This soya chunks recipe makes a home-style soya chunks curry: chunks boiled, squeezed well and simmered in a browned onion, tomato and curd masala until they soak up the gravy. Done right, they are soft and juicy with a texture close to paneer or meat, and none of the rubbery, beany taste that puts people off.
The secret is all in the preparation, so the first section below explains exactly how to boil and squeeze soya chunks. Each bowl of this curry gives about 16 g of protein by our estimate, which is a lot for a vegetarian sabzi. You will also find soya chilli, soya keema, a pulao pointer and an honest note on soya chaap.
45 minServes 3Vegetarian218 kcal
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Recipe card
Soya Chunks Masala Curry
Boiled and squeezed soya chunks simmered in an onion, tomato and curd masala with everyday spices.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
Makes 3 bowls (about 3 cups)
To prepare the chunks
- 1½ cups soya chunks (meal maker)
- 4 cups waterfor boiling
- 1 tsp saltfor the boiling water
For the masala
- 1½ tbsp oil
- 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
- 1 tej patta (bay leaf)
- 2 medium onionsfinely chopped
- 1 inch gingergrated
- 4 cloves garlicgrated
- 1 green chillislit
- 2 medium tomatoespuréed
- ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1½ tsp dhania (coriander) powder
- ½ tsp jeera (cumin) powder
- 3 tbsp thick curdwhisked smooth
- 1½ cups hot water
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)crushed (optional)
- saltto taste
- 2 tbsp coriander leaveschopped
You will need
- Kadai or heavy pan
- Saucepan for boiling
- Mixer for the tomato purée
Method
Boil the chunks
Bring 4 cups of water with 1 tsp salt to a rolling boil. Add the soya chunks, switch the flame to medium and boil for 5 minutes. They are ready when they have roughly doubled, feel spongy all the way through and show no hard core when you press one.
Rinse and squeeze
Drain and run cold water over the chunks until you can handle them. Take a small handful at a time and squeeze hard between your palms until almost no water drips. Rinse once more in fresh water and squeeze again; this removes most of the beany smell.
Temper the oil
Heat the oil in a kadai on medium flame. Add jeera and bay leaf and let the jeera sizzle and darken by a shade, about 20 seconds.
Brown the onions
Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes until evenly golden brown. This colour is what gives the gravy its depth, so do not rush it.
Add ginger, garlic and chilli
Stir in the ginger, garlic and green chilli and cook for 1 minute until the raw smell goes.
Cook the masala
Add the tomato purée, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the masala turns thick and glossy and oil appears at the edges.
Add the curd
Lower the flame and add the whisked curd a spoon at a time, stirring constantly so it does not split. Cook for 2 minutes more.
Coat the chunks
Add the squeezed soya chunks and stir for 2 to 3 minutes so they soak up the masala. Each chunk should look coated and reddish.
Simmer
Pour in the hot water, add salt, cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. The chunks absorb the gravy and the curry thickens; add a splash more water if you want it looser.
Finish
Stir in the garam masala and kasuri methi crushed between your palms, simmer 1 minute, then switch off and add coriander. Rest 5 minutes before serving so the flavours settle.
Tips that make the difference
- Squeeze the chunks twice. Water left inside dilutes the gravy and the chunks taste bland.
- Cut large chunks in half after boiling so the masala gets inside.
- Brown the onions properly; pale onions give a sweet, flat gravy.
- Use room temperature curd and a low flame to stop it splitting.
- Soya chunks swell a lot. 1.5 cups dry fills about 3 cups once boiled.
Storing: Keeps 2 days in the fridge in a covered container. The chunks keep absorbing gravy, so add a little hot water while reheating on low flame. Freezes well for a month.
How to boil and squeeze soya chunks properly
Soya chunks, also sold as meal maker or soya badi, are made from defatted soy flour that is pressed and dried. They are hard and dry from the packet and must be rehydrated before cooking. Most failed soya dishes come from skipping or rushing this step.
- Boil, do not just soak: salted boiling water for 5 minutes softens the chunks evenly. Soaking in hot water for 15 minutes also works if you are short of gas, but check the centre.
- Cool them in cold water: it firms the texture and lets you squeeze without burning your hands.
- Squeeze hard, twice: the first squeeze pushes out the cooking water that carries the soy smell. A rinse and second squeeze leaves the chunks like dry sponges ready to drink up the masala.
Fully squeezed chunks weigh about two and a half times their dry weight. If yours are much heavier, they are still holding water.
Why this soya chunks recipe tastes rich without much oil
Soya chunks have very little flavour of their own, so the gravy must be bold. Instead of a lot of oil or cream, this curry builds taste in layers: deeply browned onions for sweetness, tomato cooked until oil separates for body, curd for tang and gloss, and garam masala with kasuri methi at the end for aroma. Simmering the chunks in the gravy for 8 to 10 minutes is the final layer; they absorb it from the inside.
The recipe uses 1.5 tablespoons of oil for three bowls. If you want a thicker, restaurant-style soya chunks gravy, blend 8 soaked cashews into the tomato purée.
