Soya Stuffed Peppers ( A healthier take on Mirchi Bhajji )

There is something about the rains that brings out the foodie in me. The splattering sounds made by the water, the ever present chill in the air and even the lovely smells that the rains unleash gets me into a good mood. Being ravenous is a not-so-desirable side effect of the monsoon showers but these days I am hardly complaining. I have managed to lost a bit of weight by turning partly vegan and have been working out regularly. So, a once in a while indulgence is kinda welcome.

Tea and mirchi bhajjis is one such combination that makes me go weak in the knees. But the amount of oil that goes into making the bhajjis always makes me change my mind at the last moment. However, today I had skipped lunch and ended up quite hungry around 5 in the evening. I wanted something quite filling with my tea . So, I decided to give the bhajjis a healthy makeover by stuffing them with some spicy soya filling and then pan frying them.

It is quite a simple recipe yet it turned out delicious. Read on for my 'Soya Stuffed Peppers' -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup soya chunks
• 1 medium potato
• 5-6 large peppers 
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup besan
• 1/2 of a medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 2 pinch garam masala
• salt to taste
• 3 tsp oil
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro

Preparation - Cook the soya chunks and potato in a pressure cooker for 1-2 whistles.

Allow steam to escape. Open lid, take out the soya chunks, squeeze them and rinse 2-3 times in clear water.

Squeeze out all the water from the soya chunks, put in a mixing bowl and mash to a coarse paste. Peel the potato, mash and add to the same mixing bowl.

Add some water, salt and a bit of chili powder to the besan. Mix well to make a paste of medium consistency.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp oil in pan. Add the chopped onion and ginger garlic paste. Saute for a while till the raw smell goes off.

Add the soya and potato paste along with salt and chili powder. Mix everything together and cook for 4-5 mins.

Finally add the garam masala and chopped cilantro. Mix and remove from the flame. Let it come down to room temperature.

Make a single slit on the side for each pepper. Remove the insides and stuff the soya masala into it.

Dip the stuffed pepper into the besan paste and take it out. Shake lightly to remove excess batter clinging to it.

Spread the oats on a plate. Roll the battered peppers over the oats taking care to form a uniform layer. Repeat this process for all the peppers.

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add 1 tsp oil to it and place the stuffed peppers. Drizzle some more oil over them.

Fry on a medium flame till they turn golden brown on all sides.

Remove from pan.

Serve hot with mayonnaise and ketchup.

Vegetarian Keema Matar (Soya Matar)

Most of the time when I am indulging in a non-veg recipe, I have the tendency to think if it can be replicated/substituted with some vegetarian/vegan ingredients. So, when I cooked Keema matar last week, I felt a strong urge to try it with my favorite vegetarian meat aka soya nuggets. And I was pleased as a punch with the terrific results. The aromas of the spices, the richness of yogurt and the unmatched taste of the fresh green peas ( no frozen ones plz ) make this dish quite unforgettable.

I would love to make this dish for lunch (atleast twice or thrice a week till the fresh peas are in season) and pair it with rotis and some sweetened yogurt. While you can use soya granules if you have them, I made this by soaking the soya chunks in hot water, squeezing them dry and grinding them into a coarse paste. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup soya keema/granules
• 1 cup shelled green peas (fresh ones only)
• 1 large tomato
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 green chili (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1/3 tsp coriander powder
• 1/5 tsp Garam masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 inch long cinnamon stick
• 1-2 green cardamom
• 1-2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp thick curd
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation - Soak the soya granules in hot water for 5-10 mins. Wash and squeeze out the water. Repeat twice with warm water.

Chop the onion into medium sized pieces. The tomato can either be finely chopped or grind into a paste.

Beat the curd lightly with a spoon to break any lumps.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Throw in the whole garam masala. Add the onions and fry for 1-2 minutes before adding the ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili. Fry for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell goes off.

Add the soaked soya kheema at this point along with the coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and half of the garam masala. Fry for 4-5 minutes.

Add the tomato pieces and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the beaten curd and cook for another 2-3 mins.

Finally add the green peas, salt and remaining garam masala.

Serve hot with rotis.

Note - Add some meat masala to add that extra zing to this dish !!

