Ingredients Required
Soya Chaap: I use fresh or canned soya sticks for this curry recipe.
Cooking Oil: You can use ghee, refined oil, vegetable oil, or mustard oil.
Tomato Paste: A blend of fresh tomato, ginger, garlic, Kashmiri red chilies, and hot water.
Spices: Bay Leaf, Green Cardamom, Black Cardamom, Cumin Seeds, Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Kasuri Methi
Other Ingredients: Red Onion, Salt, Water, Fresh Coriander Leaves
How To Make
This Punjabi soya chaap recipe is a two-step process.
1) Marinate and Fry the Soya Meat
2) Prepare the Gravy
Step 1) Remove wooden sticks from the soya meat and cut the chaap into bite-size round or oval pieces.
Step 2) Marinate chaap with salt, ginger-garlic paste, curd, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Mix to coat each piece with the marinade masala (images 1 & 2). Keep aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can marinate them overnight as well.
Step 3) Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying. Once the oil is hot, fry the soya chaap till crisp and golden from both sides (image 3). You can air-fry them as well. Transfer fried soya chunks to a bowl and set aside.
Step 4) To prepare gravy, blend fresh tomatoes, ginger, garlic, Kashmiri red chilies, and hot water to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Step 5) Heat oil in the same pan/kadhai. Add whole spices and saute for 40 – 50 seconds to release their aroma. Next, add onion, and fry till golden.
Step 6) Add tomato paste, turmeric, red chili powder, and coriander powder. Fry over low heat till oil separates from the masala.
Step 7) Add water to make gravy, kasuri methi, and garam masala. Allow the curry to simmer over low heat till the sauce thickens.
Step 8) Add fried soya chaap, mix, and simmer the curry once again covered for 5 minutes. This step ensures that chaap absorbs the flavor of the gravy.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, and serve!
