Food is not just a mean to satisfy our hunger, rather it serves as an art characterised by distinct techniques with a mix of specific culture. Various factors like local ingredients, traditions, and customs get involve in the process to create a unique dish. Therefore here I present before you a very popular recipe of the Bengali households- "Soyabean ar Curry", prepared to relieve all from the daily toil of excavating some distinct cuisine at the dinner table to please your taste buds. I can bet that all the Bengali moms have tried feeding this to their kids by saying it's chicken. It was only after the first bite from your mother's hand that you realized you were tricked which our parents are masters at. Let's try our hands on this nostalgic recipe today.
Ingredients-
500gm Soya Chunks
1 large Onion (skip if making the curry veg)
2 medium Tomatoes
1 large Potato - cubed
4-5 Garlic (skip if making the curry veg)
2-inch Ginger
2 Green Chillies - chopped
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Garam Masala powder 1 tsp Black Pepper powder
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 small bunch of Coriander Leaves, chopped (optional)
Salt and Sugar to taste
2 tbsp Mustard Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
Method-
Soak the soy chunks in water for half an hour. They will swell up and will be double in size. Drain the water and squeeze the soy chunks to drain the remaining water. Keep aside. In a blender make a fine paste of the onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and green chillies, using a little oil. Heat oil in a kadai / pan and put the cumin seeds and the red chilli into it. As they start to sizzle add in the paste we made. Add salt and saute for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture start to release oil. Now add a 1/4 cup water to the the kadai and also add in turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander and black pepper powder. Mix and saute for 3-4 minutes or until the raw flavor of the spices is gone.
Add potatoes, and half cup of water. You can also boil and shallow fry the potatoes with a little bit of salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to reduce your cooking time. Simmer covered until they are half cooked. Now add the soya chunks. Mix everything properly and add in 2 cups of water. You can add more water if you want a thinner gravy. Remember the soya chunks will soak up a lot of water. So if you see the water is reduced while cooking add in some more. Put cover and cook for another 15 minutes or until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. Stir in between to avoid sticking to the pan. Finally add the garam masala powder, ghee and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Give a quick stir and put off the flame.
Serve hot with some roti / chapati / paratha or some steamed hot rice.
Please do try this recipe at your home and let me know how it was in the comments section below. Also do share and follow me for more such easy,tasty and delightful recipes.
Thank you. Enjoy.
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