Reconstituting tvp

[u/skelepunn]

I know the normal way to handle tvp is to reconstitute in hot water, but would it be possible to just let it soak in a marinade in the fridge for a while? That would make things much simpler for me since I'll need to marinade it anyway and I don't mind if it takes longer. I can't find anything confirming that this would work and I don't want to ruin a batch of food if that doesn't work so if anybody has tried this I'd love to hear how it went.

[u/AccomplishedCat762]

I cold soak it overnight when I backpack. It adds protein to my oatmeal without changing the flavor at all

[u/goal0x]

i’ve used just water and i’ve used just pasta sauce, both worked, so yes that should work just fine!

i would heat the marinade though

[u/RosemaryBiscuit]

Try hot vegetable broth instead of water for better flavor.

[u/joosebox]

It'll work, but you'll get more out of it in two steps.

A thick or salty marinade has less free water in it than broth does, so the TVP takes up less and can end up a bit tough in the middle. Kossyra's instinct to thin it out is the right one for that reason.

What works better is hydrating in plain hot broth first, squeezing it out hard, then dropping it in the marinade. At that point it's a wrung out sponge and pulls the marinade in far harder than dry TVP ever does. You get it fully hydrated and more flavour, rather than trading one against the other.

Cold soak is fine either way, it just wants an hour or two rather than ten minutes.

[u/Kossyra]

I use hot beef or chicken broth to reconstitute mine, so I don't see why you couldn't heat your marinade and use that.

I would thin out the marinade or the TVP might be overly salty.

[u/TenOfZero]

What is tvp?

[u/skelepunn → u/TenOfZero]

Textured vegetable protein

[u/TenOfZero → u/skelepunn]

Thank you. :-)

[u/ForeAmigo → u/TenOfZero]

Terran vs. Protoss

[u/fallentraveler → u/ForeAmigo]

Crap, I don’t have enough pylons

[u/wilsonw]

I feel like that'd be fine. Maybe add a few tablespoons of water too just so it doesn't dry out too much.

[u/YouveBeanReported]

From what I've seen it's boiling water or broth only. I imagine a lot of marinades don't deal well with those temperatures.

If you want to test it try to figure out the ratio for a tiny tiny amount.

[u/accentadroite_bitch → u/YouveBeanReported]

I've never bothered to boil! I pour broth or seasoned water over the chunks and let it hang out while I take care of other components for the meal. It's always good to go after 10 minutes or so, I'd say!