Trying Out Textured Soy Protein

Although I've been cooking predominantly vegetarian food for many years, I'd never tried, or even heard of, textured soy protein (TSP). Last time I went to city'super I saw it on the shelf with the beans and grains. Despite being an imported, unusual product, it only cost about HK$20 (~US$3), so I snapped it up.

Cooking with TSP is quick and easy. You just soak it in boiling water for a few minutes before adding it to any recipe. You can store the dehydrated granules in the freezer.

The first time I cooked with the TSP, I added it to tomato pasta sauce for something like bolognese. I've also used it to make a vegetarian version of larb, the Thai meat stir fry eaten with lettuce wraps. 

More recently, I used a half-and-half mixture of TSP and ground beef to make meatloaf. All these dishes were delicious, so I will definitely be cooking regularly with TSP. Next up, shepherd's pie or something Mexican!