Meal maker curry which is also called Soya Chunks curry is a protein-rich, flavor-filled savory Indian dish. Soya chunks cooked along with onions, tomatoes, and Indian spices make this curry flavorsome and irresistibly delicious. This meal maker curry is a tasty, healthy, and nutritious side dish that tastes best when served with chapati, roti, or rice dishes. This is a perfect alternate meat for vegan and vegetarian lovers for lunch and dinner.
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What is Meal Maker?
Meal makers also called soya chunks is a defatted soy flour products extracted from soybean oil. These easily available soya chunks are a good source of protein. These soya chunks are also called meal maker/soya beans that are popular in Indian cuisine and with the people who follow vegan diets around the world.
In Sri Lanka, soya meat - an alternate term for soya chunks is in use. The people in the region use coconut paste or coconut milk as an additional ingredient to prepare this soya chunks of curry. This meal maker curry is an excellent meat substitute and tastes similar when prepared with the right spices along with other key ingredients.
Variations of Meal Maker recipe
As with any other dish, Meal maker curry have a wide range of variations with different styles and spices based on the food habit and traditions of people in a particular region.
From biryani to pulao, gravy to dry roasts these soya chunks can be made in different varieties to make a flavorsome meal for us to taste and enjoy.
About this Meal Maker Curry
The meal maker curry recipe is one of the nutritious and tasty dishes that can be prepared with typical Indian spices. Here in this recipe, I have shared a simple version of soya chunks curry in which the meal maker is cooked in a spicy gravy that is garnished with pepper, lemon juice, and cilantro.
We cooked the meal maker in boiling water until it turns soft and then squeezed all the water out. Alternatively, you can soak the soya bean in hot water for about 30 minutes to achieve the same softness. The soaked soft soya nuggets are then cooked with a spicy curry base until it thoroughly absorbs all the masala.
Even though this is a curry version of the meal maker, it can also be made as Soya Keema Masala by grinding the soya chunks in a blender. Though this is a perfect plant-based dish, it tastes similar to a recipe prepared with meat.
This soya chunk curry delivers a soft, spongy, and tasty nutritious dish that tastes best with chapati, roti, ghee rice, or even with simple steamed rice. Alternatively, we can also use Soya chunks to prepare Soya Chunk Rice Bowl or Soya Chunk Wrap which are unique and different in taste but equally delicious.
Related Recipes
You could find similar Veg curry recipes below and more under Vegan Recipes.
To make your life easy, I have also created a collection Indian Vegetarian Lunch Recipes at one place and I believe it will help you to plan your meal and prepare and enjoy at home. Take a peek!
Meal Maker Curry Recipe video
I have shared instructions to make this meal maker curry dish in the following video and I believe it will help you to prepare the dish and enjoy at home. For a quick reference, you could also find this recipe in story format.
📖 Recipe
Meal Maker Curry (Soya Chunks Curry)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Soya Chunk
- 1 Onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Onion paste
- 2 Tomato, chopped
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 Cinnamon Stick, small
- 4 Cardamom
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 3 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp All Spice Powder
- 1 tsp Pepper Powder
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- Salt, as needed
- 3 Green Chili
- ¼ cup Oil
- Coriander Leaves, to garnish
- 3 cups Water
Instructions
To Cook the Meal Maker
- In a pan with medium heat, pour water and add soya chunks/meal maker, and cook until it turns soft
- Drain the soya chunks and squeeze the excess water from it and keep it aside for later use
To Prepare Meal Maker Curry
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add cardamom, cinnamon stick, and fennel seeds
- Add sliced onion and green chili and saute until the onion turns soft. Caramelizing the onions to golden brown gives a rich texture to the curry
- Now add the onion paste and saute until the raw aroma leaves. This gives a nice aroma and thickness to the curry
- Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw aroma leaves
- Now add turmeric, chili, coriander, allspice powder, and salt and combine everything well
- Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Wait until the tomato turns mushy
- Add water and mix well and allow it to cook for 5 minutes
- Add the drained and squeezed soya chunk or meal maker to the curry mix and give a gentle stir
- Close the pan with the lid and cook the curry for 7 to 10 minutes. This helps the soya chunks to absorb all the flavors from the curry
- Open the lid and add pepper powder, lemon juice, and give a quick mix
- Garnish the curry with Cilantro leaves and switch off the heat
- Now the soya chunk curry/gravy is ready for you to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve and enjoy the delicious Soya chunk curry with chapati, poori, roti, or as a side for rice dishes
Video
Notes
- Cook the soya chunks in hot water for about 7 to 10 minutes to achieve soft and spongy soya chunks
- Instead of cooking soya chunks, it can also be soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes to get the same softness
- Pepper powder used in this recipe gives a nice flavor to the curry. You can skip this or reduce the chili powder if the combo feels spicier to your taste
Nutrition
FAQ
Meal maker curry is a healthy Indian curry dish in which Soya chunks are cooked with onions and tomato along with aromatic Indian spices.
Meal maker or textured vegetable protein is defatted soy flour, a by-product of extracting soybean oil.
Soya chunks are considered to be a good source of protein, especially for vegans and vegetarians. But any food intake in moderation is key for good health.
Soya chunks are cooked in boiling water for about 7 to 10 minutes until it turns soft.
Soya bean, Meal maker, Soya meat are the other names used in the Indian subcontinent.
Soya chunks turn soft and spongy when it reaches the cooked state. It takes approximately 7 to 10 minutes for the same.
Not really. Even though pepper powder adds a nice flavor to the dish, it will increase the spicy level as well. So, if you prefer a less spicy version of the dish, you could either reduce the chili powder or get rid of the pepper powder altogether.
You can soak the soya chunks in hot water for about 30 minutes to achieve softness. Here we have cooked them in boiling water until it turns soft and then squeezed to get the water out.
The combination of green chili, pepper powder, and lemon juice usually delivers a special flavor and taste for pepper chicken. To achieve a similar taste, we have used it here.
Hope you enjoyed the recipe and let us know how it turned out for you!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to post them in the comment section below and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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