Masala Soya chunk (Masala Nutri)

 

Hello Friends!!

Welcome to easy cooking blog no. 7

Introduction

Today I will be sharing an exciting and flavourful recipe, which is equally well-loved by vegans, vegetarians, and non-vegetarians. It almost tastes like meat, but you will be surprised to know that it is a meat-free meat. I am talking about soya chunks (Nutri) which is a very good source of protein for vegetarians and vegans,  and is eaten almost in every city of India. However, taste varies depending on the type of ingredients and method of its preparation which it turn depends upon the geographical background of the person cooking it. I will be focusing particularly on my versions of it in today's blog.

This recipe is commonly known as Masala soya chunks (masala nutri), in which the soya chunks are braised with onions, tomatoes and flavoured with different traditional herbs and dry masalas to make it a delightful curry. Being a good source of proteins and its taste like chicken, it is the most loved curry among vegans and vegetarians. 

If I talk about my city in particular, I have grown up eating this as street food. We had a small market where the vendors would make and sell different soya items such as soya chaamp, nutri kulcha, nutri bread, keema nutri and many more. My absolute favourite one was the soya chaamp. I will share all these recipes in the coming future. 

Being a vegetarian, I always look for food items which are good source of proteins. One of my best proteinaceous meals is this soya chunk (Nutri). I love eating this in different forms. Usually, I make these soya chunks in 3 different ways. I will share only two of these today, as the procedure and ingredients for these two are almost identical. 

Different ways to make soya chunk curry or masala Nutri are mentioned below. 

1. With marination: in this, you marinate the soya chunks/ Nutri with curd or yoghurt and different spices and herbs of your choice, and later use it to make curry after refrigeration for at least 30 minutes.
2. Without marination: in this, the entire procedure and ingredients will be almost identical. Only curd or yoghurt  need to be skipped. 

Check out some interesting recipes link given below!

Punjabi masala rajma (red kidney beans curry)

Masala anda curry (egg curry)

Aloo gobhi ki sabzi (cauliflower potato curry)

Kaddu ki khati methi sabzi (pumpkin curry)

List of Ingredients required

Soya chunks                                            1 cup                   

Onions (finely chopped)                         2 medium sized                                         

Ginger (finely chopped)                         1 inch chunk

Garlic (finely chopped)                          4-5 big pods

Tomatoes (roughly chopped)                 2 medium sized

Green chillies (finely chopped)             as per taste

Capsicum                                               1 

( roughly chopped in cubes)                     

Bay leaves                                             1-2

Cinnamon stick                                     one small stick

Green cardamom                                  2

Black pepper pods                               4-5

Cumin seeds                                        1 tsp

Coriander seeds                                   1 tsp               

Turmeric powder                                1tbsp

Red chilli powder                               as per taste

Garam masala                                     ½ tsp

Kasuri methi (optional)                      1 tsp

Salt                                                     as per taste

Oil                                                      2 tbsp

Lemon juice 

Note: Along with garam masala I have used kitchen king masala as well for the royal taste. if you have kitchen king use it, otherwise skip and add garam masala only. 

Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes (excluding marination time).

Procedure

Step 1: Soya chunks preparation

Take 3 cups of water in a pan, bring it to boil, add a half tsp of salt, add the soya chunks (Nutri) and boil until the soya chunks are softened. While you are boiling the soya chunks, chop all the desired vegetable you will need to make this curry. 

Boil until they are soft and puffed with the water. Do not overboil the soya chunks, as they tend to become soggy. 

Once boiled nicely, wash the chunks under cold running water for a couple of times, and squeeze them gently to remove the extra water present in the chunks. Squeezing is essential as it will give soya chunks extra room to mingle with all the dry spices and herbs. In addition, it will absorb all the flavours perfectly and evenly.

 

Step 2: Marination

In a mixing bowl, take 2-3 tbsp of fresh curd or yoghurt, add all the dry spices and some lemon juice, add throw in your boiled soya chunks, give everything a good mix and place a lid and keep it in the fridge for about half an hour. 

        

                                          

List of spices for marination.

Turmeric                                        ½ tsp

Red chilli powder                          ½ tsp

Salt                                                ½ tsp 

Chat masala (optional)                  ½ tsp

Garam masala                               ½ tsp

Lemon juice                                 half a lemon

Oil                                                1 tsp

 

Step 3: Cooking masala soya chunks

Take a pan and add any oil of your choice; I have used mustard oil for this recipe. Turn on the gas on medium heat (if you use mustard oil, make sure you heat the oil until it changes its colour from dark yellow to light yellow).

Add all the dry masala, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black pepper pods, green cardamom, cumin seeds and coriander seeds, let them crackle. 

Add the finely chopped onions, sauté them until golden brown, now add ginger and garlic and cook them nicely for about 5 minutes. 

Next, add finely chopped tomatoes and cook them until soft.

Then add the chopped capsicum and sauté it for few minutes (Remember not to put the lid on after the addition of capsicum, as it will make the capsicum soggy, and you will not feel the crunchiness in the curry).

Add all the dry spices, turmeric, salt, red chilli powder and cook them for few minutes. 

Finally, add your marinated/ plain soya chunks and cook them in the gravy for at least 15 to 20 minutes on a high flame. If you find the curry too dry, add some water and if it is too runny, evaporate the excess liquid by cooking it on high flame until you get your desired consistency. (You can add fresh cream at this step if you wish so). 

Do not shy away from adding a dollop of fresh butter and enjoy with your bread or roti. If you have diet restrictions, skip this part. It is equally tasty with or without butter or ghee. It just gives a smooth and silky texture to the curry. 

Serving tips

Serves it with plain, lightly griddle roasted bread, Roti, Naan or paratha. 

Its best tastes with bread and garlic or plain naan. 

It can be enjoyed as a salad. Take a couple of spoons of this curry in a mixing bowl, add chopped red onions, tomatoes, chopped spring onions, lettuce and some lime or lemon juice with some salt and pepper, mix it well and enjoy this proteinaceous and wholesome meal.  

                         

                                                     

Garnishing

Serves your curry while hot. Add fresh butter or homemade clarified butter (ghee).

Sprinkle some fresh coriander, spring onion leaves and finely chopped red onion, squeeze some lemon juice finally and enjoy it. 

Tips and tricks

For marination: used fresh curd or yoghurt. It should be thick enough to be absorbed by the soya chunks. 

Leave the marinated soya chunks for at least half an hour in the fridge. 

Before boiling the soya chunks, do not forget to add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. It helps absorb the salt evenly in the soya chunks.

While boiling, make sure your soya chunks are tender enough by pressing them between your fingers. Do not overboil it. 

If you do not wish to marinate the soya chunks, you can skip this part and carry on with the same procedure. 

Do not forget to wash the boiled soya chunks with fresh water a couple of times. And later squeeze off the extra water present in the soya chunks.

 

I trust you find this recipe useful. Must try this once. It will be a hit in your kitchen. 

Do let me know your thoughts and comments below. I look forward to hearing from you all.

Keep well. 

Thanks!