Soya Chunks Curry / Meal Maker Curry

Today's special is Soya chunks Curry, it is such a flavorful and aromatic curry that is very close to my heart. Few years back during my graduation, I had to stay in the campus hostel; though initially I had some tough time there I had to manage and as days passed by I made loveliest friends and loveliest moments there, and each one are so close to my heart, due to some life's worst scenarios I've lost touch with them, but still they stay close to my heart, okay so why did I narrate this story, let me come to the point. 

When I stayed in the hostel, I would never go to the mess (dinning hall) there, as they served vegetarian food and I was (and is) always a non-vegetarian lover, I always needed some kind of Non-vegetarian pickle atleast to have my food without fuss. And all they served was, different varieties of puli kulambu (tamarind curry). Oh god!! and I survived with the helps of some snacks that dad would get me every weekend I came home and also the evening tea and sundals they provided in the hostel, got me enough stamina. But every alternative Wednesdays or sometimes Thursdays they used to serve Soya chunks curry and my presence will always be there in the mess, because that particular curry tastes awesome and I never miss it, even if I did, my room-mates would inform me and I would be there at the mess, the next minute. Though I hate the bland taste of soya chunks I loved the curry, because the chunks in the curry they served were so succulent and had absorbed the flavors of the curry well and each bite was just awesome. I can still remember the flavors and the aroma of the curry and after marriage I tried to replicate the same flavors and prepared a curry that tasted similar to our mess soya chunks curry. Every time I have this curry the aroma kindles good old memories   and I start to recall the the good old college days and my friends. Here today am presenting this curry which is so close to my heart, to all my virtual friends out there. 

Okay!! now let me describe something about the curry. The soya chunks in it, remain soft, succulent and absorbs the flavor well, giving you a great tasting curry. The spices added here gets rid of the bland taste of the soya chunks and also makes the curry taste so flavorful. The curry gets it special flavor from the fennel seeds, the aroma and taste therefore is great. Try it and am sure you will love this curry. Serve with rice and cabbage poriyal or serve with rotis. Lets see how to make this special curry. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3 people
Total Preparation Time - 30 minutes

1. Soya Chunks - 75 grams (I used mini soya chunks, you can use the big ones too) 
2. Big onion - 1 (chopped)
3. Tomato - 1 (chopped)
4. Coconut pieces - 8 to 10 small pieces 
5. Green chillies - 1 (Slit into two)
6. Ginger - 1 small piece 
7. Garlic pod - 1 
8. Curry leaves - Few 
9. Red chilli powder - 1½ spoons 
10. Bay leaf - 1 
11. Cloves - 2
12. Cinnamon - 1 small stick (1 inch long)
13. Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 spoon 
14. Fennel seeds / Sombu - 1 spoon 
15. Salt - As per taste 
16. Oil - 10 spoons 

PREPARATION METHOD

Getting Soya Chunks Ready:

You will need 2 bowls, a sauce pan and a slotted ladle (spoon). 

• Take a sauce pan and add water into it. Place on flame and let it boil well. 
• Remove from flame and add the soya chunks (meal maker), a spoon of salt, and set aside for 10 minutes. This will help soften the soya chunks. 
• Take the other two bowls and fill them with cold (not refrigerated) water and set aside.
• Now using a slotted spoon remove the soaked soya chunks from the boiling water (Do not squeeze out the water now. You wont be able to squeeze now since it has been soaked in boiling water) and drop them into one of the bowls filled with cold water. Discard the hot water. 
• Now after dropping into the cold water, squeeze out the water from the chunks using your palms and drop the chunks into the other bowl filled with cold water. Squeeze water and remove the chunks from it. 
• Repeat the above process thrice to make sure that the smell from the chunks have been completely got rid off. By now the chunks would have doubled or tripled in size.
• Chop the chunks into two and set aside, you can skip this step but when you chop and use them they will give a better taste as they get cooked. 

Curry Preparation 

• Grind the following ingredients into a fine paste and set aside;

(Coconut Paste)
1. Coconut pieces - 8 to 10 pieces

2. Ginger - 1 small piece

3. Garlic - 1

4. Cloves - 2 

5. Cinnamon - 1 small stick

6. Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 spoon 
7. Fennel Seeds / Sombu - 1 spoon

(Initially chop all ingredients into smaller pieces and add them into a blender then grind coarsely, then add some water and grind into a smooth paste, do not add water first itself you wont get the smooth paste then)

• Place a cooker pan on flame and add oil into it. After it heats up splutter 1/4 spoon of cumin seeds and curry leaves, then add onions, bay leaf, slit green chillies and saute well on low flame until the onions becomes translucent. 
• Then add chopped tomatoes and saute well. 
• Add red chilli powder, salt and saute well. Sprinkle some water and stir well to get a nice pulpy masala. 
• When the masala gets cooked well add the chopped soya chunks and stir well. 
• Now add the coconut paste and mix well.
• Pour 2½ cups of water and stir well. (don't worry if the curry is watery, the chunks will absorb water as it gets cooked)
• Check for salt and add if needed, then close the cooker with its lid and switch the flame to high. 
• When the steam oozes out of the nozzle, place the weight or regulator and switch the flame to low mode. 
• Cook for 10 minutes on low flame. 
• Remove from flame and set aside until the pressure gets released on its own.
• Now open (the chunks would have got doubled again in size) and serve!!! 

TIP 1: See that you soak the chunks well in boiling water to make it softer, Then  repeat the washing process to get rid of the smell, if you don't follow the preparation steps the curry will smell bad. Also take care to squeeze all the water out of the soya chunks else the curry flavors will not get into the soya chunks. 

TIP 2: Chopping the soya chunks into two helps absorb the curry's flavors well and it gets doubled in size again hence becomes so tender. Also since we are pressure cooking it, the soya chunks will become softer and get the perfect texture. So try this method confidently.

TIP 3: I have used mini soya chunks but you can also use the bigger ones. Using the same method you can also prepare mutton curry or chicken curry. 

Super delicious and aromatic soya chunks gravy is now ready!! Serve with rotis or rice!! Am sure you will love the juicy and succulent chunks in this gravy!!

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