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Where’s the beef?

What do you do if you’ve turned vegetarian but still crave the mouth-feel of meat? Susie Chance considers the alternatives

It’s a familiar refrain, ‘I could never be a vegetarian, I’d miss the texture of meat.’ In fact for those attempting to leave their carnivorous ways behind, there are a surprising number of meat substitutes on the market these days. And many of them happen to be a healthy alternative, too. They may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but some have even been known to fool the most committed meat eaters…. Here we pick out the top contenders.

Quorn™
One of the most popular meat substitutes on the market is Quorn, available both as an ingredient and in a range of Quorn products. Made from a myco-protein derived from the mushroom family, it’s grown using a natural fermentation process, and is then combined with a small amount of egg white and vegetable flavours to help give it the taste and texture of meat. Quorn is low in fat and high in protein and fibre, and readily absorbs flavours in cooking, so works well in stir-fries, curries, casseroles and marinades (see recipe below). You’ll find it as an ingredient prepacked in the chiller cabinet, either as Quorn pieces, which have a delicate chicken-style flavour, or beef-style Quorn mince. Other Quorn products include burgers, fillets and grills, and Quorn Deli Rashers for those with a craving for bacon. Quorn Deli Slices (smoked chicken style, honey roast ham style and turkey and stuffing style) can be added to sandwiches, pizzas and pasta.

TVP
TVP or textured vegetable protein, was one of first meat analogue products to emerge, over 30 years ago. Then and now it is often used by the food industry in vegetarian and non-vegetarian food products, but can also be bought in ingredient form from health food stores and supermarkets and is often called dried soya mince.A by-product of the soya oil industry, TVP is made from the remaining soya flour once the oil has been extracted. Very low in fat and a good source of fibre, it comes as dried chunks, mince or flakes, to which you add water before using in a recipe. There’s no flavour to it, but its sponge like texture means it marinates and absorbs flavours well in cooking, and it does have a realistic meat-like texture, especially in traditional mince dishes such as lasagnes and spaghetti Bolognese.

VegeMince
Another popular mince-style ingredient is Realeat VegeMince, made from a combination of rehdyrated wheat and soya protein. This one comes frozen in a resealable bag and is already precooked with other flavouring ingredients, so you can add it straight to your recipe directly from the freezer (see recipe below). VegeMince takes up its own weight of water or stock when cooked and has a surprisingly meaty taste and texture. Another good source of protein, it’s also suitable for vegans. Also in the range are VegeSteak and VegeBacon.

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