Need a quick dish? Then I highly recommend these plant-based Korean crumbles from Stonewall Kitchen or Urban Accents. I have tried both and they seem to be the same product under different marketing
channels. Regardless, I learned how to make seasoned crumbles in vegan chef class, but honestly, for $6, why knock yourself out doing things from scratch?
What I love about these are the ingredients, ease of preparation, and versatility. You could take these on a camp-out or dress these up for company. What’s also great about these plant-based Korean crumbles?
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Faux Meat Evaluation
Visual – When prepared as packaged, the crumbles look like fine ground meat with spices and sauce, more like pork or chicken. Recommendation: if you want a darker color, add a splash of Kitchen Bouquet.
Tactile – I can’t say a whole lot here other than they feel like crumbles. Before cooking, they are a bit mushy, so if you want to add a binder and make a “meat” ball, you could do that.
Cooking – how did they hold up?
Per the packaging:
You will need a saucepan, oil, one onion sliced or chopped, and soy sauce. Dehydrate the crumbles in hot water. Heat the saucepan, add the onion and saute to golden, add the meat and brown. The mixture will stick to the pan a bit, so perhaps a non-stick pan may work better. But for me, I like the crusty brown fond. Add the soy sauce to taste.
Taste and Texture: I made these Korean plant-based crumbles as a lettuce wrap as depicted in the picture. There are not-so-great crumbles on the market, and there are better ones. These are the better ones. The crumbles hold their shape and have some chew. The taste is mild and not too spicy. More black pepper heat than chili red heat. I get a hint of the black garlic and sweetness without being cloying. I do add some crunchy garlic topper that I enjoy making and use as a garnish.
Other Ways I Used the Product:
How Korean Plant-based Crumbles Weigh In:
Ingredients
Textured Soy Flour, Sesame seeds, Brown Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Dehydrated Garlic & Onion, White Sugar, Sea Salt, Spices, Yeast Extract, Tamari Soy Sauce Powder (Soy Sauce [Soybeans, Salt], Maltodextrin, Salt), Toasted Sesame Oil, Natural Flavors, Black Garlic, And 2% Silicon Dioxide Added To Prevent Caking.
Nutritional expectations:
As a reference, my basic requirements for a good meat substitute product are:
>12 grams of Protein
< 9 grams Fat
< 500 grams of Sodium
fiber – any fiber is a bonus points!!!
These Korean plant-based crumbles in package, not prepared, weighed in at:
8 grams or greater of plant-based protein
.5 grams of Fat
150 mg of Sodium
4 grams of Fiber
Considering you don’t eat these crumbles dry or by themselves, there is a possibility to add more protein with other plant-based sources such as soybeans or grains. My expectations were based more on a ratio of protein to fat as many ready-to-eat or easy-prep plant-based dishes start with a lot of fat, sometimes more than the protein itself. I like these crumbles as they start low fat, and you can manage the added fat in any culinary artistic way you want.
Wrap Up:
I recommend these crumbles with the caveat that you can manage the salt and oil using various techniques – low salt additions, a non-stick skillet, broth, or whatever your culinary skills can add!
I get a lot of requests for easy meals and have many “assembly” recipes that can be done in 30 minutes or less. This is one of those for our “Wok Wednesday”. Although not a “wok” dish, I suppose it could be, Wok Wednesday just reminds me to go for something in my repertoire of Asian-inspired dishes or, to use my wok for any cuisine that uses a similar vessel. These also make AMAZING stocking stuffers! Who doesn’t love a culinary treat for the holidays, or a birthday? Enjoy!
Where to buy: Many local grocery chains and health stores carry them. They are also available on Amazon.
Want More Recipes?
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