Soya Badi Jholo (Vegetarian Mutton Curry)

Sometime during my school years, soya nuggets or 'soya badi' as we call them in Odisha, began to make an apperance during the meal times. At first they seemed rubbery and had an yucky flavour. Almost all the kids hated them. But gradually people mastered the art of cooking this 'protein rich' ingredient (or maybe our taste buds got acclimatized to it) and it became very popular as vegetarian mutton. In those days, large families with limited income often added some soya badi to their Sunday mutton curry. With a texture that closely mimics mutton ( of course when both have been cooked thoroughly ) and a rather sponge like ability to soak/imbibe the flavour of whatever is cooked alongside, it became an overnight hit with the mutton loving Odia folks. Such was its popularity that it even began to show up at wedding banquets.

Those were the long gone days of sit-down dinners and one had to wait for one or two batches to finish eating before one could expect to find a place to sit down. Disposable incomes were low and so were the spending habits of people. It was sometime around this time that both chinese cuisine and IT appeared on the horizon. And both have since then revolutionized our lives. Maybe it was this indo-chinese food phenomenon that diverted one from the humble soyabean. Suddenly the curry of choice was the either a manchurian or something that that been 'chilli-fied' (read marinated and/or stir-fried with a mix of chinese sauces). But soyabean has finally staged a comeback after lying low for a couple of years. One finds it added to salads, tikkis, curries, biryani and even some desserts these days.

But the recipe that I will be sharing today is the time tested version that my mom used to cook. In Odisha you will find that it is prepared in the typical manner of a mutton curry. Read on for more -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup soya nuggets
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 medium sized onion
• 6-7 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 small tomato
• 1 dry red chili
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small bay leaf
• a small bit of a black cardamom
• 1/2 tsp meat masala
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 4 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 2 pinch garam masala

Preparation - Roughly chop onion, ginger and garlic. Transfer to a mixer jar along with the broken red chili and buzz for 1 sec to get a very coarse paste ( you should be able to make out each ingredient ).

Soak the soyabeans in 4-5 cups hot water for half an hour. Remove from hot water and wash under running water. Squeeze out the water and once again wash it under running water. Repeat 2-3 times.

Cooking - Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add all the wholes spices and fry for 5-6 secs till they start to give out a fragrance.

Add the onion paste and fry till it turns reddish (use low flame with regular stirring else it will burn). Add the
tomato and cook for 2-3 mins till it softens.

Add the powdered masalas (except garam masala) and salt at this stage and fry for 1 min. Add the soaked (and thoroughy squeezed soya nuggets) along with the diced potato to the cooker. Stir fry on medium flame for 3-4 mins.

Add 2 1/2 - 3 cups hot water, adjust salt, sprinkle garam masala and close the lid of the cooker. Cook for 1-2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from flame and allow to stand aside till steam escapes.

Serve hot with white rice, roti or parantha.

Soya nuggets manchurian

So, my maid is on extended leave and hubby has to attend a dinner tonight. Not much cooking on the cards today. A wholesome pongal and stir fried beans for lunch, and panner paratha for dinner is sure to keep little one happy. Only I am in a mood for something spicy (and effortless at the same time). Too lazy to do the dishes later.

Quickly rummaging though the cupboards, I discover a box of Nutrela soya nuggets staring balefully at me. 'Oh! I did not know we had soya at home', I exclaimed. Quickly turning it over, I check the date on the packaging. Still good. Maybe I got it just after coming back from BBSR and it has been lying unused all the while. A quick recipe demonstrated by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor on 'Khana Khazana' is still fresh in my mind. So, 'Soya Nuggets Manchurian' it is got to be.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 

• 1 cup soya nuggets
• 1/2 of a small capsicum
• 2 tbsp spring onions chopped
• 1 small onion
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp soya sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tsp chilli sauce
• 2-3 green chillis
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Cooking - Cook the soya chunks in a pressure cooker on HIGH flame for 1 whistle. Remove, allow steam to escape and open lid. Drain off the water and wash 2-3 times in fresh water. Squeeze out all the water.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add the soya nuggets. 

Add salt, 1/2 tsp soya sauce, 1 tsp chilli sauce and salt to taste.

Carefully sprinkle 1/2 tsp of corn flour uniformly over the nuggets and add just a sprinkle of water.

Toss well to coat all the nuggets. Remove from pan and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions and fry till a little translucent.

Add chopped ginger and garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes till they darken a bit.

