shrimp substitute....
Posted by jensnoztree on Jul 23, 2006 · Member since Jun 2006 · 5 posts
I know this is very wierd, but I have found myself really craving shrimp lately! I highly doubt there are any alternatives out there, but just wondering if anyone knew of any...? Maybe I'm just not getting enough protein lately or something. I've been vegetarian for 4 years now (no lapses), and the thought of eating real shrimp kinda makes me feel sick, so I don't understand why I still crave it.
I've used vegetarian shrimp that I've found in Asian stores. The brand I've tried was made from yam flour(whatever that is) and it was good. It made a good stir fry that was different from the old tofu stir fries I constantly make. It didn't taste like shrimp all that much but had the consistency, so it might gross some vegans out. It wasn't this brand here, but similar, the brand I bought seemed a little smaller and more white, and was more shrimp-shaped, but just so you know it does exist:
thanks tweety! i really did not expect anyone to reply to that one! I'm going to an asian market today to get some sushi rice, so I will ask if they have something similiar to that ;)
Funny you should mention this because I have been wanting to make a post about shrimp after I made a discovery. As I have been eating cauliflower recently, I noticed that its texture resembles the texture of shrimp. So if you find yourself craving shrimp, maybe you can spice up some cauliflower the way shrimp is spiced - and with some added seaweed or kelp granules to mock the 'sea' flavor. I could be wrong if this will work it's worth a shot, dont ya think?! ;D
thanks tweety! i really did not expect anyone to reply to that one! I'm going to an asian market today to get some sushi rice, so I will ask if they have something similiar to that ;)
You're welcome. You had me craving shrimp so when I was in the Asian store the other day they have everything but vegetarian shrimp.......fish, meatballs, kidney, bag after bag. Sheesh. LOL
Let us know if you find any and how you liked it. :)
I've used vegetarian shrimp that I've found in Asian stores. The brand I've tried was made from yam flour(whatever that is) and it was good. It made a good stir fry that was different from the old tofu stir fries I constantly make. It didn't taste like shrimp all that much but had the consistency, so it might gross some vegans out. It wasn't this brand here, but similar, the brand I bought seemed a little smaller and more white, and was more shrimp-shaped, but just so you know it does exist: http://www.kintarestaurant.com/blog/10-11-04-Shrimp.jpg
I just bought this exact same brand of shrimp yesterday.....any suggestions on what to do with it, apart from plain old stir fry?
I just bought this exact same brand of shrimp yesterday.....any suggestions on what to do with it, apart from plain old stir fry?
I use it in pasta dishes, hot and cold. Unshrimp Fra Diavlo is my favorite way. The brand I use is different. The unshrimp even have little pink lines on them to look more like shrimp.
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/Random/unshrimp.jpg
Would I find these in the Asian store's refrigerated section? or just on the shelf? Its pretty confusing in there. hehe
I buy vegan shrimp at my health food store in the frozen section that are pretty tasty. The brand is Vege USA, and the vegan shrimp are from their Vegetarian Plus line. They are a product from taiwan. They come packed along with a separate sweet chili sauce and are in a 10.5 oz box. They're $6.29 at my store, so kind of pricey. I like the fact that these are in a regular box and written in the English language. You can find lots of great things at an Asian food store, but it's often difficult to decipher if an item is vegan, and the staff often don't speak English in my experience.
I buy vegan shrimp at my health food store that are pretty tasty. The brand is Vege USA, and the vegan shrimp are from their Vegetarian Plus line. They are a product from taiwan.
VegeUSA is carried at one of my HFSs.
Cautionary tale: It was either VegeUSA black pepper "steak" or citrus "spareribs" - I found a long black hair embedded in the "meat." It was gag worthy. I don't know what health standards the workers in the production facility follow. It was totally disgusting. If they let hair in their product, what else gets in there that we don't see?
Cali, my vegan shrimp were in the fridge section, but they are in a long life package so could also be kept on a regular shelf.
Storm - my brand also has the weird pink lines on to make more shrimp-like! How strange.
But the the VegiDeli brand of vegan bacon here in the UK is all pink but then they have a white strip down th edge, I guess to resemble the strip of fat on meaty bacon!
Hey shelloid! I was wondering where/what store in the UK you got vegan shrimp from? Thanks
Thanks BP, thanks Shelloid! I will look in both next time I go.
Hey shelloid! I was wondering where/what store in the UK you got vegan shrimp from? Thanks
I'm lucky enought to live only 20mins away from one of the massive wing yip supermarkeets, but I've never seen it anywhere else.
I tend to go about once a month and stock up when I do, so if you want me to get some shrimp and post it onto you let me know.
I'm lucky enough to live only 20mins away from one of the massive wing yip supermarkets, but I've never seen it anywhere else.
I tend to go about once a month and stock up when I do, so if you want me to get some shrimp and post it onto you let me know.
You lucky thing! I checked out my local Hoo Hing, which is pretty big and is a main supplier judging by all the trucks it has, but no v-shrimp (in fact, no v-fish/meatless stuff at all really). Thank you for your kind offer, I may take you up on that, but I'm off to my parents this w/end who have a couple of asian superstores near them so I'll have a look there ... btw, have you made anything with them yet? Been veggie a long time and the only thing I kind of miss is prawns so I was thinking of prawnless sarnies.
Have any you tried this place before? They ship out of NYC.
http://www.vegieworld.com/
I found a non VegeUSA brand at my other HFS. I had the bag in my cart for at least a minute before I put it back.
Both brands were in the freezer section.
btw, have you made anything with them yet? Been veggie a long time and the only thing I kind of miss is prawns so I was thinking of prawnless sarnies.
not yet - still deciding what to do with them. I kind of bought them on impulse because I remembered Storm saying she'd had them. (because that's a really obvious reason as to why to buy them ;D)
I never really liked shrimp/prawns when I was non-veg so maybe vegan shrimp were not such a good idea ::) Having said that I went veggie when I was 12 so I'm sure there's tons of stuff I eat now that I didn't like when I was 12.
I will let you know what I decide. Maybe some sort of sweet & sour dish or the general tao's sauce from VW. Not sure yet.
I think I'll also feed them to Niall (my non-veg bf) and see what he thinks of them!
I think I'll also feed them to Niall (my non-veg bf) and see what he thinks of them!
I do that with my non-veg fella, but v-shrimp may be a step too far for him, like tofu, he just will not eat that, not that I'm all that surprised, my tofu cooking is a bit hit and miss even if i say so myself!
I think I'll also feed them to Niall (my non-veg bf) and see what he thinks of them!
I do that with my non-veg fella, but v-shrimp may be a step too far for him, like tofu, he just will not eat that, not that I'm all that surprised, my tofu cooking is a bit hit and miss even if i say so myself!
Niall is eating tofu scramble right now - and he loves seitan....I will force vegan shrimp on him! ;D
ok so we've just now finished our vegan shrimp. I ended up making the sauce from the general tao's recipe on this site with a few modifications.
I thought it tasted just like shrimp - it was really eerie and spooked me out a bit. I'm not sure if I liked it or not, but I still ate all my portion.
Niall also had it and he said the texture was similar prawns, but he didn't think they really taste of much (I guess the sauce was too overpowering). He also said he would have them again if I decided to get them another time
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