Soya Chunks Fry Meal Maker Fry

About Soya Chunks Fry

What are soya chunks? Soya chunks are nuggets made from defatted soybean flour and eaten by vegetarians as a meat substitute. They are also referred to as a textured vegetable protein, soya nuggets, meal maker and nutri-nuggets. Growing up my mom would make soya chunk recipes. Two of my favorites that I have already shared earlier are Soya Chunks Curry and Soya Biryani. However, I tend to cook with soya chunks once in a while they are highly processed. My recipe is inspired by the Kerala-style dish that my dad would make for us growing up. It is pretty quick and simple to make and is a dry soya chunks recipe. The only time-consuming part is sautéing the onions and the rest of the recipe is a breeze to make. The soya chunks must be cooked first. This helps to soften them. Soya chunks don’t have a distinctive taste so it is important to season them well. They have a slightly chewy and soft texture. In this recipe you can also swap cooked unripe jackfruit with meal maker. Serve soya chunks fry or meal maker fry as a side dish with roti or paratha dal or rice. Plus it is also a good pack lunch option.

How to Make Soya Chunks Fry

Prep Soya Chunks

1. First, add 1 cup of soya chunks to a strainer and rinse 2 to 3 times. Then in a pan, pour 2.5 to 3 cups of water, add 1 pinch of salt and add the rinsed soya chunks. Use soy chunks that are within their shelf period and have not turned rancid.
2. Boil soya chunks for 4 to 5 more minutes on medium heat. This implies that after the water begins to boil, continue to boil further for 4 to 5 minutes. So consider a total time of 8 to 9 minutes once you keep the pan on the stove-top
3. Drain soya chunks in a mesh strainer and rinse well with fresh water. Once the soya chunks are warm, squeeze the soy chunks between your palms to remove all the liquids and set aside for later.

Sauté Aromatics

4. Heat 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan or skillet. Then add 1-inch of cinnamon, 2 cloves, 1 green cardamom and fry for a few seconds until they crackle. Prep all your ingredients before you begin to cook the dish. Tip: You can also use any neutral-flavored oil instead but coconut oil adds a delicious flavor.
5. Add 1 cup of thinly sliced onions, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger. 
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté onions. Add a pinch of salt to cook the onions faster.
7. The onions will soften first and become light golden. Once the onions are fully golden turn off the heat.
8. Add 2 to 3 green chilies and 12 to 15 curry leaves. I used 4 green chilies as these are milder. 
9. Switch on the heat. Mix and sauté for one minute. 
10. Add ½ cup of finely chopped tomatoes. 
11. Sauté stirring often until tomatoes become soft, mushy and oil releases from the sides. 
12. You can switch off the heat or keep it to a low when you add the ground spices. Add the following listed spices:

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper or ground black pepper powder¼ teaspoon of garam masala powder½ teaspoon of fennel powder½ teaspoon of cumin powder½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder (swap with ¼ teaspoon cayenne or ½ teaspoon paprika.)1 teaspoon coriander powder

13. Mix well and sauté on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure that the ground spices do not burn, but are sautéed well. 

Make Meal Maker Fry

14. Add the prepared soya chunks and season with salt to taste.
15. Add 5 to 6 tablespoons of water. 
16. Stir and mix well. 
17. Cover with a lid and steam for 5 to 6 minutes on low heat. Check after 2 to 3 minutes.  If the mixture starts sticking, sprinkle 2 to 3 teaspoons of water. Deglaze, cover and continue to steam. 
18. Remove lid. Check to see if there are any liquids in the pan. The dish is a dry dish. If there is any water or liquids in the pan then simmer without lid until the water evaporates. Serve meal maker fry hot or warm. Garnish with coriander leaves if you prefer. Drizzle some lemon juice on the meal maker fry and enjoy. If you want to make a gravy, add ½ cup coconut milk towards the end. Simmer until lightly hot without boiling the coconut milk. 
19. Serve meal maker fry with roti, parotta, paratha and a wedge of lime. You can also serve it with dal-rice, sambar-rice. 

Expert Tips

Soya chunks: In order to make soya chunks they must be cooked before making the dish so don’t skip this step. Once you have cooked the soya chunks it is important to squeeze all of the moisture out of the chunks before frying to achieve the best texture. Oil: This recipe calls for coconut oil. It adds a rich coconut flavor to the dish. However, if you are not a fan of coconut or don’t have any on hand then feel free to use neutral oil instead. You can also use ghee instead. Onions: To make soya chunk fry you will need to sauté onions, garlic and ginger first. This gives the dish rich, intense flavors so don’t skip this step! You will know that the onions are done once they are golden.Spices: It is really important to cook the spices for 1 to 2 minutes before you add the soya chunks. This will cook the rawness out of the spices and intensify the flavors. Be careful not to burn the spices as this will affect the taste of the dish.Additions: You can add pan-fried coconut for more texture. 

