Soya Chunks Pulao

This Soya Chunks or Mealmaker Pulao is somewhere near to the Soya Chunks Biryani I posted, but this recipe takes less time and can be done in jiffy if we have cooked rice in hand, also a very good way to use leftover rice.  I was getting bored of same soya chunks biryani so one day I tried this recipe and now I make this often.  Perfect for lunch box or even for a party, pair up with a simple raita and that’s all it makes a delicious meal. 

You can also add any other vegetable of you choice like peas, carrot, potato, capsicum etc to make this simple pulao even more interesting.  I missed to take step-vise pictures, I will try to update it again sometime.

Ingredients for Soya Chunks Pulao [Serves 2]

Cooked Rice -  2 Cups [ I used basmati rice]
Soya Chunks - 3/4 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cashews - 7-8
Sliced Onion - 1
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Chopped Cilantro - 2 tbsp
To Grind
Green Chilies - 3
Ginger - 1/2” Pieces
Garlic - 1 pod [2 if using small]
Cilantro -1/4 cup

Method:

1. Cook and spread rice in plate to cool down.  Pressure cook soya chunks for 2 whistles or microwave for 4 minutes or cook in boiling water for 6-7 with little salt, squeeze excess water and keep side.
2. Grind all the ingredients in smooth paste, use 1-2 tbsp of water only if required.
3. In a pan or wok heat oil add cumin, fennel seeds and allow to splutter, add cashews and fry until light brown.
4. Add onion and sauté until translucent,  add grinded paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes until raw smells goes.
5. Add soya and mix well, now add chili, turmeric and salt and mix well sauté for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add rice, garam masala and mix everything well, garnish with cilantro and off flame. 
~ If using leftover rice then mix rice and sauté for 4-5 minutes.

Serve warm with your choice of raita.

Have a nice day ~~

Soya Chunks Biryani

Soya Chunks or Meal maker biryani is easy one pot meal, pair it with any raita and it becomes a wonderful meal or lunch box recipe.  I like to do this in easy way of making in pressure cooker as it saves time, perfect for weekend lunch or a busy weekday lunch or dinner.  Soya not only add protein in our diet but it also good change from usual vegetable briyani.  If you prefer you can also add few vegetables along with soya chunks to make this biryani more colorful and nutritious.

I used small soya nuggets then the usual big ones, you can use which ever variety you have with you.  Below pictures shows you both variety of soya.  Soya nuggets has excellent source of protein, Omega-3, vitamin B making it healthy and tasteful option.  Try this simple biryani and you sure going to love it.

Ingredients  [Serves 3-4]

Basmati Rice - 1 1/2 Cup
Soya Chunks - 1 Cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1” pieces
Cloves - 2
Green Cardamom - 2
Star Anise - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 [large]
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Biryani Masala - 1/2 tbsp  [or garam msala]
Choppped Mint Leaves - 3-4 stalks
Salt - to taste
Coconut Milk - 1/2 Cup
Water - 2 Cup
To Grind
Ginger - 1” pieces
Garlic - 4 pods [ 8-10 if using small garlic pods]
Green Chilies - 5
Mint Leaves - 1/4 Cup

Method:

1.  Soak basmati rice for 1/2 hour to 1 hour, wash, drain and keep aside.
2. Wash and microwave soya chunks with little water, salt for 4 minutes or boil in water at stove top.  Rinse, squeeze and keep the chunks aside.

3.  Grind all the ingredients under ‘To Grind’ into smooth paste.  Slice onion.

4. Heat oil in pressure cooker, add bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin & fennel seeds and sauté for a minute.  Add sliced onion and sauté until light brown.

5. Add grounded paste and fry until raw smells goes or until 2-3 minutes.  Add chilli, turmeric powders and fry for a minute.

6. Add soya chunks, mix well and fry for 2 minutes

7. Add rice, gently mix and sauté for 2 minutes. 

8. Now add coconut  milk, water, salt, biryani masala, mint leaves and mix everything well.  Close cooker lid and pressure cook for 1 whistles,  low flame to slow and cook for 10 minutes.  After pressure released fluff rice until with fork.

Serve hot with raita of your choice.   

Variations
~ You can skip coconut milk and use only water.
~ Water quantity depends on quality of your rice, so add as you normally do.
~ You can add vegetables with soya nuggets.