Protein in soya chunks and using them in a diet
Dry soya chunks are about half protein by weight. Run through our nutrition calculator, a third of the recipe comes to 218 kcal with 16 g of protein and 9 g of fibre per bowl. That clears our bar for calling it high in protein and high in fibre. Most of that comes from 25 g of dry chunks per person.
That is why people look for a soya chunks recipe for gym diet plans or a soya chunks weight loss recipe. The useful facts are simple: a modest portion gives a lot of protein for few calories, and the oil and cream in the gravy matter more than the chunks. Keep the portion to 25 to 30 g dry per person in a day, eat it with roti or rice and a salad, and vary your protein with dal, paneer, curd and eggs. For a lighter lunch, toss boiled chunks into one of our salad recipes, or rotate it with a protein shake on days you need extra protein.
More soya chunks recipes: soya chilli, keema, fry and pulao
Soya chilli recipe (chilli soya chunks)
Boil and squeeze 1 cup chunks. Toss them with 1 tbsp corn flour, 1 tsp soy sauce, salt and pepper, and pan fry in 1 tbsp oil until crisp at the edges, or air fry at 190°C for 10 minutes. In 1 tsp oil, stir fry 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 onion and 1 capsicum cut in squares on high flame for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp chilli sauce, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup and the chunks, and toss. For a gravy version, add 0.5 cup water thickened with 1 tsp corn flour.
Soya keema recipe with soya granules
Use 1 cup soya granules soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and squeezed, or pulse boiled chunks in the mixer. Cook them in the same masala as the curry with 0.5 cup green peas and only 0.5 cup water, until dry. Eat with pav or roti. This is also the easiest soya granules recipe for children, as the texture is like mince.
Soya chunks fry (dry sabzi)
Make the masala with one onion and one tomato, add the chunks and cook without water on medium flame until the masala clings and the edges brown slightly, about 8 minutes. It packs well in a lunch box with roti.
Soya pulao
Add 0.5 cup boiled, squeezed chunks to any vegetable pulao after the onions brown, fry them for 2 minutes with the whole spices, then add the rice and water as usual. The chunks take on the flavour of the spices and make the pulao a one-pot meal.
Soya chaap recipe note: chunks and chaap are not the same
Soya chaap looks like meat on sticks and is very popular, but it is a different product from soya chunks. Most chaap sold in shops is made from a dough of soy flour mixed with a large share of maida (refined flour) or wheat flour, wrapped around ice cream sticks and boiled. So it has much less protein than chunks and more refined carbohydrate. Read the label if protein is your reason for buying it.
For a quick soya chaap masala recipe at home, cut boiled chaap into pieces, pan fry them in 1 tsp oil until golden, and simmer them in the masala from the curry above for 5 minutes. For a malai soya chaap recipe, marinate the fried pieces in 0.5 cup hung curd, 2 tbsp cream, ginger garlic paste, white pepper and kasuri methi for 30 minutes, then roast them on a hot tawa, or air fry them, until spotted brown. In Hindi a soya chaap recipe is usually called soya chaap ki sabzi, and the method is the same.
Soyabean recipe: soya bean curry recipe with whole soybeans
Whole soyabean (the dry bean) is another ingredient again. Soak 0.5 cup whole soybeans for 10 to 12 hours, then pressure cook with fresh water and salt for 6 to 8 whistles; they stay a little firm even when done, unlike rajma. Use them in the same onion tomato masala for a soyabean ki sabzi. Undercooked soybeans are hard to digest, so cook them fully.
What to serve with soya chunks curry
The curry goes with phulka, plain paratha, jeera rice or with namkeen dalia. Add a kachumber or onion salad and a bowl of curd for a balanced plate. For more ideas that come together in under 40 minutes, see our healthy dinner recipes, and visit the home page for everyday healthy recipes.
Questions cooks ask
Why do my soya chunks smell or taste bitter?
They were not boiled long enough or not squeezed well. Boil in salted water, rinse in cold water and squeeze twice. A little lemon juice in the rinse water also helps.
Can I cook soya chunks directly in the gravy without boiling?
It is not a good idea. They stay chewy in the centre and soak up a lot of gravy unevenly. Always boil or soak them first, then squeeze.
How much soya chunks can I eat in a day?
For most adults, a daily portion of 25 to 30 g dry, alongside other protein foods, is sensible. If a doctor or dietitian has given you a specific diet, follow their advice on soy.
Can I make soya chunks curry with no onion or garlic?
You can. Leave both out, add a pinch of hing to the oil and use 2 extra tomatoes with 2 tbsp curd for body. Grated ginger keeps the flavour lively.
Is meal maker the same as soya chunks?
Yes. Meal maker, soya nuggets and soya badi are all everyday names for the same dried soy chunks. So any meal maker recipes you come across work with this page too. Soya granules are the same product in tiny pieces.
Can I eat soya chunks for breakfast?
Yes. Add squeezed soya granules to a besan chilla batter, or stuff a paratha with soya keema. Both are quick and filling.