Soya Chaap Masala
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.
Ingredients
marinated soya chaap
- 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
soya chaap masala
- 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)
Instructions
- Take the soya chaap off of the sticks and cut into 1-inch pieces. Heat a pot or large saucepan with about an inch of oil. I ended up using about half a cup. Fry the chaap until golden brown and slightly crisp on all sides, which should take about 10 minutes.
- Marinate the soya chaap in yogurt, red chili powder, turmeric, chaat masala, and salt. Combine and let it sit until you're ready to use it.
- To prepare for making the soya chaap masala, finely chop 1 red onion. Process the other onion with all the ginger and garlic to form a coarse paste. Process the roma tomatoes separately for the tomato puree.
- Heat oil in either the same pot/saucepan or a different one over medium heat. Add a little vegan butter. When it's hot, bloom the whole spices: bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, black cardamom, and green cardamom until they begin to release their aromas.
- Add the chopped onions and stir until translucent and slightly golden, so about 4-5 minutes. Add the onion-ginger-garlic paste and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and a big pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium-high and allow the tomato juices to mostly evaporate, which usually takes 6-8 minutes.
- At this point, everything should be well-combined with one another. Add the slit green chilis, ground coriander, and kashmiri chili powder. Combine the spices with the gravy for a minute. Then add about 1 cup of water. Cover and simmer until it is at the texture you prefer. Add more water if necessary.
- Finish with garam masala, kasoori methi, and salt to taste. Add the marinated soya chaap and simmer for another 10 minutes. Cover to maintain the texture of the gravy.