Description

A comforting, creamy stroganoff made with Eat Curious Pieces, mushrooms and a rich, savoury sauce. Packed with protein and fibre, with a tender texture and familiar flavours, making it a nourishing and satisfying choice for care settings.

THIS RECIPE HAS BEEN CREATED BY EAT CURIOUS DEVELOPMENT CHEF LIAM

Chef Liam is a skilled culinary problem-solver who transforms complex school food standards into practical, scalable recipes that are both compliant and crowd-pleasing. With a sharp eye on budget, nutrition, and taste, he crafts flavourful, cost-effective meals that accommodate dietary restrictions, portion requirements, and the realities of limited kitchen resources. By innovating with seasonal ingredients and balancing every penny with every nutrient, Chef Liam ensures students receive meals that are satisfying, wholesome, and consistently well-executed.

Instructions

Hydrate Eat Curious Dehydrated Pieces 1 part Pieces: 3 parts cold water: For this recipe, add 350g Eat Curious Dehydrated Pieces to a gastronorm tray or food-grade container. Add 1.05l water and a portion of the mushroom stock. Stir well to fully submerge. We recommend adding gravy browning to the rehydration liquid to help colour the pieces. Cover and leave to hydrate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Overnight hydration (chilled) is recommended for best yield and texture. Drain any excess liquid before using.
Sauté: In a large pan, sauté the sliced mushrooms in butter until softened and golden.
Add the rehydrated Eat Curious Pieces, the remaining mushroom stock, and the smoked paprika to the pan. If using brandy, add it at this stage.
Bring to a simmer and allow the liquid to reduce by about one-third to concentrate the flavours.
Stir in the sour cream at the end of cooking to create a thick, creamy sauce. Do not boil once the cream is added to prevent curdling. Serve: Serve hot over a bed of brown rice.

Important: For all IDDSI levels, ensure the sauce is thick and binds the ingredients together. Rice can be a high-risk food for choking; ensure it is prepared specifically to meet the required level or substituted with a smooth starch if necessary.

Notes

Impact per serving: 0.52kg CO2. This recipe uses 84% less CO2 than a 100% meat recipe.

IDDSI Level 6 (Soft & Bite-Sized) : EC Pieces & Mushrooms: Ensure EC pieces and mushrooms are cut into bite-sized pieces no larger than 15mm x 15mm. They must be soft enough to squash easily with a fork. White Rice: Rice must be cooked until very soft and served with plenty of stroganoff sauce so it is moist and not crumbly. It must not form a sticky or tacky ball. Texture Check: All components must pass the fork pressure test without springing back.

IDDSI Level 5 (Minced & Moist) : Processing: Pulse the cooked stroganoff (pieces, mushrooms, and sauce) in a food processor until all particles are no larger than 4mm. White Rice: The rice must also be processed to a 4mm minced consistency and thoroughly mixed with the creamy sauce. Moisture: The final mixture must be cohesive and moist, holding its shape on a spoon but sliding off easily when tilted. Ensure no thin liquid (sauce) separates from the minced solids.

IDDSI Level 4 (puréed) : Total purée: Place the cooked stroganoff into a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Sieve: Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining mushroom skins or fibres from the EC pieces. Rice: If serving with rice, the rice must be puréed separately with extra stock or sauce until it is completely smooth and lump-free. Compliance: The purée must be thick enough to sit in a mound on a spoon and pass the IDDSI Fork Drip Test: It should not flow or drip continuously through the prongs of a fork.