Soya Chunks in Indian Cooking: Things to Know

Table of Contents

What is Soya Chunk?

Soya chunks, also known as soya nuggets or soya vadi, are plant-based proteins. These chunks have a meat-like texture and are obtained from defatted soya flour after oil extraction. Soya chunks are a kind of mock meat popular across India.

Soya chunks are loaded with nutritional benefits. These chunks are popularly used in curries, fry dishes, appetizers, and even fried rice, pulao, and biryani.

Soya chunks are highly processed. Hence, it is better to eat them in moderation. Indians have a love-hate relationship with soya chunks.

Some non-vegetarians don’t like its bland taste whereas some vegetarians hate it for its chewy texture.

Uses of Soya Chunks in Indian Cuisines

Soya chunks have a versatile use. These nuggets can be masala-fried and used in curries as well. They are used in different types of rice preparation from pulao, and fried rice to veg biryani.

Soyabiner tarkari or soya chunks curry is a popular dish in Bengal. It is a kind of veg variety of chicken or mutton curry for vegetarians. Even if you are a non-veg, it will give your taste buds a refreshing feel.

Soya curry is prepared the same way chicken or mutton curry is cooked. The curry is slowly cooked with onion-ginger-garlic paste and a handful of aromatic spices.

Tomato paste adds to both texture and flavor. You can finish the curry with kasuri methi for flavor enhancement.

Soya fry is pretty simple to make. These chunks are dunked in a semi-thick batter prepared with besan, spices, salt, and sugar and then deep-fried in oil. These fried appetizers are then served with tomato and chili sauce.

Soya biryani is a delicious variety of famous chicken or mutton biryani. Preparation is done the same way. Soya pulao and soya fried rice are extremely delectable and perfect veg varieties for vegetarians.

In Amritsar, nutri kulcha is widely popular for its novelty. Soya nuggets lazily cooked in onion-tomato gravy are relished with Indian flatbread.

The combination is great and has been popular in Amritsar since the early 90s. Soya chunks are regularly cooked for langar at the Golden Temple.

Other than these you can have different styles of soya sabzis like shahi soya sabzi with paneer and other vegetables, soya mutter pulao, soya baby corn fry, chili soya, soya korma, soya biryani, soya burgers, soya kebab, etc.

How to Make Soya Chunks?

To make soya chunks, you will need the following ingredients:

Soya beans
Cumin seeds
Coriander powder

Hing (asafoetida)
Salt

Instructions:

Soak the soya beans in water overnight.
Drain the water and rinse the soaked beans.
Grind the soaked beans in a mixer or blender to make a smooth paste.

Add cumin seeds, coriander powder, hing, and salt to the paste and mix well.
Take the mixture into a bowl.
Spread a plastic sheet and make small dumplings of the mixture over it.

Let the dumplings sun dry for two days.
Once dried, you can store the soya chunks in an airtight container.

Note: Soya chunks can also be boiled in water for a few minutes before adding them to a recipe to make them softer and more palatable.

Questions & Answers:

Soybean or Soya Chunks: Which One is Better?

Both soybean and soya chunks have their own benefits and can be used depending on the recipe and personal taste. However, for ease of use in cooking, soya chunks are considered better and are easily available in the market.

What Do You Mix in Soya Chunks?

You can mix regular spices, ginger, and garlic paste mixed with soya chunks. You can even mix the soya sauce and other ketchup to make a Chinese recipe. In other words, you can simply mix anything with soya chunks.

What Can You Do with Soya Chunks?

You can simply look for different recipes like shahi soya sabzi with paneer and other vegetables, soya mutter pulao, soya baby corn fry, chili soya, soya korma, soya biryani, soya burgers, soya kebab, etc.