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| Tossing the curls with spicy barbecue sauce. |
These were the thoughts in my head when it dawned on me that I didn't really know what it meant to "buffalo" a food. Sure, I knew the term "buffalo wings" which I associated with bars and football, but I couldn't tell you what they were. How embarrassing. I turned to my friend Google for help, and learned they are chicken wings, disjointed and the tips discarded, deep fried and coated in spicy barbecue sauce. Now how did I miss knowing that? There are many stories of their origin but the one that seems most likely to me involves a bar in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1964. An incorrect delivery of chicken wings instead of backs, and a hungry group of late-night drinkers, inspired the bar owner's wife to fry the wings for the crowd, and they became an institution.
For some, buffalo wings may conjure up a good time, but for me it represents the sad state of commercial chickens who have miserable lives, horrible deaths, and suffer their fate so people can gnaw on their bones. Not a pleasant thought. Barbecued soy curls, on the other hand, sounds like a great idea!
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| I must be out of practice rolling these things. Or maybe it was the square shape that threw me. |
I followed the recipe and baked the curls nice and crispy. Then I made a similar barbecue sauce minus most of the oil. The spicy sauce used for Buffalo chicken parts contains a lot of melted butter, but since I've never tasted the source recipe, and wasn't trying to reproduce it, I went for a lighter version. Still spicy, though.
I thought the curls were pretty darn good - nice and crispy-chewy. They would work perfectly in the salad recipe but that's not what I did. I copied Kittee and made fresh spring rolls, which were great.
these look so good! i really love buffalo soy chicken myself :)
ReplyDeleteThis was my first buffalo experience but it won't be my last!
DeleteI don't know much about Buffalo flavor either, but bbq sounds fine to me. Still haven't tried soy curls, but I do have a coupon code for Food Fight...
ReplyDeleteI really like soy curls and can get them locally. It will be ironic if you start ordering soy curls and I start ordering peanut butter cups.
Deleteyay and yum!
ReplyDeletexo
kittee
I second that.
DeleteI keep seeing these soy curls everywhere but I haven't found them around here yet. It might be time to order some online and make some buffalo curls, though it will be hard to get a buffalo to let me apply curlers to his hair :P
ReplyDeleteDo you have buffalo as neighbors or just ducks? :) if there aren't any actual buffalo you'll have to order the curls and make do.
DeleteI've been mighty tempted by Kittee's buffalo soy curl wraps too. I generally see buffalo sauce made with Frank's Red Hot Sauce. To me that's the quintessential buffalo flavor. (I looked it up, and it is gluten free if you're ever interested.) In the past I've made the Smoky Soy Curls from Vegan Diner and then added on a few shakes of Frank's Red Hot Sauce. I love all things spicy, and so it's a good fit!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about how disturbing the whole "wing" phenomenon is. A couple of days ago my husband and I were getting gas at a local Casey's. There was a sign outside advertising that Tuesdays they had 50 cent wings. There are so many things wrong with that... First, I can't imagine pumping gas and buying dinner from the same place. But more importantly - to imagine paying for a bird's food, care, and killing, their whole lives and whole deaths, and it's 50 cents for a limb? The chickens paid for that "cheapness" with their very own sad, meager lives. Ugh.
Yep. I used Franks. The only thing I changed was a teaspoon of oil instead of 4 tablespoons.
DeleteThanks for speaking out for the chickens. It's so disturbing to me sometimes how people forget they are eating dead animals. I believe everyone has to make their own choices and I respect that, but every so often I get upset.
That sounds really good! I wish I could get soy curls here...tvp, yes. But soy curls? No. I might have to look into ordering some on line!
ReplyDeleteCourtney
Soy curls seem to be pretty local but they are available mail order. We really like them.
DeleteThe rolls & salad both look great! I would definitely eat either. Best of luck on creating the salad!
ReplyDeleteI love fresh spring rolls and the soy curls did add a bit of a spicy kick to them. I was kind of wishing I'd made a more balanced looking roll, though. But even lopsided they tasted good.
DeleteWhat an interesting concept! They do look good, though something tells me I'm probably not allowed to eat them on the ACD!
ReplyDeleteI'd be surprised if buffalo soy curls were ACD friendly. Maybe level six? :)
DeleteI was chuckling right along with your post, right up until the part about the disjointed chickens, and then I got very sad thinking of football and bars. Footballs and some times sticky barstools are made of leather, but I be you knew that. Now I am disjointed. I am very glad you ended with some delicious looking bbq soy curl recipes. I love soy curls.
ReplyDeleteAt least soy curls are animal free and you don't have to go to bars to eat them. In fact, you probably can't go to bars and eat them unless you bring your own. Although there's a vegan bar here that might have them.
DeleteI was lucky enough to try Kittee's buffalo rolls the first time she tried them out.
ReplyDeleteThat stir fry looks like my kind of dinner, too!
And yes, the folks at Blossoming Lotus do great things with soy curls!
Kitty seems like a most creative cook and one would be lucky to try any of her dishes!
DeleteGosh they sound wonderful, but I still don't know how to prepare them, am I missing something?
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the post is a link to the recipe on cake maker to the stars blog. Since the recipe isn't mine and I didn't ask for permission to print it, I linked back to the source. I should have made it more clear. I hope you try it because its really good!
DeleteThank you for explaining. I am new to your blog and new to vegan cooking. I am looking to try anything new and not to difficult or fattening. I appreciate your help and your reply !
DeleteEverything in these photos is what I want to eat RIGHT Now - thanks, I'm going straight to look at the recipe now!
ReplyDeleteCan you even find soy curls where you live? I'd love it if you can!
DeleteOh my! Love it!
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I've never had soy curls? Until now, I didn't think I was missing anything. Now I know- I need them in my life!
ReplyDelete