Healthy & Nutritious, Shredded Soya chunks roasted in a spicy aromatic masala … A perfect choice to woo your non-soya fans and meat lovers alike! Check it out – Shredded Soya Roast …!!
Soya ularthiyathu / soya kheema roast / shredded soya roast – call it whatever you like, but one thing I can assure you – it tastes damn delicious!!! The dish looks appetizing too – like a minced meat / kheema roast, or shredded beef burnt ends; but in a Kerala style with curry leaves and coconut bites! In fact, this has been one of the most requested recipes by my Instagram followers after seeing it on my lunch platter pics.
The tale of soya in my home has been quite interesting; from non-existent to a permanent spot in my pantry. We never used to buy it until a few years ago when my sister-in-law introduced me to her Soya Chunk Roast recipe, which I really enjoyed as it tasted like a non-veg dish. But my husband played the villain here as he never showed interest to soya in any form, not even the roasted version. Although, he would rave about the soya biriyani prepared in the mess during his college days, and how he couldn’t believe that in the dish it was soya and not beef. Going by his words even though I have never seen or tasted it, I tried replicating the soya biriyani of his dreams, but failed miserably. So being back to square one, I made up my mind to figure out a way to tempt my husband to like soya dishes, thereby making my dinner nights easy with some quick cooking.
Soya is the perfect meat alternative for vegetarians and vegans alike, who are seeking a protein filled diet. High in protein and fiber content, soya is also a good source of nutrients including folate, riboflavin and vitamin K. And that’s why it’s known a veg protein or meal maker dish.
The thought of soya as a meat alternative and its roasted texture resembling beef was the idea behind this recipe. To change its external appearance and texture, I shredded it mimicking that of kheema / minced meat. And finally taking a few tips from one of the most popular recipes on my blog “Beef Ulartiyathu / Beef Dry Roast”, I added coconut bites to give that extra crunchiness. Rest is the same from my sissy’s recipe, and Voila! A success and my husband loved it!!!
While following the instructions of this recipe, make sure to squeeze out maximum water from soya or else the roasting time may increase due to the water content. The slow roasting of the soya is the main highlight of this dish, resulting in a dry texture and a meaty taste. This is a great side to go along with roti or rice, some yogurt, fresh cucumber and carrots. And if you’re looking to wow folks who do not enjoy soya (like my husband, and most kids), think no further and try out this recipe, I’m pretty sure you gonna impress them.
Bonus tip – Soya rolls: An alternate way to savor this dish is by rolling the shredded soya in a roti/tortilla along with some fresh veggies and a yogurt drizzle, easy peasy and yummy.
Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!
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Healthy & Nutritious, Shredded Soya chunks roasted ina spicy aromatic masala ... A perfect choice to woo your non-soya fans and meatlovers alike!
- 2½ cups of soya chunks
- 2 medium sized onions (finely chopped)
- ½ inch sized ginger (crushed)
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 green chilies (slit)
- 1 tbsp red chilly powder (or more if you like heat)
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp + 1 tsp meat masala / chicken masala / garam masala
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 strands of curry leaves
- ¼ cup coconut bites
- Oil (as required)
- Salt (as required)
- Water (as required)
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Prepare soya chunks: Heat water in a pot, once it starts to boil turn off the flame and soak soya chunks in it for about 20 minutes, this helps the chunks to soften and plump. Drain the pot, squeeze out the remaining water from the chunks and place on a paper towel, keep aside.
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Shred the soya: In a blender, using the pulse mode; pulse soya in batches until it forms a finely shredded form. Do not make it a paste. Alternatively, you can cut it into fine chopped pieces either.
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Prepare the masala: In a wide pan (preferably nonstick), heat some oil in a medium flame and splutter mustard seeds. Add 1 sprig of curry leaves and sauté.
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Followed by adding sliced onions, salt and sauté until golden. Add crushed ginger and garlic, sauté until the raw smell subsides.
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Reduce the flame to low and add chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, 1 tsp meat masala and mix well, sauté for another 2 mins.
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Roast: Add the shredded soya, coconut bites and salt to the masala and roast it for 15 – 20 minutes until all the moisture dries out.
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Add the remaining 1tsp of meat masala, pepper powder and curry leaves during the roasting process to infuse with the soya. Taste and add salt as needed.
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Roast until it forms a brown texture. Switch off the flame and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before serving.
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Serve: Goes well with steamed rice or roti/naan, and some fresh veggies (as shown in the picture).
1. Make sure to squeeze out maximum water from the soya chunks, otherwise the roasting time may increase due to the water content.
2. You can adjust the heat of the dish according to your spice levels, by varying the quantity of chilli powder and green chilies used.
3. Coconut oil is recommended for all Kerala recipes, you may also use any other oil except for olive oil.