Soya Keema Recipe

overhead shot of soya keema in a white bowl.

5 from 7 votes

Soya Keema is a vegetarian dish made with soya granules, mimicking the texture and taste of minced meat. Popular in North Indian cuisine, my Soya Keema recipe is made with a gravy or curried masala base of onions, tomatoes, curd, green peas, spices and herbs. Best served with bread, dinner rolls, roti or paratha.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mughlai, North Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

Preparing Soya Granules

½ cup or (40 grams) soy granules - can use soy chunks instead, refer to point 3 in Notes section below.
2 cups water
1 pinch salt

Making Gravy

3 tablespoons oil or ghee
1 inch cinnamon
2 green cardamoms - lightly crushed
2 cloves - lightly crushed
5 to 6 black peppercorns - crushed lightly
1 tej patta - small to medium-sized
½ cup onions - finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste - crush ½ inch ginger and 3 to 4 small to medium garlic cloves in mortar
½ cup tomatoes - chopped, tightly packed
1 teaspoon green chillies - finely chopped
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder or ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon garam masala
3 tablespoons curd (yogurt) - whisked till smooth
½ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons mint leaves - chopped
salt as required
1 cup water or add as needed
2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves - chopped

For Garnish

1 teaspoon ginger - julienned
few mint sprigs or chopped coriander leaves - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing Soya Granules

Take 2 cups water and the soya granules in a pan.
Heat for 3 to 4 minutes on medium to medium-high heat until water becomes hot or comes to a boil.
Strain in a colander or strainer and rinse with fresh water.
Squeeze the extra water from the soya mince with your palms or by pressing with a spoon. Set the hydrated soya granules aside.
An alternative method is boil water first. Add the soya granules and turn off heat. Cover pan with lid and set aside the soya granules to soak in the hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain the water, rinse and squeeze or press the soya granules to release excess water.
Whisk the curd in a bowl and set aside.

Making Soya Keema

Heat oil. Reduce flame to a low and add the spices - cinnamon, tej patta and green cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns (crushed lightly).
Let these spices crackle.
Add finely chopped onions and sauté until golden on low to medium-low heat.
Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds or until the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic dissipates.
Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies and sauté until the tomatoes soften. If the tomatoes start sticking to the pan, add some splashes of water.
Stir and mix to deglaze the pan. Continue to cook until the tomatoes become mushy.
Next add the ground spices - turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder.
Sauté on low heat for a minute. You will see that the masala mixture becomes glossy and forms into one mass.
Turn off the heat. Now you can place the pan on the countertop.
Add whisked curd and quickly begin to mix it briskly so that it does not separate or split.
Mix very well.
Place the pan on a low heat and sauté the curd masala mixture stirring often for 2 to 3 minutes or until the fat separates.
Add the hydrated soya granules, green peas, mint leaves and salt. Mix well and add water. Stir to combine evenly.
Cover pan and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes on medium-low heat until peas are tender and softened.
For a dry or semi-dry consistency, add 1 cup water and simmer on low to medium-low heat.
Check when the green peas are cooking and if water dries up, add water as needed.
Garnish with ginger julienne, coriander leaves or mint leaves.
Serve with lightly toasted bread, dinner rolls, roti, naan or rice.

Notes

Since curd (yogurt) is one of the important gravy ingredients, ensure to use fresh curd that is not too sour. The same goes with tomatoes. Include the ones which are ripe, red, fresh and not very tangy.
The soya granules must be fresh and not stale or rancid.
You could also use chunks if that is what you have on hand. After rinsing, soaking in hot water or cooking them, process or crush in a mixer or food processor to get a coarse granular mince like texture.
Note that 1 cup water of creates a gravy consistency which tastes delicious. For a dry to semi-dry version add ½ to ⅔ cup water.
Adjust the ground spice powders by adding less or more of them according to your taste preferences.
To make the keema more healthy, you could add veggies like cauliflower, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, green beans etc.
Earthy mushrooms can also be included in the dish for a nice umami flavor and taste.
Always whisk or beat the curd before adding to the sautéed masala ingredients. Additionally turn off the heat and place pan on the countertop. This lowers the temperature slightly resulting in the curd not splitting or separating. Moreover as soon as you add the curd, you have to mix it quickly, so that you get an even homogenous mixture.
Use full-fat curd or homemade curd made from whole milk. Low fat and toned curd may separate and split.

Nutrition