Add the soya sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar and tomato sauce along with 1/2 cup water.

Once it gets to a boil, add the soya nuggets. Boil for 2 minutes.

Add chopped capsicum and half of the spring onion whites.

Dissolve the cornflour in 1/3 cup water and add to it. Allow the gravy to thicken/reduce as you prefer it.

Adjust salt. 

Garnish with spring onion greens . Serve hot with white rice.

Note - Add more cornflour if you want thick gravy.  Similarly, increase the amount of tomato sauce for more sweetness.

Vegetarian Kheema Paratha

Consuming soya nuggets have many benefits. They are low in fats and have a high protein content. As it provides all the amino acids that are present in meat, it is an excellent choice for vegans. For the same serving size, soya provide more protein than meat. One serving of soya nuggets is enough to provide more than the daily requirement of iron and almost half of the daily requirement of calcium.
Also its mild taste and texture makes it quite easy to incorporate it many recipes.

Read on for one of my favorite recipes:

Preparation Time - 25 mins ( minus 10 mins if you have the dough ready/ if using soya granules )

Ingredients - Whole wheat flour ( 1 1/2 cups or enough for making 4 rotis ), 3/4 cup soya chunks, 1 small onion, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/3 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/6 tsp garam masala or meat masala a pinch of turmeric, salt to taste, 6-7 tsp oil.

Preparation - Take the dough in a open vessel . Add salt and 1 tsp hot oil. Mix together.

Add water little by little to the above mixture and make into a firm dough. Keep it covered and allow to sit for 5 -10 minutes.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

Cooking - Cook the soya chunks with a little salt in a pressure cooker. Allow 1 whistle. Remove and keep aside till steam escapes.

Drain all the water and squeeze out the water in the chunks. Wash twice with fresh water and squeeze the chunks to remove remaining water.

Transfer the chunks to a grinder cup and grind into a coarse paste (kheema).

Heat  2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add all the powdered masalas and fry for 30-45 seconds.

Add the kheema and fry till it turns to a brown color.

Remove from stove and allow to cool down.

Make 4 balls out of the dough prepared earlier. Roll out into rotis.

Divide the soya kheema into two portions. Spread the kheema over one roti and cover with another roti.

Pinch the sides to close the paratha.

Heat a tawa. Place the paratha on the tawa and cook for 1 minute. Flip over and drizzle with oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes till done on both sides.

Repeat the process for making another paratha.

Serve hot with sweetened yogurt.

Pumpkin-Kabuli chana curry

Cost of Preparation: 45-50 rupees
Cooking Time Required: 40-45 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients: Pumpkin pieces ( 1 1/2 cup ), potato pieces ( 1 cup ), soyabean chunks ( 1 cup ), kabuli chana (chole, 1 cup ), onion ( 1 small ), tomato ( 1 small ), red chilli ( 5-6 nos ), coriander seeds ( 1 tsp ), cumin seeds ( 1/ tsp ), garlic ( 5-6 nos ), cinnamon stick ( 1/2 inch long ), cardamon ( nos ), cloves ( 5-6 nos ), fennel ( 1/3 tsp ), oil for frying, salt, turmeric .

Preparation: Soak the chole for 7-8 hours. Transfer to a pressure cooker , add salt and turmeric. Allow for 1-2 whistles. Drain the water and keep aside.






















Wash the soya chunks, soak for 1-2 hours. Transfer to a pressure cooker, add salt and allow 1 whistle. Allow to cool and squeeze out all the water . Keep aside.

Boil the pumpkin and potato pieces for 5-6 . Keep aside.

Gring the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, 1-2 red chillis, garlic, cinnamon, cardamon, onion and tomato into a smooth paste.

Cooking: Heat oil for frying. Add the soya chunks and fry till reddish-brown. Remove and keep aside.






















Heat 2-3 tsp oil in a wok. Add the remaining red chillis, fennel and cloves. Fry for a minute . Add the paste along with 1/3 tsp turmeric.























Cook till the raw smell goes off ( 6-7 minutes ).

Add the soya chunks, boiled chole, pumpkin and potato pieces. Mix well and stir fry for 5-10 minutes.





















Add 1 cup boiling water . Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
Serve with rotis / puris.

Note: This dish is commonly prepared with bengal gram instead of chole .