Soya Chunks Bhurji / Kheema

 Soy chunks are a great source of protein. According to Wikipedia, 'Soy protein products can be good substitutes for animal products because, unlike some other beans, soy offers a 'complete' protein profile. ... Soy protein products can replace animal-based foods—which also have complete proteins but tend to contain more fat, especially saturated fat—without requiring major adjustments elsewhere in the diet.'

Soy products are largely used as a meat alternative by a lot of people in their cooking. There are several restaurants that offer imitation meat dishes which use soy products for their texture. Several 'meatless' products can be found in the market, the most fascinating one being Trader Joe's Chickenless Nuggets which are very close to the real nuggets in taste and texture.

I  use tofu and soy chunks in my cooking a couple of times a month, not just as a substitute for meat or paneer dishes, but because we do like their taste. I have tried my hand at tofu burji a few times. This time I thought of making the burji with soy chunks.

I guess it is easier and faster to make this dish with soy granules or pre-cooked soy crumbles. But I just went ahead with the soy chunks since I already had them in the pantry.


Ingredients :
2 cups soya chunks
1/2 tsp jeera
2 large onions
2 tomatoes
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 to 3 green chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Oil
Salt
1 tsp ghee (optional)
1/2 tsp juice of lemon
Coriander leaves

Method :
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, with 1/2 tsp salt. Add soya chunks and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the water by transferring the chunks into a colander. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. You can add cold water to quicken the cooling, but make sure all the water drains out.

Heat oil. Add jeera. When it splutters, add finely chopped onion and sauté until onion turns brownish. Add finely chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste and roast  for some more time. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder and roast for a couple of minutes. To this add finely chopped tomatoes and roast until completely cooked.


Back to the chunks. Roll up your sleeves and squeeze the water off the chunks. At this point, I also minced them with my hand. I then transferred them onto a cutting board and cut them into smaller bits with a  knife. Alternatively, you can pulse them in short bursts in your mixer or just use a mincer.

Transfer the minced soy into the masala, add salt and cook uncovered , mixing thoroughly so that all the minced chunks are coated with the masala.  Add ghee for a richer flavor. Sprinkle lemon juice on top and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.