It is generally difficult for vegetarians to incorporate enough protein in their diet to meet their daily protein needs. Even though Indians have a regular intake of pulses and dals, there is still some catching up to do. This is where Soya chunks come in. Made from Soybean flour that is obtained during the process of extracting soy oil and then sun-dried, these chunks not only are a rich source of protein, but also of calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids.
Since the chunks are dry, they need to be boiled for a few seconds and then soaked in that water for 15 to 20 minutes while covered with a lid. Once the chunks are soft, you have to squeeze out the water from them and they are ready to use. One can even add salt while soaking these since they do not have any flavour of their own.
Soya chunks in themselves do not have any particular flavour and hence can be paired with anything and it will absolutely adopt and absorb the flavours. One of the many ways you can utilize this characteristic is by adding the chunks to stir-fries of various kinds, one of my favourite ones being Oriental Soya and Babycorn stir fry, which has a salty, garlicky taste and you can add any veggies to it that you want.
Stir-fries are always on top of anyone’s list, when it comes to healthy cooking, to monitor the amount of fat used. Chose MAYUR SOYA NUGGETS because of their decreasing nature of LDL (bad) cholesterol and baby corn to give the needed crunch without any amount of fat.
🔷 INGREDIENTS –
• 1/4 cup MAYUR SOYA CHUNKS (nuggets)
• 1/2 cup baby corn, cut diagonally and par-boiled
• 1 tsp oil
• 2 tsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)
• 1/4 cup spring onion whites, cut diagonally
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (Kumbh)
• 1/4 cup capsicum cubes
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup spring onion greens, cut diagonally
• 2 tbsp red chilli sauce
• a pinch of sugar
🔷 METHOD –
- Combine the soya chunks along with enough warm water in a deep bowl, and keep aside for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the water.
- Heat the olive oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the garlic and spring onion whites and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute.
- Add the mushrooms, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the soya chunks, baby corn, capsicum and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the spring onion greens, chilli sauce and sugar, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Serve immediately.