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

title: “Soya Chunks Fry Meal Maker Fry " ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-25” author: “Fannie Morin”

About Soya Chunks Fry

What are soya chunks? Soya chunks are nuggets made from defatted soybean flour and eaten by vegetarians as a meat substitute. They are also referred to as a textured vegetable protein, soya nuggets, meal maker and nutri-nuggets. Growing up my mom would make soya chunk recipes. Two of my favorites that I have already shared earlier are Soya Chunks Curry and Soya Biryani. However, I tend to cook with soya chunks once in a while they are highly processed. My recipe is inspired by the Kerala-style dish that my dad would make for us growing up. It is pretty quick and simple to make and is a dry soya chunks recipe. The only time-consuming part is sautéing the onions and the rest of the recipe is a breeze to make. The soya chunks must be cooked first. This helps to soften them. Soya chunks don’t have a distinctive taste so it is important to season them well. They have a slightly chewy and soft texture. In this recipe you can also swap cooked unripe jackfruit with meal maker. Serve soya chunks fry or meal maker fry as a side dish with roti or paratha dal or rice. Plus it is also a good pack lunch option.

How to Make Soya Chunks Fry

Prep Soya Chunks

1. First, add 1 cup of soya chunks to a strainer and rinse 2 to 3 times. Then in a pan, pour 2.5 to 3 cups of water, add 1 pinch of salt and add the rinsed soya chunks. Use soy chunks that are within their shelf period and have not turned rancid.
2. Boil soya chunks for 4 to 5 more minutes on medium heat. This implies that after the water begins to boil, continue to boil further for 4 to 5 minutes. So consider a total time of 8 to 9 minutes once you keep the pan on the stove-top
3. Drain soya chunks in a mesh strainer and rinse well with fresh water. Once the soya chunks are warm, squeeze the soy chunks between your palms to remove all the liquids and set aside for later.

Sauté Aromatics

4. Heat 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan or skillet. Then add 1-inch of cinnamon, 2 cloves, 1 green cardamom and fry for a few seconds until they crackle. Prep all your ingredients before you begin to cook the dish. Tip: You can also use any neutral-flavored oil instead but coconut oil adds a delicious flavor.
5. Add 1 cup of thinly sliced onions, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger. 
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté onions. Add a pinch of salt to cook the onions faster.
7. The onions will soften first and become light golden. Once the onions are fully golden turn off the heat.
8. Add 2 to 3 green chilies and 12 to 15 curry leaves. I used 4 green chilies as these are milder. 
9. Switch on the heat. Mix and sauté for one minute. 
10. Add ½ cup of finely chopped tomatoes. 
11. Sauté stirring often until tomatoes become soft, mushy and oil releases from the sides. 
12. You can switch off the heat or keep it to a low when you add the ground spices. Add the following listed spices:

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper or ground black pepper powder¼ teaspoon of garam masala powder½ teaspoon of fennel powder½ teaspoon of cumin powder½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder (swap with ¼ teaspoon cayenne or ½ teaspoon paprika.)1 teaspoon coriander powder

13. Mix well and sauté on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure that the ground spices do not burn, but are sautéed well. 

Make Meal Maker Fry

14. Add the prepared soya chunks and season with salt to taste.
15. Add 5 to 6 tablespoons of water. 
16. Stir and mix well. 
17. Cover with a lid and steam for 5 to 6 minutes on low heat. Check after 2 to 3 minutes.  If the mixture starts sticking, sprinkle 2 to 3 teaspoons of water. Deglaze, cover and continue to steam. 
18. Remove lid. Check to see if there are any liquids in the pan. The dish is a dry dish. If there is any water or liquids in the pan then simmer without lid until the water evaporates. Serve meal maker fry hot or warm. Garnish with coriander leaves if you prefer. Drizzle some lemon juice on the meal maker fry and enjoy. If you want to make a gravy, add ½ cup coconut milk towards the end. Simmer until lightly hot without boiling the coconut milk. 
19. Serve meal maker fry with roti, parotta, paratha and a wedge of lime. You can also serve it with dal-rice, sambar-rice. 

Expert Tips

Soya chunks: In order to make soya chunks they must be cooked before making the dish so don’t skip this step. Once you have cooked the soya chunks it is important to squeeze all of the moisture out of the chunks before frying to achieve the best texture. Oil: This recipe calls for coconut oil. It adds a rich coconut flavor to the dish. However, if you are not a fan of coconut or don’t have any on hand then feel free to use neutral oil instead. You can also use ghee instead. Onions: To make soya chunk fry you will need to sauté onions, garlic and ginger first. This gives the dish rich, intense flavors so don’t skip this step! You will know that the onions are done once they are golden.Spices: It is really important to cook the spices for 1 to 2 minutes before you add the soya chunks. This will cook the rawness out of the spices and intensify the flavors. Be careful not to burn the spices as this will affect the taste of the dish.Additions: You can add pan-fried coconut for more texture. 

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.