Bulgogi is a Korean dish traditionally made with marinated beef. When ground beef is used a flavorful sauce is created to replicate taste of the traditional marinade. This vegan version is made with Texturized Vegetable Protein. No worries if you’re not keen on TVP, any ground meat can be used as a substitute making it an omnivore friendly meal.
What is TVP again?
TVP stands for Texturized Vegetable Protein and was invented in the 1960s by agricultural giant Archer Daniel Midland. The main ingredient is soy, but other grains and seeds can be part of the mix. It’s a low fat, protein rich food source. Since it is dehydrated, TVP has a long shelf life. Where I live I can buy it in small or large pieces, in other markets flavored TVP is available. The small pieces look more like ground beef when rehydrated and can be used as a direct substitute for ground meat in recipes.
This was the first time I’ve used TVP. For the kind I used, a cup is equivalent to a pound of browned ground beef. You’ll need to set some time aside to prepare the dehydrated flakes, but it doesn’t take long.
The flavoring is reminiscent of the Korean BBQ Wings with ginger and red pepper flakes countered by sugar and tamari sauce. I felt the strong flavors would help overcome certain family member’s reluctance to try TVP. Carrots and green onions add some color with sesame seeds giving a nutty crunch. Serve it over rice for a great meal.
I found this recipe on Pinterest from Ronda at Kitchen Dreaming. She used ground beef and mixed it together in a bowl. It was likened it to “Korean Dirty Rice.”
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine textured vegetable protein reconstituted according to package directions
- 1 small carrot finely shredded ( I used a finely shredded pickled carrot from a jar)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions reserve some of the tops for garnish (3 green onions)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger I used the kind that comes in a tube
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar more or less
- 1/2 cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce more or less
- salt and pepper to taste
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil with the red pepper flakes and chopped garlic.
- Add the ginger and brown sugar. Stir together to form a paste.
- Drain the TVP and add to the skillet. Add the carrot, too. Mix well.
- When the moisture from the TVP has cooked away, spread it evenly in the skillet so it will brown a little bit. It will take a couple minutes.
- Stir in the tamari, adjust the seasonings as desired.
- Serve over rice.
While this was our first meal using TVP I’m sure it won’t be the last.
If you don’t like TVP but still want to make a meatless Mock Bulgogi, check out these recipes that use ingredients which can be substituted:
Enjoy!
This was a really good base recipe and since I’ve made something similar before with just crumbled tofu, I wanted to try the bulgogi with TVP for the first time. I used your all of your ingredients as a guide, but additionally I chopped 1 small onion for more flavor and added some Korean BBQ sauce in a jar, plus some rice vinegar to add a slight tanginess, and since the mixture looked a bit dry I added a cornstarch slurry to add some moisture. I read others add some chopped mushroom and this is a nice idea too to add moisture to the dish – but I didn’t do that because my daughter hates mushrooms. This turned out really tasty and we had it over white rice and added fresh cucumber slices. I think this would be excellent served with lettuce cups and herbs like Thai basil & cilantro if you didn’t want the rice & carbs, or you could serve with brown rice which has a little more fiber. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t thought of using tofu for this. Your version sounds really good. I’m going to give it a try as my husband has decided he doesn’t like TVP anymore.
This was my first time using TVP and this was delicious. My meat eater daughter and brother kept going back for more.
I’m glad to hear it, Faith! Thank you for taking the time to let me know 🙂 Enjoy the weekend.
Wow, this was delicious!! I should have doubled the recipe for two of us!
Thank you for letting me know! I’m glad it worked out for you 🙂
Just bought a bag of TVP today and really had no idea how to use it. Going to try this tomorrow, it looks so good. But please tell me how you got your rice cooked so beautifully? No matter what I do I end up with sticky clumpy disgusting rice.
Hi Diane! Here’s how we cook our rice. We prefer to use basmati rice and cook it in twice as much water or broth as rice. (One cup rice to two cups liquid) Measure rice and water into a large sauce pan and place it over high heat. Turn the heat down very low as soon as it comes to a boil and cover the pan with a lid. Start checking around 10 minutes or so after turning the heat down. You’ll see holes form in the rice as it nears the end of cooking time. Fluff the rice with a fork and let it stand without a lid for a bit before serving. We try to be consistent about which sauce pan we use to cook the rice because it affects the cooking time. This method seems to give us the best results, although it depends on the rice.
My son uses a rice cooker and he’s very happy with it.
Hope this helps!
thank you so much, fingers crossed mine comes out as beautiful.
This recipe rocks! I usually eyeball things and a bit more of the fun stuff (garlic, chili flakes, brown sugar, tvp). Ad Kelly mentioned, I also add a hearty amount of chopped, sauteed mushrooms to the tvp. We make bowls out of this and top with kimchee, fresh jalapeno and cilantro and avocado, and a sriracha mayo. They make mean little tacos if you have leftovers and, like most things in life, the leftovers aren’t bad topped with a fried egg.
Sounds awesome! Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment 🙂
Best tvp recipe I’ve had so far
Thanks, Ariel! I’m glad to hear you liked it.
I have made this recipe over ten times already, and I just was introduced to it like a month ago. It’s stupid-good.
Add mushrooms when cooking for added texture and flavor. Consider topping with kimchi and avocado.
I like the idea of adding mushrooms. Kimchi and avocado sound like good additions, too. Thanks for sharing!
I added thinly sliced red, yellow and orange bell peppers, about one quarter of each. Sauté in the beginning with the sesame oil. It adds nice flavor, color and nutrition.
Great idea, Toni! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for linking back with me that’s so very kind of you. Your dish looks great! I can’t wait to try this for Meatless Monday!
Where does the carrot go in? It isn’t stated in the recipe.
Good question! I used pickled carrot shreds which are widely available here, and really only needed to be heated. For a fresh carrot, make sure it’s finely shredded and add it with the TVP. I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks for the heads up.
Oooooh sounds fab. I would love to try a bowl of your bulgogi as I wrap up warm infront of the fire.
You paint a tempting picture! 🙂
This is my kind of meal!! FULL of flavor!!
It was really much better than we’d hoped. Love all the Asian flavors 🙂