Have a nice day ~~

Dry Soya Bean Kurma | Soya Recipes

As we all know soya is good for health and dry soya bean is no exception.   I have to finish my packet of soya bean before it expires so made this kurma for weekend lunch along with cabbage stir fry and some fryums.  I had this idea from my multi beans kurma recipe.  This recipe easy to prepare, only thing is make sure to allow 1-2 extra whistles for soya as it’s takes long time to cook.  I wanted to take step vise pictures but that day I was doing extreme multi tasking so couldn’t take pictures, but it’s pretty straight forward recipe to follow.  For variations you can add any other beans of your choice and make it same way.  

Ingredients

Soya Bean - 1 1/2 Cups
Chopped Onion - 1 Cup
Chopped Tomato - 3/4 Cup
Green Chilies - 3
Oil - 3 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Minced Ginger-Garlic - 1/2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Sambar Powder - 1/2 tsp [optional]
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro Chopped - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - As needed
Chopped Cilantro - 2 tbsp

To Grind
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Cashewnuts - 5-6 [or use poppy seeds 1 tbsp]
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Gram Dal/Bhuna Channa Dal/Pottukadalai- 1 tbsp



Method:

1. Wash & soak soya beans over night.  Next morning rinse 3-4 times in water and pressure cook with 1/2 tsp salt for 5-6 whistles with little water.
2. Meanwhile chop onion, green chili, tomato & coriander leaves.  Grind all the items listed under ‘to grind’ into smooth paste with help of little water, keep aside.
3. In a pan or wok heat oil, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.  Add curry leaves, onion, green chilies and sauté until translucent.
4. Add chili, turmeric, coriander seeds powder & sambar powder (if using), stir and cook for a minute.
5. Now add chopped tomato, salt, mix well, cover and cook until tomato gets mashed around 2-3 minutes in medium flame.
6. Add 11/2-2 cups water and bring it to boil, now simmer for 6-8 minutes in medium-slow flame.
7. Add gram masala, grinded paste, stir well and cook for 2 more minutes.  Garnish with cilantro & off flame.

Serve warm with rice or roti. 



And this goes to Preeti’s ‘Only’ Cooking with Soya Event,  a event started by Pari of Foodelicious.

Have a nice day ~~

Lauki Soya Sabji | Bottlegourd and Soya Nuggets Curry

Most of the time I wonder what to cook as I want to prepare something simple and fast, one of these days it happen to me again though I thought of many things but somehow I was not getting in to the mood and then I remembered I had to open soya nuggets pack which I brought recently plus I had fresh bottle gourd. So I thought of adding both together to make a sabji though I was bit skeptical in the beginning about the combo but then I went ahead and it came out well, since then it become a regular dish at home  I like the curry very much and since I made in pressure cooker the soya chunks were cooked so nicely, soaking up gravy well and making it juicy and soft.  Here am sharing with you guys this recipe ..perhaps you might like this combo and enjoy as much as I do. 

Sending this to Nivedita's Only Original Recipes, a event started by Pari.

Ingredients:

Lauki/Bottlegourd - 1 1/2 Cup chopped

Soya Nuggets - 1/2 Cup

Onion - 1 medium

Green Chillies - 2

Ginger - 1 tsp chopped

Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped - divided

Hing/Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Dry Red Chili - 1

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

Amchur/Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 1.5- 2 Cups

Method:

1. Soak soya chunks in boiling water with little salt for 10-15 minutes, alternatively you can microwave water for 2minutes and soak the soya chunks. 

2. After 10-15 minutes grain the water, rinse 2-3 times under tap and squeeze chunks to remove excess water.

3. Finely chop onion, green chilies, ginger.  Peel and chop bottle gourd in bite size pieces.

4. In a pressure cooker heat oil, add asafoetida, dry red chili, cumin seeds and let it crack.  Add ginger and saute for 30 seconds, add onion and saute until it gets pink. 

5. Now add bottlegroud pieces and saute for 2 minute.  Add soya chunks, turmeric, red chili, coriander and garam masala powders and stir well cook for a minute. 

6. Add 1-2 cups of water, salt, amchur powder, 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro & give a stir.  Adjust salt n spices if required, close cooker lid and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles.

[If you are using Futura then cook until cooker starts steaming, it will be start steaming in 3-4 minutes.

I added 1.5 Cups of water]

Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve with rice or roti it goes well with both.

Note:

1. If you wish to have little thick gravy then add 1/2 tbsp of corn flour mix in little water before closing the cooker lid.   I personally don't like to add corn flour in any curry.

2. You can add one chopped tomato and exclude dry mango powder.

3. You can also add garlic.

4.You can prepare this curry in pan instead of pressure cooker, just cook until bottle gourd becomes tender. 

Have nice day ~~