Nutri soya chunk curry
Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed
Soya chunks, sold as nutri or nutrela, are the cheapest concentrated protein most Indian kitchens have access to, and they sit in the cupboard for months. Dry, they are about half protein, which almost nothing else in the cupboard matches.
The reason people dislike them is almost always preparation. Soaked and then squeezed out properly, they take up whatever they are cooked in. Left soggy, they taste of warm water.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soya chunks
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, pureed
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
- Chopped coriander
Method
- 1
Boil the soya chunks in salted water for five minutes, then drain. Rinse under cold water and squeeze each handful firmly between your palms until no water comes out. This step decides whether the dish is good.
- 2
Heat the oil, add cumin, then onion, and cook until golden brown.
- 3
Add the ginger garlic paste, then the tomato puree, turmeric, coriander and chilli powder and salt. Cook until the oil separates.
- 4
Add the squeezed chunks and stir so they take up the masala. Add a cup of hot water and simmer for ten minutes so they soften and absorb it.
- 5
Finish with garam masala and coriander.
Good to know
- The squeezing is the whole recipe. Wet chunks dilute the masala and taste bland no matter what you add.
- Soya is worth including if you are working on cholesterol, alongside its protein.
- Adding peas, capsicum or spinach turns it into a fuller meal.
- If you have thyroid trouble, soya in ordinary food amounts is generally fine, but it is worth mentioning to your doctor if you eat it daily.