Name: Soya Chaap Masala
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 800 g 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 chili powder; 1.5 cups water, plus more if needed; ½ tsp garam masala; 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

This soya chaap masala is my take on my dad’s chicken curry. It has a delectable gravy made with aromatics and whole spices, with tender chunks of soya chaap that might make you wonder where this plant-based protein has been all your life.

Jump to Recipe

My foray into Indian meat alternatives started with a craving. A craving for my dad’s chicken curry, but more specifically, the joy that came with sharing it, savoring the first bite in silence, and discussing how this version compared to past versions. Is the curry thicker than usual? How do we feel about the sharp slices of ginger? To mimic his aromatic gravy with tender chicken, I decided to employ soya chaap—a combination of soy and wheat wrapped around a popsicle stick and found in cans at Indian grocery stores. I know it doesn’t sound appealing, but take these lumps off the sticks, cut them into bite-size pieces, and fry them until golden and crisp on the outside with a flaky, chewy texture on the inside…I hope that sounds better.

In India, soya chaap and nutrela (soya chunks) are considered meat alternatives, but you won’t find soya chaap on the menu at most restaurants. (For more on soy’s journey through India, the Soy Info Center has a comprehensive timeline.) Perhaps it is because Indian cuisine has well-known plant-based options that successfully prove that meat isn’t necessary to complete a meal. That being said, soya chaap is a top notch alternative to meat, which got me thinking about how many minimally processed meat alternatives have been produced by non-Western cultures for centuries, yet we don’t encounter them in the average American grocery store. Check out the newsletter for a brief history of plant-based meat and culture!

How to Make Soya Chaap Masala

Fry the soya chaap

Take the soya chaap off of the popsicle sticks and cut into 1-inch pieces. Fry the soya chaap. It doesn’t have to be deep frying, as I found it to work well when submerged in a little oil.

Marinate the soya chaap

After the fried pieces have cooled down a bit, marinate in plant-based yogurt, red chili powder, turmeric, chaat masala, and salt.

Make the aromatic gravy

Start by blooming whole spices in oil. I went to town with bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, black cardamom, and green cardamom. These whole spices will release fat-soluble compounds that will flavor this dish very nicely!

For texture purposes, I chopped one onion and made a paste of another onion, ginger, and garlic. I wanted it to be smooth, but with texture, so making the onion-ginger-garlic taste and tomato paste is great for that.

Add some green chilis, ground spices like coriander and kashmiri chili powder, and some water to bring it to the texture you want. Add the marinated soya chaap, serve with roti, rice, or paratha, and enjoy!