince the lemongrass, or put it in a food processor and pulse to puree it, it is hard to eat large chunks of lemongrass, it is tough and fibrous. I enjoy larger chunks, but that is definitely not for everyone. You may also find already pureed lemongrass paste, that is pretty common and easy to use!
Add the lemongrass, and vegetable broth to the bowl now, and whisk again to combine everything.
Pour the soy curls into the bowl with the marinade. Toss to combine and press the soy curls down in the marinade as much as possible. Let the soy curls marinate for at least 1 hour, tossing a few times to make sure the soy curls are evenly marinated.
While the soy curls marinate, make the peanut sauce. Whisk all the peanut sauce ingredients together starting with 2 tablespoons of warm water, then add more warm water as needed to smooth and thin out the sauce to your preference. Set aside.
Once you are ready to make the soy curls, remove them from the marinade, but reserve the marinade.
Heat the olive oil on medium high in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet.
Add the soy curls and sauté, reducing heat as needed, until the soy curls are nice and brown and have a little char on them. About 10 to 12 minutes.
While the soy curls sauté, whisk the cornstarch into the reserved marinade.
Once the soy curls are brown and a little crisp on the outside, pour the marinade into the skillet with the soy curls and stir to combine. Let the soy curls simmer in the marinade for a few minutes, the marinade will thicken up and turn into a nice sauce.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
When the soy curls are done, serve them over steamed rice, drizzled with some peanut sauce, topped with cilantro and extra chili crisp or chili sauce if desired.

Video

Notes

*Large chunks of lemongrass can be hard to eat, so make sure you pound with the back of a knife or a mallet the lemongrass stalks and then finely mince or puree.

**I used Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp, but also recommend Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce.

Nutrition