Vegetarian Keema Matar- Soya Keema

Vegetarian Keema Matar is an influential dish made with soya granules, green peas delicately cooked in thick gravy consisting of onions, sweetness from tomatoes, flavoured with fresh herbs like mint, coriander leaves and aromatic spices. It is a wonderful tempting dish that can cater to all the vegetarians and a brilliant alternative to the very popular Hyderabadi non-vegetarian dish namely Keema matar.

Soya keema is a simple Indian style curry, flavourful, little nuggets of textured vegetable protein – Soya cooked to perfection with simple and readily available ingredients;  is said to be a great option of eating healthy food and an excellent replacement for meat-based proteins. The Vegetarian Keema matar or Soya keema can be eaten with any type of Indian flatbreads like paratha, roti, chapatti, phulkas or rice too.

Keema/ Kheema Keema is traditionally made of minced mutton or lamb and is a very popular Mughlai dish. This dish is also considered to be one of the wholesome and scrumptious breakfast dishes in Hyderabad. Most of the Hyderabadi non-vegetarian eaters love eating keema-roti for the breakfast.  Soya keema is also one unique dish; the vegetarian version of Keema matar, offering the same taste, flavour and texture.

It is also quick to cook with a high protein content equal to that of the meat and contains no fat. Soya Granules  Soya Chunks or Textured vegetable protein (TVP) is a meat analogue or nutritious meat extender made from defatted soy flour, a by-product of extracting soybean oil. It is said that the soya chunks were introduced into the Indian market some 15-20 years back.

The soya chunks though initially has apprehension on cooking but now has become a well-known healthy option which is chunky having a meaty texture and goes excellently well with simple vegetarian curries. Soya granules are a much healthier alternative to eating ground meat or at least partially substitute it with TVP (textured vegetable protein). 

TVP is also known as soy granules and is available by various brand names in the market such as Meal maker and Nutrela etc. Actually any kind of meat cooked on high heat produces HCA (heterocyclic amines), a kind of dangerous chemical that could generate vicious toxins in your body. Mixing TVP with such meats reduces the release of this chemical to a large extent.

You could also use soya granules to make burgers which your kids would not make out the different at all. Soybean protein is a complete balanced protein and provides all essential amino acids for human nutrition. It is essentially identical to that of other legume pulses and is one of the least expensive sources of dietary protein which makes it an important food to many vegetarians and vegans.

Soya is a very important ingredient that should be included in any time of your meal. You can add to various gravies, sambar or rice preparations. Some of my classic and mouth-watering dishes made from Soya chunks are: Soya Mushroom Curry Fried Soya Tofu Cheese Sticks Soya Beans Pakoda Soya Chunks Vegetable Pulao Soya Nuggets Ka Salan Soya Potato Chops

How to make Vegetarian Keema Matar – Soya Keeema Ingredients:

Soya granules                      -           75 gms

Coriander,chopped            -           1 bunch

Coriander powder                -           1 tsp

Cumin powder                      -           1 tsp

Garam masala powder        -           1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste              -           1 tbsp

Green chillies, chopped     -           3 nos

Green Peas                           -           100 gms

Mint, chopped                       -           1 bunch

Onions, chopped                 -           3 nos

Red chilli powder                 -           1 tbsp

Salt                                         -           to taste

Tomatoes, chopped             -           3 nos

Turmeric powder                  -           ¼ tsp

Directions:

Take soya granules and soak in hot water till it puffs up and drain the water and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and when it becomes hot, add chopped onions, salt and sauté till the onions turn golden in colour. Add turmeric pd, finely chopped coriander and mint leaves and cook well till they become crispy.

Add ginger garlic paste, chopped green chillies pd, green peas, red chilli pd, cumin pd, coriander pd, garam masala powder, chopped tomatoes and water. Cook it for 3 to 5 minutes. Add soya granules and cook for another 5 minutes in slow flame. Do not dry up all the moisture or else the granules will become quite dry. Serve hot with roti, chapatti or rice.

Tip: The key to get a tasty and flavourful soya keema is to keep it moistened. Adding the right amount of water is important, if it’s too much then the granules will become soggy and lend a chewy taste to the keema. Keeping in view on the healthy options and strong recommendations, we also need to open our minds and welcome this dish.

I guess it is one of the easiest and faster to make dish with soya granules and a very healthy and economical meat substitute to try. Do discover, innovate new flavours to get wonderful taste and play with spices to keep the taste high and enjoy cooking and eating. Go ahead and view the making of Soya Keema at:

https://www.vahrehvah.com/vegetarian-keema-matar-soya-keema