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    Home ยป Dinner

    Vegan Kung Pao Chicken with Soy Curls

    Published: Sep 15, 2022 ยท Modified: Mar 22, 2024 by Louise-Claire Cayzer ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท This blog generates income via ads ยท 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    I've been making this vegan Kung Pao Chicken on repeat, ever since I discovered how easy and flavourful it is to make! The combination of chilli, juicy pieces of chicken made from soy curls, peanuts and that glorious marinade is utterly addictive!

    A spoon of vegan kung pao chicken being lifted from a pan showing the chilli and peanuts in it. this recipe

    Apart from a bit of mixing and chopping, this recipe is SO quick to make, making it perfect for mid-week meals.

    The inspiration for this vegan and vegetarian version of this classic dish actually came from a gorgeous recipe in a book by Fuschia Dunlop, who has created probably the best recipe book on Szechuan/Sichuan cooking, de-mystifying it for those of use not lucky to travel to Szechuan province and taste it for ourselves. I've veganised her Gong Bao Chicken with Peanuts recipe, with a few amends to ensure that it works just as well as the original (I hope!) Anway, if you want to explore her book, you can buy it here.

    Serve this delicious recipe with plain rice and a side of greens. For a special occasion, why not start the meal with my favourite Vegan Sesame Tofu 'Prawn' Toast. Or if you've loved this style of meal, why not try this TVP San Choy Bao for a quick and delicious dinner.

    Jump to:
    • ๐Ÿฅ’Ingredients
    • ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸณInstructions
    • ๐ŸฅกSubstitutions & Variations
    • ๐Ÿ”ชEquipment
    • ๐ŸฅซStorage
    • โ—Top tip
    • โ“FAQ
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    ๐Ÿฅ’Ingredients

    Ingredients for the vegan kung pao chicken all laid out.

    Although this looks like quite the list of ingredients, most are just whisked up for the marinade and sauce!

    • Soy Curls: Soy curls are made with dehydrated soybeans. They're the larger version of that dried soya mince you can buy. They're healthy, easy to use and work perfectly in this dish. I used these ones from Organico-who call them Fajita Strips you can buy them at Abel and Cole or you can find them on Amazon here. You can substitute your favourite tofu, tempeh or vegan chicken pieces instead.
    • Peanuts or Cashews: roasted peanuts or cashews are delicious and really make this recipe perfect.
    • Dried Red Chilli: Don't be scared by the chilli! You can leave them whole and remove the seeds, they lend a mild heat, and you don't have to actually eat them.
    • Green Onions/scallions: For freshness and flavour.
    • Sichuan/Szechuan Peppercorns: Mildy spicy and numbing on the tongue. Add more for a more impactful dish, or less if you're not so used to spice.
    • Garlic: Freshly mince garlic is essential.
    • Ginger: Ginger brings a zing and background heat and fragrance. Absolutely essential.

    For the Kung Pao Sauce and Marinade

    • Soy Sauce: I always have Kikkoman soy sauce in my house. Choose a low-sodium or wheat-free version as needed. *NB: be sure not to choose a sweet soy sauce!
    • Shaoxing Wine: This is rice wine. You can use mirin or white wine instead. Alternatively, mix a spoonful of white vinegar and sugar into the dish.
    • Chinkiang Vinegar: I adore this vinegar for making dipping sauces. It's fragrant and slightly addictive. You can substitute in Balsamic if you need to. I get mine at a local Asian supermarket, but you can also find it on Amazon. It's well worth having in the house!
    • Sesame Oil: Essential for finishing the dish.
    • Potato Starch: This helps thicken the sauce.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸณInstructions

    Follow along with these how-to images so you can see how easy it is to make this vegan kung pao recipe.

    Mix together the marinade and soak the soy curls.

    1) Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and toss the soy curls in it. Leave to soak, ensuring all the soy curls are soft and soaked in marinade.

    Removing the seeds from the chilies. The minced garlic, ginger and chopped green onions are in the background.

    2) Meanwhile, mince the garlic and ginger. Chop the green onions/scallions. Remove the seeds from the whole dried chillies by halving them and shaking the seeds out, and set aside.

    Mix up the kung pao sauce ready to use when you're cooking.

