Soya Chunks Dry (Fry)
Updated: June 20, 2024, By Swasthi
This Soya Chunks dry/ fry is simple to make under 20 minutes. It is made with pantry staples and is a beginners’ recipe. Soaked soya chunks are sautéed and cooked in a spicy masala made with onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, garam masala, curry leaves and chilies. If you love whipping up dishes in a flash, this may be for you.
Growing up my Mom made this soya chunks dry/ fry to go with our rice and rasam. But it can be eaten, mixed with hot rice and ghee. It also goes well with chapati or flavored rice like pulao, jeera rice, turmeric rice or ghee rice. It also makes for a great side in office and school boxes but make sure you cook them really well.
Soya chunks also called as meal maker or vegetarian textured protein is a considered a good source of protein for vegetarians, if eaten in moderation. To make the soya chunks, soya bean is soaked, ground, milk is extracted and used for other purposes. Only the pulp is formed to chunks or granules and then dehydrated.
They go through quite a lengthy process so a good amount of dust or impurities are accumulated in them. To remove the debris and to hydrate them, soya chunks or granules need to be soaked thoroughly, softened and left in the water for a while. This helps the debris to melt and get settled at the bottom.
I prefer to hydrate them in plain water and use in the recipe directly. But if you don’t like their natural soya flavor, try boiling them (after softening) in little milk or diluted yogurt. This imparts different kind of flavor to the soya chunks. I also prefer using smaller chunks in my recipes. If that’s not what you have, you may chop each large chunk to 2 before using because smaller chunks absorb the flavors better.
As I said this recipe is simple needs only garam masala. But one additional ingredient that brings a great flavor is the saunf – fennel seeds. If your garam masala already has fennel, you may omit it. But I love to pulse or crush few seeds in a grinder jar with the garam masala. This imparts more fresh flavors.
If you love cooking with soya chunks, you may like some of these recipes
Soya Chunks Curry
Soya Chunks Biryani
Meal Maker Kurma
Soya Chunks Manchurian
Soya Burger Patties
Photo Guide
Step by Step Photo Instructions
1. Bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add soya and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes till they soften. Leave them aside for some more time for the dirt to settle down.
2. Rinse them off in water and squeeze to remove frothy water inside the chunks. Repeat the rinse. Squeeze off the water and keep them side. If you are using large chunks, you may chop one chunk to 2. You can also marinate soya chunks with 1/2 tsp of ginger garlic paste, 1/4 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp of garam masala. Keep this aside for 15 mins.
3. Slice onions and chop tomatoes. Heat a pan with oil. Add curry leaves and cumin seeds. When they begin to splutter, add onions and green chilies.
4. Saute till the onions turn transparent. Add grated ginger garlic. Saute till you get a nice smell. Do not burn.
5. Add tomatoes, sprinkle salt and turmeric.
6. Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy. Now you should be left with a moist onion tomatoes mix that is sufficient to coat the nuggets well. Add red chili powder, garam masala powder and mix well.
7. Add soya chunks and mix everything well.
8. Cover and cook till they turn soft, moist and flavorful. This takes about 5 minutes. Sauté for 2 mins until it smells good. Taste test and adjust salt or more garam masala to your taste.
Garnish soya chunks fry with coriander leaves. If you want sprinkle little lemon juice.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Soya Chunks Dry (Fry)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ¾ to 1 cup soya chunks (I use small)
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 onion large , sliced
- 1 Pinch hing
- 1 to 2 green chilies sliced
- ¾ to 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- Salt as needed
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala or kitchen king masala
- 2 tbsps Oil
- Coriander leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Boil soya chunks in 3 cups water for 5 minutes depending on the size. Leave them in the water for a while. Rinse them at least twice and squeeze off the excess water and keep it aside.
- This step is optional. Marinate soya chunks with 1/2 tsp of ginger garlic paste, 1/4 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp of garam masala. Keep this aside for 15 mins.
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin and curry leaves. When the cumin begins to sizzle, add hing, chili, onions and saute till the onions turn translucent. Add ginger garlic and saute till the raw smell has gone, for a minute
- Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Saute till the tomatoes soften and turn mushy. Stir in the chili powder, garam masala and soya. Cook covered on a low heat for 3 to 5 mins. If the pan is too dry, add a splash of water.
- Saute for 2 to 3 mins until aromatic and cooked through. Turn off and adjust salt or garam masala to taste. Garnish soya chunks fry with coriander leaves.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Thank you so much for the amazing recipes. Easy ,simple& tasty ,anyone can do it easily once we watch the video
Very delicious, easy to make, easy to follow recipe. Cooked to learn how to prepare soya chunks, thank you
It’s a high level recipe ,i like this recipe when my mom cook this curry ..i fulfill my heart.now i tried this recipe it’s fantastic taste like my mom’s cooking ? taste…… TQ
Thank you for these great recipes. I am particularly grateful for the various soya chunk recipes, like this one. During this lockdown, many of our usual foods are not available. One bit of advice: The end of the recipe was confusing until I realized that you don’t really mean “stir fry” in the usual sense. It might be better to say “Remove the lid and stir for 2 mins until the sauce is completely reduced.
Hello George
Glad to know! Yes sure I will fix it. Thank you for letting me know!
Thank you Swasthi for the delicious recipe..
Welcome Nimmy
Hi swasthi this recipe looks great ..
Can I add capsicum to this ?
Hi
Yes you can
This recipe looks nice and simple. I was searched for something like this one. Thanks.
Wow dheedhi superb loved it thank you so much??.The soya chunkzz fry was outstanding. Even if I don’t know to cook my mom made it great.Thankzz Swasthi dheedhi. Gr8
Hi Chandralekha!
You are welcome. So glad you loved the soya fry. Thanks you so much for the comment.
🙂
Very good recipe, thank you for sharing this.
Welcome Dean Panicker
Wow, nice recipe swathiji 🙂 ? will try it for sure and will tell my feedback
Thank you
Made the soya keema it’s very nice never been so tasty before ur recipe is good I like it very much I will try out all ur recipes Thkq Swathi???
Welcome May soosay
Thank you so much
I need to know where to get the soya chunks? I’m in Eastern Cape, Ngcobo
You can try online
Soya is nt my favourite but today aftr trying this recipe in lving it thanks for the recipe
Welcome Supriya
Glad to know you liked it. FOr any soya chunks recipes slow cooking and good amount of chili powder, garam masala are the key to make it tasty.
🙂
Give me receipes by images only. and how to make egg puffs without Microwaves
excellent…simple process
Thank you
nice and different taste
Thank you
How to make soya chilly?
Hi Shibin
I will share it soon. You can roughly follow this chilli chicken recipe. You will have to boil the soya chunks first for 2 to 3 mins . When they turn soft drain and squeeze off excess water. Rest all you can follow the chill chicken recipe.
I saw Ur soya chunk karma.. I’m longing to cook n taste…
Thanks Harish
I tried this recipe it was awesome
Thanks Priya, glad to know it was good
Good and it is simple method in less time
Easy to leran
Thanks
I like soya chunk very much but i don’t know how to do it, will i just soak and grained the soya beans that is the chunk or any other thing is to add. Please teach me
soya chunks is available in the market, we cannot make them at home. You will have to buy them and make this curry. meal maker, soya nuggets, vegetarian textured protein are the other names with which you can find in the market.
Really it is very quick & easy to make at the same time TASTY ALSO.
Thanks Shalini
healthy and yummy stir fry