Soya Kheema Masala | Meal Maker Kheema Curry | Soya Kheema Aloo Subzi

Soya Kheema Masala

Soya Kheema Masala / Meal maker kheema Subzi is a tasty side that will go with dosas or with chappati or rotis. As we all know soya is a way to add protein into our daily diet, especially if you are a pure vegetarian. I find myself cooking with soya whenever we go on a vegetarian diet. Like I mentioned in my earlier post husband and I are on a veg diet. I made this kheema masala to go with soft chappatis for our lunch. To give more flavour and filling I added cubed potatoes just as the way we add potatoes/ green peas to meat kheema masala. Its always great to enjoy what your cook and eat. I truly believe that I cannot eat something that is not tasty and definitely not something that I don'e enjoy cooking. I have couple of recipes with meal maker or soya which I have posted earlier in my blog. You can find them listed at the end of the post.

Meal Maker fried rice | Soya Chunks Fried Rice | Soya chunks Recipe

I call it Soya Chunks/ Meal Maker some call it Nutrela and others textured Vegetable Protein (TVP). These are simple yet versatile and are filled with protein  Soya chunks have a meaty texture and can easily be added to almost any curry or even rice dishes. You would have probably heard of Soya Biryani, well I often make it at home and usually on a weekly lunch menu, but today I made a twist and tried it as a fried rice. Trust me it was so yum and simply gave lovely flavors to the dish. Very simple and basic ingredients and you can make it in a jiffy. 

If you are someone who feels that soya has a raw taste and you do not fancy it, I have some simple tricks read below

Serves ~ 2
Cook time ~ 8 mins

Ingredients 

Soya chunks ~ 1 cup (around 15-20 pieces)
water ~  3 cups to boil soya
Boiled rice ~ 1 cup (I use basmati, make it previous night, refrigerate it/ use leftover rice)
Capsicum (yellow,red) ~ 1 cup chopped in 1 cm squares)
Onion ~ 1 medium, chopped
Beans ~ 1/2 cup chopped
carrots ~ 1/2 cup chopped
Ginger-garlic paste ~ 1 tsp
Oil - 1-2 tbsp
Salt ~ as needed
Soy sauce ~ 2-3 tbsp
Pepper ~ 1/2 to 1 tsp
Spring onion leaves ~ chopped for garnishing (optional)

Method 

• In a milk/ saucepan  add water and the soya chunks let it boil under close lid for 5-6 minutes until it puffs up. Once done, pour out the hot water and wash the soya in cold running water, squeeze the excess water and transfer it into a bowl (take care not to burn your hands while doing this), set aside
• In a deep and wide non stick pan, heat oil add the onions and saute well until translucent. To this add the ginger garlic paste, mix well and let it cook for a minute until the raw smell goes away. Now add all the vegetables, soya chunks and sprinkle some water and little salt and cook under closed lid for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute
• Add the soy sauce and toss well, add the pepper and roast it for 2 minutes, so that the soya chunks absorbs all the flavor from the pan.
• Now add the cold rice and stir to incorporate, check for seasoning, if required add some more salt/ spice/ sauce. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes under moderate heat.

Serve hot/ as a lunch box meal

Cooks Wisdom

- You can use left over rice or prepare the rice before hand and refrigerate it. Remember not to cook the rice too soft
- Adding egg will also give a lovely flavor to the dish and replace with whatever vegetables you fancy

- the roasting step adds flavor to the soya chunks, so make sure you do it

Health Wisdom

Soybeans are an excellent source of high protein and fibrous food. After the extraction of soya milk, the soya chunks act as soya meal maker. 50% of the vegetable protein from the soya bean is a good fiber food enabling easy digestion and bowel movement. Soy is high in fiber, which is known to benefit cholesterol levels, and can indirectly lower cholesterol by replacing fatty animal proteins in the diet. Soy protein in general is rich in B vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to benefit many aspects of health. Soya Chunks contain 533 milligrams of calcium and 21.2 grams of iron. Whole soy foods also are a good source of fiber, B vitamins, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids.The nutritional values per 100g of soya chunks or meal maker are: Energy value: 336 k cal

Check out my Chicken Fried Rice recipe HERE

Check out my Prawn Thai Fried Rice recipe HERE