    3) Mix up the kung pao sauce, ready to use when you're cooking the dish.

    The wok with soy curls, ginger, garlic and Sezchuan peppercorns in it.

    4) Get a wok nice and hot, add a little oil swirling it around the wok. Add the marinated soy curls/vegan chicken and stir. They will start to colour. After 1 minute, add the ginger, peppercorns and garlic and toss.

    The nuts and chilli have been added to the wok with the soy curls. Then the kung pao sauce, green onions and finished with the sesame oil.

    5) After a minute, add the chilies and nuts and stir or toss. Now add the sauce, the green onions and finish off with the sesame oil.

    A spoon of vegan kung pao chicken being lifted from a pan showing the chilli and peanuts in it.

    6) Serve immediately over rice. You can sprinkle extra green onions over to serve if you like.

    Hint: This recipe relies on prep work. Have everything chopped, marinated and measured out, as the cooking process is very quick!

    ๐ŸฅกSubstitutions & Variations

    There are a few ways you can make this simple kung pow recipe your own.

    • Tofu-Marinade cubes of tofu in Kung Pao Marinade instead of the soy curls.
    • Vegan Chicken substitutes - marinate your favourite vegan chicken chunks in place of the soy curls.
    • Cashew Nuts- Cashew nuts make a very delicious alternative to peanuts in this dish.
    • Wine- choose a light white wine to replace the Shaoxing wine.
    • No alcohol- use a tablespoon of white or cider vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar to re-create the sweet tangy effect of the wine in the marinade.
    • Balsamic Vinegar- the closest replacement for sweet black Chinkiang vinegar is balsamic. Do try to find the Chinkiang vinegar though, it's a different flavour and so delicious.
    • Less spicy- halve the amount of chilli
    • More spicy - add extra chilli and don't remove the seeds
    • Vegetarian- this kung pao recipe is already vegetarian and vegan!

    A bowl of kung pao chicken using soy curls over rice.

    ๐Ÿ”ชEquipment

    A wok is key to this vegan kung pao recipe's success as it gets hot and is big enough to toss around the ingredients to ensure that the flavours are all combined.

    ๐ŸฅซStorage

    Amazingly, despite this dish being a wok-fried dish, it tastes pretty good for up to 3 days. Just keep it in an air tight container and re-heat in a searing hot pan.

    I do not recommend you freeze this recipe, it won't ruin it, but it won't taste as good frozen then thawed then re-heated.

    โ—Top tip

    Make sure that all the soy curls are really soaked in the marinade and not hard. They only take a few minutes to absorb the flavours, but it's an important step.

    โ“FAQ

    What are soy curls?

    Soy curls are made from dehydrated soy beans.This is a protein-rich product that is also high in fibre and low in fat. They're really useful for keeping on hand in the cupboard for easily adding protein to vegan meals. Soy curls /Soy strips can come in different shapes and also in a 'mince' form. I used these ones from Organico- you can buy them at Abel and Cole or you can find them on Amazon here

    Can I use tofu in this Kung Pao recipe?

    Absolutely, use firm tofu and pat it dry. Chop into 2 - 3 cm cubes and Marinate it for up to 2 hours before cooking.

    Can I use shop-bought vegan 'chicken' in this Kung Pao recipe?

    Yes, it will be delicious. Chop into smaller pieces (2-3 cms) and reduce the water content of the marinade.

    Is this Kung Pao recipe spicy?

    It is a little bit spicy, with the heat of the chilli and the numbing feeling of the Szechaun peppercorns. You can make this recipe less spicy by using less chilli and making sure to remove all the seeds. The heat and numbing sensation of the Szechuan peppercorns can be made milder by using half the amount.

    If you love this recipe, please share this post with your friends on Pinterest or Facebook, or tag me on Insta! Don't forget to also please comment and star โญthis recipe too!

    Love & Vegan Yummies, Louise xx (P.S. Follow me on Insta and Tik Tok!)

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    Vegan kung pao chicken in a bowl ready to be eaten.

