The Amazing Soya Chaap Masala Recipe

Soya Chaap Masala is a popular vegetarian recipe that originates from the Northern part of India. It is prepared from soya chaap, a mock meat product which is essentially vegan meat prepared from soya beans. The soya chaap is first made by coated in a blend of spices before being cooked slowly in a thick, silky tomato sauce. This dish usually comes with naan or roti and is found almost in every North Indian restaurant and even the street-side joints.

Why I love Soya Chaap Masala?

Soya Chaap Masala is my favourite dish of all times since it is tasty and can be taken with side dishes of choice. The another reason why I love soya chaap is that it has a good resemblance to the muscles and fibers of the meat and has the taste as well of the meat.

How can we Make Soya Chaap Masala?

Ingredients

• 800g soya chaap
• Oil for frying
• ½ cup plant-based yogurt
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• Salt to taste
• 2 red onions
• 2 inch ginger
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 roma tomatoes, processed into ~ 1 cup tomato puree
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tbsp vegan butter *optional, sub with oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 black cardamom
• 2 green cardamom
• Salt to taste
• 3 green chilis, slit in half
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• 1.5 cups water, plus more if needed
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Instructions

Marinate the soya chaap

1. Remove the soya chaap from the sticks, and chop them into small pieces of about an inch.
2. Prepare a pot or a large saucepan for deep frying with one inch of oil. Deep fry the chaap until it turns light golden brown with a slight crispiness for about 10 minutes through the entire process of cooking.
3. In the same bowl, add the yogurt, red chilli powder, turmeric, chaat masala, and salt and marinate the soya chaap. Blend it together and set it aside to get even thicker prior to its application.

Make the aromatic gravy

1. Heat the remaining oil in either the same pot/saucepan or a different one over low heat. And then add a little bit of vegan butter. When it’s hot, bloom the whole spices: Before adding the other spices, gently toast bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, black cardamom, and green cardamom until they emit pleasant fragrances.
2. Combine the onions and cook until they soften and turn slightly brown, which should take around 4-5 minutes. Now add the onion-ginger-garlic paste to the pan and let the mixture cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Now add the tomato puree and a pinch of salt into the mixture as well. Heat should be raised slightly to medium high and allow most of the juices from the tomatoes to evaporate, this should take 6-8 minutes.
3. By now, everything should interconnect with every other thing in as coherent and natural manner as possible. Finally, add the slit green chilis, ground coriander and kashmiri chilli powder. Stir the spices into the gravy and let it sit for a minute. Then add about 1 cup of water to your mixture of the soup. Put the lid on and cook until it is to your desired tenderness. Stir some more if needed.
4. Lastly, add garam masala, kasoori methi, and salt as per your preference. Finally mix the marinated soya chaap and cook the mixture for another 10 min. Cover to retain the looks of the gravy.

Serve

1. As a final touch, sprinkle the dish with some fresh coriander leaves.
2. To enjoy the spices fully, eat it with roti, rice or paratha.