If you are a vegetarian or vegan, looking for protein rich meat free recipe ideas then today’s recipe soya chunks curry is perfect for you. This Indian curry is also called Aloo Soya, Aloo nutrela, soya nuggets curry, or meal maker curry in some regions of India. Nutrela is one of the most popular soya food brands in India. It’s popularity can be guessed from the fact that people in India often call soya chunks, nutrela. It’s similar to another Asian ingredient known as Malaysian tofu which was introduced to me by my Chinese friends.
Serving suggestions
Generally, meal maker curry is eaten with Indian bread like Roti or Paratha. If you want, you can also enjoy it with a rice dish like jeera rice, vegetable rice, or just plain steamed rice. Step 2: Boil for around 10 minutes. Step 3: Strain and discard the water. Step 4: Wash the chunks with more water. Step 5: Once the soya chunks reach room temperature press between your palms to squeeze out the water. Keep them aside. Step 6: Roughly chop onion and garlic. Put in a chutney jar or food processor and make a paste. Take out the paste in a bowl and keep aside.
Step 7: In the same chutney jar, make a paste of tomatoes and green chilies. Step 8: Heat oil in a pot and add whole spices. Saute for a few seconds or until the spices become fragrant. Steps 9 and 10: Add the onion-garlic paste and cook until it turns golden brown. Keep stirring in between. Add a few tablespoons of water whenever the onion starts sticking to the bottom. Step 11: Add red chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Saute for a few seconds. Step 12: Add tomato-green chili paste and salt.
Step 13: Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the tomatoes are nicely cooked and change color. Step 14: Add chopped potatoes and boiled soya chunks. Cook them in masala, without adding water for at least 2-3 minutes. Step 15: Add chopped ginger. Step 16: Add around 2 cups of water and mix everything. Step 17: Cover the pot and cook until the potatoes are nicely cooked. Step 18: Remove the lid and add chopped cilantro. Mix everything. Your delicious soya chunks curry is ready to be served. Now, these chunks are ready to be used in any recipe. If you are planning to replace meat with soya chunks in a recipe, use soaked or boiled soya chunks as uncooked meat in the recipe. For e.g. if a non-vegetarian recipe asks to marinate the meat for 30 minutes and then bake. Marinate the soaked or boiled soya chunks for 30 minutes and then bake. If you are looking for a substitute for minced meat, use soya granules which are also easily available in the market. Soy granules will also need the same preparation before using i.e. either boiling or soaking in boiling water.
Recipe tips and tricks
Always use soya chunks of a good quality. Don’t skip the part of boiling the soya chunks otherwise, you will get a raw taste of soy in your dish.Squeeze out all the water from soya chunks after boiling. This will help the chunks in soaking the flavors of curry in a better way.Before pressing the chunks between your palms, make sure they have reached room temperature.The spongy texture of chunks absorb a lot of gravy. So, if you are not planning to serve it immediately, either use more water in the recipe or before re-heating the dish add more boiling water to it and cook for a few minutes before serving.Adding potatoes is optional, this curry can be made without potatoes too.You may also add other vegetables like green peas, carrots, and cauliflower.
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