Soya chunks kurma or meal maker kurma – an easy side dish for biryani, pulao, chapathi or phulka. Soya chunks also called as meal maker or soya nuggets are low in fat, high in protein and many other nutrients. Hence these make a great food for growing kids, pregnant women and diabetics too.
Soya chunks kurma was made during last june in India, since poppy seeds are available there I have used. But they can be skipped or substituted with cashews.
Kurma can be made without coconut, poppy seeds or cashews or roasted gram like I made this potato kurma. Yogurt can be used instead of the above mentioned ingredients.
For more similar recipes
Soya chunks cutlet
Meal maker stir fry
Soya chunks curry
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soya keema
Soya chunks kurma
Soya chunks kurma
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- ½ cup onions finely chopped
- 1 tomato medium sized , chopped
- 1 to 2 green chili chopped
- 1 tbsps coriander leaves chopped
- 1 tbsp mint leaves / pudina, chopped
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- Salt as needed
- 2 to 3 tbsp Oil
To marinate
- 1 cup Soya chunks / meal maker
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or grated ginger garlic.
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- Salt little
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
To grind (or ½ cup thick yogurt, refer notes)
- 2 tbsp Poppy seeds or cashews (optional)
- 2 to 3 tbsp Grated coconut
- ½ tsp saunf / fennel seeds
To temper
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ star flower / star anise (optional)
- ½ tsp shahi jeera or cumin / jeera
- 1 cinnamon stick / dalchini, small
- 4 cloves / laung
- 2 green cardamoms / elaichi
How to make the recipe
- Heat 3 to 4 cups water, add soya chunks. Switch off the stove. Leave them to soften for about 10 minutes.
- Squeeze off the water and rinse them in lot of water. Repeat squeezing them. Make sure there is no water left in the chunks. If you desire you can cut the chunks to half or use them as it is.
- Marinate them with 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/4 tsp garam masala, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, salt and lemon juice. Set this aside until needed.
- Chop onions, tomatoes, set them aside.
- If using poppy seeds, dry roast them until crunchy. Powder them first with saunf and then add the coconut with very little water to make a thick paste.
- Heat a pan with oil, add the dry spices.
- When they begin to sizzle, add onions and green chilies. Fry till the onions turn golden.
- Add tomato and fry till the tomato turns mushy. If needed sprinkle water to cook tomatoes.
- Add marinated soya chunks, coriander and mint leaves. Fry everything well till the raw smell of the ginger garlic goes away.
- Stir well to prevent burning. If needed use little more oil.
- Add the ground coconut paste or yogurt if using yogurt as a substitute to coconut paste.
- Then add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder. Mix and fry well for about 3 to 5 minutes, till you begin to get a nice aroma.
- Pour water just enough to make a good amount of kurma gravy. Adjust salt as needed.
- Simmer and cook till you get the desired consistency of gravy, for about 5 minutes.
- Garnish soya chunks kurma with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or roti.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
If you are new to cooking, follow my detailed step by step photo instructions for best results.
Preparation
1. Add soya chunks to hot water and let them soak till they soften. Squeeze up the water and rinse them in water and squeeze off excess water. If desired you can chop each chunk to 2 pieces.
2. Add soya, salt, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, garam masala and lemon juice to a bowl and marinate the soya chunks. Keep this aside till we use.
3. This step can be skipped if using yogurt alone for the kurma. If using poppy seeds, dry roast or sundry them till crunchy. Add poppy seeds or cashew nuts along with saunf to a blender jar and powder them finely first and then add the coconut and make a fine paste with little water. Set this aside. If you do not have a good blender, don’t use poppy seeds.
How to make soya chunks kurma or meal maker kurma
4. Heat a pan with oil, add bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, shahi jeera or jeera and star anise. You can skip using star anise, if you don’t have.
5. When the spices sizzle, add onions, chilies and fry till they turn golden.
6. Add tomatoes. My tomatoes were not juicy, so I sprinkled little water and salt to soften them. Cook till the tomatoes turn mushy.
7. Add the marinated chunks along with mint and coriander leaves. Fry till the raw ginger garlic smell vanishes, for about 5 minutes on a low to medium flame. I used a spoon oil to prevent them from burning at this stage.
8. Add yogurt or the ground coconut paste. If using yogurt, add saunf, garam masala and coriander powder to a blender jar and powder it, an easy way to powder little saunf.
9. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and fry again for 3 to 5 minutes or till you get a good aroma of the masala.
10. Pour water as needed to get a gravy. Do not add too much water, it will thin down the soya chunks kurma. Check the salt and add if needed. If using only yogurt, you may not need much water.Cover and cook till the chunks are soft and the gravy turns thick enough to suit your taste.
Serve soya chunks kurma with biryani, pulao, phulka or chapathi.
Praveena says
Very nice receipe..Its very delicious yummy Chunks curry..
swasthi says
Thank you
Geetha says
I tried this out. Its an absolute hit with the family. I love your recipes. Yours is the only site where I can get a palatable dish following your instructions and tips verbatim. I send my son who’s a hosteler your recipes, to try out with his friends.
Thank u and keep posting
swasthi says
You are most Welcome! Thank you so much for the trust! Glad you like the recipes.
🙂
Soumya routh says
The way you present and the detailing of each step is commendable.great applaud for all the efforts u take to make r life better.lots of luv…
Soumya
swasthi says
Hi Soumya,
You are welcome. Happy to know the recipes are helpful. Thanks a lot.
🙂
Rajesh N Rathod says
Rustic — yummy — delicious
swasthi says
Thank you
Rajesh N Rathod says
Rustic — yummy — delicious
Paramesh says
Fantastic ,, very unique approach towards the kurma ,
Never came out this good and subtle
Master stroke was soya marination which was brilliant ,
Thanks you ma’am
swasthi says
Welcome Paramesh
Glad to know the kurma turned out good. Thanks for trying
Sheik Refana says
Simple but yummy
swasthi says
Thanks
G. Nalini says
Good and easy recipes who can make easily
swasthi says
Thanks Nalini
Vidya says
Hi, Thank you for posting this yummy recipe.. I really loved this one..
swasthi says
Welcome Vidya
Mala says
Tried this one…. yummm… it’s a keeper! You recipes are wonderful n easy… keep up the good work!:)
swasthi says
Thanks Mala
Menaka muppiri says
Hi thank you for posting the recipe we joined the dish a lot but in step one you for forget to mention to mix salt it it showed it in the picture
swasthi says
welcome Menaka
I will update it
Thanks for trying
Anju says
Thanks for sharing very tasty
swasthi says
Welcome
Keerti says
Loved your receipe 🙂
Now I will check out all your posts and try more 🙂
Keep up the good work 🙂
swasthi says
Thanks Keerti
Glad to know you liked them
shalini says
Nice taste, I had this with phulka.
My gravy became few thin, what can I do to have thick gravy. If using daliya then how much & when to use.
swasthi says
Hi Shalini,
Hope you r doing good. Happy reading ur comment after a long time. You can add daliya along with coconut and powder I guess you added more water. You can also fix it now, just make daliya powder, stir with 2 tbsp water. Pour it to the gravy and cook until it thickens.Hope this helps
I tried your fish fry recipe last weekend. Will be sharing it soon on the blog.