    Vegan Kung Pao Chicken with Soy Curls

    Louise-Claire Cayzer
    Utterly addictive Kunk Pao Chicken but made vegan! Use soy curls or tofu for a dish that you and your family will beg for every week!
    5 from 7 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course main
    Cuisine Chinese, Vegan
    Servings 4
    Calories 268 kcal

    Equipment

    • Wok

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    For the main stir fry

    • 110 g (ยฝ cups) soy curls (or tofu pieces)
    • 5 green onions (scallions/spring onions)
    • 15 whole dried chillies (or as many as you like. )
    • ยฝ teaspoon Szechuan Peppercorns (or more, up to 2 teaspoon if you like hotter!)
    • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
    • 75 g (ยฝ cups) roasted peanuts (or cashews)

    For the Soy Curl marinade

    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
    • 1 teaspoon potato starch
    • 2 tablespoon water

    For the Kung Pao Sauce

    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 3 tablespoon Chinkiang Vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon caster sugar
    • 2 tablespoon water
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 1 teaspoon potato starch

    Instructions

    • Mix together the marinade ingredients and add the soy curls. Mix thoroughly and leave until soft (about 5 minutes)
      1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon potato starch, 2 tablespoon water, 110 g soy curls
    • Finely chop the garlic and grate the ginger.
      1 tablespoon fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic
    • Chop the green onions into small pieces.
      5 green onions
    • De-seed the dried chilies by halving the chilies and shaking out the seeds.
      15 whole dried chillies
    • Mix together all the ingredients for the Kung Pao Sauce. Measure out the nuts.
      2 tablespoon water, 3 tablespoon Chinkiang Vinegar, 2 tablespoon caster sugar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon potato starch, 2 tablespoon soy sauce
    • Get everything to hand, as the next part of the recipe is fast!
    • Put your wok onto a high heat and pour in the oil, slicking it around the edges of the wok.
      2 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • Add the marinated soy curls and cook for a minute or so until they start to brown.
      110 g soy curls
    • Add the ginger, garlic, peppercorns and nuts and cook for a minute.
      4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, 75 g roasted peanuts, ยฝ teaspoon Szechuan Peppercorns
    • Add the sauce and green onions and toss for a minute
      5 green onions
    • Serve immediately over rice.

    Video

    Notes

    TIPS for making this recipe:
    • Hint: This recipe relies on prep work. Have everything chopped, marinated and measured out, as the cooking process is very quick!
    • Be sure to marinate the soy curls in the marinade and do not soak them first. You want them full of flavour, not water!ย 
    • Make sure that all the soy curls are really soaked in the marinade and not hard. They only take a few minutes to absorb the flavours, but it's an important step.
    STORAGE:
    Amazingly, despite this dish being a wok-fried dish, it tastes pretty good for up to 3 days. Just keep it in an air tight container and re-heat in a searing hot pan.
    I do not recommend you freeze this recipe, it won't ruin it, but it won't taste as good frozen then thawed then re-heated.
    ย 
    ย 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 268kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 20gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 844mgPotassium: 289mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 649IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 129mgIron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and โญ below

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      5 from 7 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    1. Jovita says

      September 29, 2022 at 1:26 pm

      5 stars
      What a great recipe! I've never cooked, but I'll definitely try to make.

      Reply
    2. Janessa says

      September 29, 2022 at 1:25 pm

      5 stars
      This is making my mouth water! It looks absolutely delicious.

      Reply
    3. Kim says

      September 29, 2022 at 1:23 pm

      5 stars
      I never would have believed that this was a vegan dish if you didn't tell me. Absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    4. Stephanie Sandstone says

      September 29, 2022 at 1:23 pm

      5 stars
      I love Kung Pao chicken, but I don't love all the calories. This version seems much healthier than the takeout version. Thank you!

      Reply
    5. Natalie says

      September 29, 2022 at 1:01 pm

      5 stars
      Love your vegan Kung Pao chicken recipe. Made it to my husband who is a great fan and he said it tastes amazing!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Louise-Claire! I believe vegan and plant-based food should be easy to make, never scary and above all, absolutely delicious. Also, it's for everyone, not just for vegans!

    I'm a photographer, recipe developer and gardener. You'll find me in the kitchen, in the studio or wandering the garden, picking delicious veggies to make recipes for you! So why not stay a while, check out some of my recipes and try one or two for yourself...Find out more on my About Me page.

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