Learn how to make your own vegan meat floss! This light and cottony condiment is delicious on top of rice, congee, silken tofu, and more!
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I'm so glad to finally share a recipe for vegan meat floss! Vegan versions of this condiment can be found quite easily in Asian countries, however it's incredibly hard to find here!
As one of my favorite topping for rice, I had to make my own. And let me say the result is incredibly close to the store-bought one!
📘 What is Meat Floss?
Meat floss (肉鬆) or Rousong in Chinese, is an Asian condiment that consists of finely shredded meat (pork, chicken, or sometimes fish) that is seasoned and then cooked until dried. It has a very light and fluffy texture.
It is used as a topping for rice, congee, silken tofu, as well as baked goods like buns. It's perfect to add texture and extra saltiness to many dishes!
🥣 How to Make Vegan Meat Floss
This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare, from start to finish and requires just 5 ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- TVP - The base of this vegan meat floss is textured vegetable protein. You want to use the kind that comes in thin slices, it is sometimes called "chicken" or "beef" imitation slices.
- Soy sauce - For saltiness.
- Vegan fish sauce - Optional, it brings more umami and a deeper flavor. You can substitute it for more soy sauce.
- Sugar - Just a teaspoon, to balance a little bit with the saltiness.
- Chili sauce - For color and flavor. It doesn't really add any spiciness.
Preparing vegan meat floss is a 4-step process:
1. Soak TVP and Process the TVP
Soak TVP slices in hot water for 30 minutes, or until soft. Next, drain and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Rinse a few times and squeeze again. Rinsing helps get rid of the soy flavor.
Transfer to a food processor and process for 20-30 seconds with the kneader blade (the plastic one). Do not use the steel blade or you will process the TVP into a paste instead of simply shredding it.
2. Pound in a Mortar and Pestle
Transfer the shredded TVP to a mortar and pestle and pound for 3-5 minutes. This step is essential to break it down into thinner fibers. The longer you pound, the thinner and lighter the texture. If there are larger stripes, use your fingers to separate them into thinner threads.
3. Combine with the Seasonings
Once you have very thin threads of TVP, transfer to a bowl and add the seasonings. Stir to coat well.
4. Dry on the Stove
Finally, all you need to do now is to dry the TVP. Add it to a skillet and cook over low-medium heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring constantly with chopsticks. As it dries, the "meat" floss will become thinner and lighter.
I recommend using chopsticks to stir as it will help get an even thinner texture.
📔 Tips
- Be patient when drying the meat floss, it will take up to 15 minutes before being very dry. You want to stop cooking as soon as the floss is not sticking to the skillet anymore and has a light texture.
- The floss should be dry but not to a point where it is crispy (otherwise it might crumble into a powder), it should retain a slightly chewy texture.
- If you want the meat floss to have a more orange color (like real meat floss), add ¼ of a teaspoon of annatto oil. For information, I didn't use any here.
💬 FAQ
- What can I substitute for TVP? That's a tough question. I tried with jackfruit and mushrooms, but didn't get satisfying results (too moist, too chewy). While I haven't tried, I believe this recipe might work with vegan chick'n.
- How long does vegan meat floss keep? Vegan meat floss will keep for up to 1 month stored in an airtight container, at room temperature.
- Can I dry the meat floss in the oven? I tried drying in the oven, but the result was not as good as the stovetop method. It became crispy and not as thin.
- Can I use soy curls instead of slices? Unfortunately soy curls don't have the same texture as slices, so while it might work, you won't get the same cottony result.
- What does meat floss taste like? It's savory, umami-packed, with a hint of sweetness. The texture is very fluffy and it almost melts in your mouth.
🍲 Where to Use Vegan Meat Floss
Meat floss is a great condiment that adds texture and saltiness to many dishes! It can be used as a topping for:
- Rice and congee: Sprinkle on top of rice porridge, or use as a topping for Xôi mặn (Vietnamese Sticky Rice).
- Silken tofu: Top silken tofu with a drizzle of soy sauce, green onions, sesame seeds, and meat floss!
- Buns: Also called "Pork Floss Buns", these Chinese buns are brushed with mayo (use vegan mayo) and coat with meat floss.
- Sushi: Use as a filling or as a topping!
I hope you are going to love this vegan meat floss! It's perfectly salty, umami-packed, and so good sprinkled on top of rice!
Note: This meat floss is not as cottony as the real one but it definitely makes an amazing plant-based alternative!
More Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Meat Floss
Ingredients
- 1 cup textured vegetable protein slices about 1.5 ounces
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon vegan fish sauce or more soy sauce
- 1 and ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sweet chili sauce or sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon mushroom seasoning totally optional, it just helps enhance the flavor a bit
Instructions
- Soaking: Add the textured vegetable protein slices to a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, or until soft.
- Drain the slices and squeeze them between your hands to remove excess water. Rinse under cold water and squeeze them again to remove as much water as possible.
- Shredding: Transfer the TVP slices to a food processor fitted with the kneader blade (the plastic one). Process for about 30 seconds.
- Next, transfer the shredded TVP to a mortar and pestle and pound it for 3-5 minutes, or until you get very thin strips. You can also use your fingers to shred the slices into thin threads, the goal is to have the the thinnest texture as possible.
- Seasoning: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, vegan fish sauce, sugar, sweet chili sauce, and mushroom seasoning if using. Pour the sauce over the TVP threads and stir to coat.
- Drying: Transfer the TVP to a non-stick skillet and heat over low-medium heat. Using chopsticks, stir constantly for 12-15 minutes, or until the TVP is thinner and lighter. Stop drying as soon as the threads are not sticking together anymore.
- Remove from heat and let it cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a clean container. Meat floss will keep for up to one month stored at room temperature. Enjoy on top of rice, congee, silken tofu, and more!
I haven't tried this...yet, but you always open our eyes to new and unusual dishes that we want to try! Thank you!
Thanks Annie 😉
Well, Thomas you have done it again! This looks so realistic (I live in Thailand) I will try this, I have some flat TSP so nothing to stop me except one thing. My processor is quite old and does not have a plastic blade with it. Only a flat metal blade which is reversible one side produces slices the other does grating. So any suggestions?
Thanks Roger! So, you can skip the food processor process if you want, and go straight to the mortar and pestle. It will take a bit more time but it will definitely work! Do not use the flat round blade, it won't work well.
So excited for this recipe!! I’ve been looking for vegan meat floss for so long! However, I don’t have a food processor, only a blender. Any suggestions for that? Thanks!
The food processor just speeds up a bit the initial process. You can definitely skip it and only use a mortar and pestle, and your fingers to shred it into thinner thread. It takes some patience but it's worth it!
What a treat it has turned out to be and it is such a great way to have TVP. Although it doesn't seem to be as easy to source as regular TVP, hardly anyone sells these in Australia. Local Asian shops only seem to stock soya chunks here, but luckily I found one Asian grocer online who sells them.
In terms of the process, I mainly used my hands to shred them because in the food processor they stuck to the side and I didn't quite find using the mortar and pestle effective either, however, it could have been because I may not have squeezed the water out well enough.
Thank you so much for another wonderful recipe.
Thanks for your feedback Maria!
Yes, it's true that this kind of TVP is not as easy to find, but if you look a little bit or ask an Asian store they can usually order it for you.
Glad you liked the recipe 😉
I made this yesterday, so fun. used soy chunks and shredded by hand mostly, then mortar and pestle. Used a lime squeezer to get the water out, worked great. thanks.
Sorry I can't post a photo.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Kathleen, thanks for your feedback! 🙂