Meal maker curry aka soya chunks curry recipe is a vastly popular Indian vegetarian recipe. It is a pure comfort food and is almost prepared in every house in India. This soya chunks recipe Indian is a spicy, flavoured gravy curry which is mostly relished with Indian flat bread like rotis, parathas, phulkas and even rice items like steamed rice, jeera rice, pulao etc. In this lip-smacking preparation, boiled soya chunks are cooked in spicy onion-tomato gravy. It is a rapid recipe and a perfect dish for busy working days.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Soya chunks curry (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What are soya chunks?
Soya chunks are basically prepared with defatted soy flour. It is prepared with soya beans after extracting the oil from it. So, they are a great source of plant-based protein. They are usually made into either granules or chunks. The texture of soya chunks is very similar to meat; if they are cooked properly, they taste similar to meat.
This mocking meat is known by different names other than soya chunks. It is famous as meal maker, nutrella, nutri nuggets, soya nuggets, soya vadi and even vegetarian meat. It is easily available in any Indian grocery shop.
Soya chunks are widely used in Indian households and in Indian cuisine. It is used in myriad recipes in different forms of cooking. It is used to prepare different rice items like pilaf, biryani and different ranges of curries.
Soya chunks are very versatile and get cooked very quickly. So, it is considered a perfect option for busy working days.
About the recipe
Indian vegetarian recipes are famous for their exclusive taste, textures and flavours. This meal-maker curry is one of the finest examples of that. It is prepared in almost every house in India. A nutrela recipe plays a vital role in vegan and vegetarian food.
Soya chunks curry is a very simple and easy recipe. It is prepared with very common and limited ingredients and all the ingredients are regularly used in any Indian Kitchen pantry. This curry is rich in texture and is overloaded with flavours which makes it one of the perfect soya chunks gravy for chapathi. The best part of the recipe is that it gets prepared very quickly without investing much time and effort.
The difficulty level of cooking this nutrela recipe is very low. It is a full-proof recipe and perfect for beginners. So, this dish is vastly popular among college students and bachelors who stay away from home and homemade food.
Ingredients for meal maker curry
Soya chunks: The primary ingredient of the recipe which provides a base and bite to the recipe.
Onion & Ginger-Garlic: These are the most common ingredients used to give texture and flavour to the curry.
Tomatoes: I have used tomato paste for the recipe. It gives a nice flavor, taste, and texture to the dish.
Green chillies & coriander leaves: Green chillies add a heaty taste and coriander leaves add a refreshing aroma to the dish.
Whole spices: I have used bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and cumin seeds for tempering. All the spices induce a nice flavour to the dish.
Kasuri methi aka dry fenugreek leaves: The addition of Kasuri methi adds a nice earthy flavor to the dish.
Ground spices: For the ground spices, I have used turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala powder. Each spice is equally important for the perfect flavor and taste of the nutrela recipe.
Salt: The basic ingredient of any savoury recipe which adds a salty taste to the dish.
Water: It is used to adjust the consistency of the gravy and to boil the soya chunks.
Oil: Any cooking oil can be used to prepare the curry. I have used olive oil, but you can also use flavourless oil like vegetable oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil etc.
Meal maker curry with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below to make the recipe easier for you. Before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe.
Tips to prepare perfect Meal Maker curry
- Don’t skip whole spices during the time of cooking the masala. It induces a nice aroma to the dish.
- Fry the onions and ginger-garlic properly before adding tomato chunks or else it won’t taste good.
- Don’t skip Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) from the curry. It will give the exact restaurant-like flavour to the dish.
- You can adjust the amount of red chilli powder and green chillies, according to your own taste.
How to make Soya chunks curry?
To prepare the soya chunks curry, first wash and cut all the veggies – onion, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and keep it ready to use.
Add tomato chunks into the jar of a grinder and make a smooth paste of it. Keep it aside.
Then add water, salt into a pan and put it on high flame until the water starts boiling. Now, add the soya chunks into the pan and boil it for 4-5 minutes until the soya chunks turn soft. Then immediately transfer the soya chunks into either cold water or iced water. Squeeze out the excess water with the help of your hand and keep the soya chunks aside on a separate plate.
Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add oil into the pan and once the oil is hot, add whole spices – bay leaf, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms into the pan for tempering and allow it to crackle.
Add chopped onions into the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste to the pan and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for another 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
Then add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for another 2 minutes.
Add coriander powder, cumin powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on the lowest flame for another 1-2 minutes.
Now, add the boiled soya chunks, green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 7-8 minutes. Stir in between if required.
Then add water into the pan for gravy and give a nice stir. Cook it on high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame low and cook it for another 5-6 minutes until the soya chunks get cooked completely.
Add Kasuri methi, garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it for a few seconds. Then add chopped coriander leaves and mix them well. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Many Indian curry recipe have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Baby corn masala
Spicy mushroom curry
Capsicum onion tomato sabji
Palak matar
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250 ml
To boil the soya chunks
- 1½ cups Soya chunks
- 3 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Other ingredients for soya chunks curry
- 2 Onions, finely chopped
- 2 Tomatoes, paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chillies
- 3-4 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
- 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
- 3-4 Cloves (Laung)
- 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
- ½ tablespoon Kasuri methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons Oil for cooking
- 1 cup Water for gravy
Instructions:
- Wash and cut all the veggies – onion, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and keep them ready to use.
- Add the tomato chunks to a grinder jar and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
- Add 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt into a pan and mix it. Put the pan on high flame until the water starts boiling. Then add 1½ cups soya chunks into the pan and boil it for 4-5 minutes until the soya chunks turn soft.
- Immediately transfer the soya chunks into either cold water or iced water. Squeeze out the excess water with the help of your hand and keep the soya chunks aside on a separate plate.
- Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons of oil into the pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 3-4 cloves, 2 inches cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, 1 bay leaf into the pan for tempering and allow it to crackle.
- Add chopped onions into the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent.
- Add 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste into the pan and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
- Add the tomato paste (Step 2) into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for another 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
- Add salt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for another 2 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on the lowest flame for another 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices goes away.
- Add the boiled soya chunks (Step 4), 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 7-8 minutes. Stir in between if required.
- Add 1 cup water into the pan for gravy and give a nice stir. Cook it on high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame low and cook it for another 5-6 minutes until the mushrooms get cooked completely.
- Add ½ tablespoon kasuri methi, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on high flame for another 10-15 seconds.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander leaves into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the meal maker curry into a serving bowl. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the succulent dish with your favourite rice item or flatbread and enjoy the north Indian delicacy.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250 ml
To boil the soya chunks
- 1½ cups Soya chunks
- 3 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Other ingredients for soya chunks curry
- 2 Onions, finely chopped
- 2 Tomatoes, paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chillies
- 3-4 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
- 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
- 3-4 Cloves (Laung)
- 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
- ½ tablespoon Kasuri methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons Oil for cooking
- 1 cup Water for gravy
Instructions
- Wash and cut all the veggies - onion, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and keep them ready to use.
- Add the tomato chunks to a grinder jar and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
- Add 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt into a pan and mix it. Put the pan on high flame until the water starts boiling. Then add 1½ cups soya chunks into the pan and boil it for 4-5 minutes until the soya chunks turn soft.
- Immediately transfer the soya chunks into either cold water or iced water. Squeeze out the excess water with the help of your hand and keep the soya chunks aside on a separate plate.
- Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons of oil into the pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 3-4 cloves, 2 inches cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, 1 bay leaf into the pan for tempering and allow it to crackle.
- Add chopped onions into the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent.
- Add 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste into the pan and cook it on low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
- Add the tomato paste (Step 2) into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on a medium flame for another 4-5 minutes until the masala releases oil.
- Add salt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on low flame for another 2 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on the lowest flame for another 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices goes away.
- Add the boiled soya chunks (Step 4), 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 7-8 minutes. Stir in between if required.
- Add 1 cup water into the pan for gravy and give a nice stir. Cook it on high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame low and cook it for another 5-6 minutes until the mushrooms get cooked completely.
- Add ½ tablespoon kasuri methi, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it on high flame for another 10-15 seconds.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander leaves into the pan and give a nice mix.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
