Soya Chunks-Vegetable Pulao
Over the past few months, I have increased the usage of soya based products in my cooking even though my family isn’t very fond of soya. Knowing the immense health benefits soya offers in terms of nutrients, dietary protein and fibre, especially for growing children, I always look for ways to incorporate it in my toddlers diet.
I learnt that to achieve the full potency of soya, its best to combine it with other foods and vegetables and it also ensures a complete balanced diet. While preparing the dough for rotis, I add a few tbsps of soya flour to the wheat flour and use soya chunks to prepare manchurian like chicken or vegetable manchurian.
Another way, I incorporate soya in the diet, is by preparing vegetable pulao using soya chunks, mixed vegetables and fried bread cubes. The first time I prepared this pulao, I was a bit weary about my toddler eating it, but to my relief, both father and son duo, asked for a second helping of this nutritious pulao. So Mama is happy to share this healthy rice dish with you today 
This is also my entry to FMR #6 - For The Love Of Rice hosted by Paz.
Soya Chunks Vegetable Pulao Recipe
Recipe source: Own experiment
Prep & Cooking: 45 mts, soaking of rice: 15 mts
Serves 6 persons
.
3 cups basmati rice – washed and soaked in water for 15 mts
1 cup dried soya chunks - washed and boiled in water till soft
2-3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp shah jeera
2 bay leaves
2 big onions finely sliced
1 tbsp grated ginger
3-4 green chillies slit length wise
1 cup chopped mixed vegetables like beans, green peas, carrots or potatoes
½ tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
3-4 tbsps of fresh mint leaves (pudina)
3 cups of freshly extracted coconut milk
2 ½ cups water
2-3 tbsps lemon juice
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
3-4 bread slices (cubed and lightly fried in ghee) - optional
8-10 cashewnuts (lightly roasted in ghee till golden brown)
For Masala Powder (lightly dry roast in a pan and grind to a fine pwd)
2 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2” cinnamom stick
3-4 pepper corns
1/4 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 dry red chillis
1 Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add shah jeera and bay leaves and stir for a few seconds till the jeera splutters. Add the sliced onions, grated ginger and green chillis. Saute the onions till they turn pink.
2 Add the mixed vegetables and on medium heat, let them cook. Add salt and keep covered for 4-5 mts.
3 Add turmeric pwd, masala pwd and combine well. Stir fry for a minute.
4 Add the cooked soya chunks and keep covered for 2 mts. Add the mint leaves and combine.
5 Add the coconut milk, let it come to a boil, reduce heat and add the water. Bring to a boil again.
6 Add the drained basmati rice and mix well. Add salt, if required, at this stage. Reduce heat to medium and let it cook covered with lid.
7 Finally, once the rice and vegetables are cooked, add the lemon juice, fried bread cubes, fried cashewnuts and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
8 Serve with raita, mixed vegetable curry or chicken curry.
Note:
The above spices measurements can be categorised as medium spice. You can increase the use of green chillis, cloves, pepper and dry red chillis, if you want a spicer pulao. I have used less spice to suit my toddler’s palate. If you dont have a coconut on hand, replace the coconut milk with water, but the flavor of pulao will differ.
By sailu • Jun 23rd, 2006 • Category: All Recipes, Rice recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Recipes
Very Tasty!!!
..:):)
Sailu, what a coincident, i have just post veg biriyani, and here i see a veg pulao…Yummy..
Yes, and its my entry for FMR - For the love of Rice too..:)
Sailu, the pulao sounds yummy. It is a wise idea to add soya flour to the wheat flour to make chapathis. I will do it. By the way, did you get my email?
Yes, RP, there is hardly any change in flavor too. I have replied to your email, RP.
Hi Sailu,
Nice photos. Thank you for the recipe.
Archana
Your welcome, Archana.
Looks Delicious Sailu ! I love rice too and this is just perfect for FMR - Rice. Cant wait to try this and chicken masala , but sadly dont have cashews and soy chunks in my pantry. So shall buy them this weekend and try it soon.
Ur pictures are so gorgeous and you have such mouthwatering recipes, SIMPLY IRRESISTABLE !!!!
Your too kind, Priya..:):). Do try out the recipes and let me know how they turned out.
Hi sailu,
wow yummy healthy pulao,I use soy chunks to make curry or add it to any other veggie never tried to mix with pulao will try this,thanks for sharing this dish.
Hope you like the dish, Tanuja..:)
Sailu,Pulav looks divine.Thanks for the recipe.
Your welcome, Shilpa.
Great pictures Sailu!! My mom always made this over the weekends!
Thank you, Arjuna. Dont you make this dish at home in US?
How delicious sounding, but best of all healthy. Thanks, Sailu, for sharing this with us!
Best,
Paz
Your welcome, Paz. Look forward to the FMR round up..:)
Beautiful pix. This is a health bomb!!!
Sure is, Pushpa..:):)
Hi Sailu,
Once again with a delicious dish, oh i am drooling all over. I must tell u that your family is lucky to have you coz you make such great dishes… hmmm yummy!
I try to cook healthy, Radha.
Great recipe, will this work with tofu?
Sure, why not, Ravi ?!
Have not made this in years
Would you mind if I ask you what kind of Camera r u using???
I use a Sony cybershot (digi cam), Santhi.
Your picture is forcing me to try this. My mother is a big fan of soya chunks. I have never made this in the US.
All the more you should try it ..:):):)
Hi Sailu,
The pulao looks great. I have never attempted to make pulao with Soy Chunks, always tried it in curries. My mom uses the nutrela granules (not chunks) in most of her everyday curries..and I continued that. Will try ur recipe soon :-)…and ya I just loveeeeeeeeeeeeee fried bread pieces in Pulao and Tomato soup
Priya, I use nutrela soya granules for curries as well..:)
What a coincidence, I have my Soya masala posted and here you have your soya pulao…may be i cd try this recipe too to make my anti-soya husband eat soya!
I am sure you can get him to eat it, Shynee..:). My husband and toddler enjoyed it (btw they are not fond of soya)
Hi Sailu,
i tried Soya Chunks vegetable pulao, must say it was great. even my husband liked it very much. Thanks a lot for the wonderful recipe.
Cheers,
Swati
Your most welcome, Swati. I am glad you and your hubby enjoyed it..:)
Sailu,
I love this recipe and have made it several times so I know all the pictures and recipe by heart. I thought I should mention to you that as your presentation is so great, others are envious. Go to Bawarchi.com and next to Veg Recipes you will see your picture. Great work but hate to see you work copied.
Praveena.
hey, I just saw the 1st pic in this post on food.sify.com…:)
Yes, I am aware of it. Its a shame that a reputed site like sify can resort to plagiarism. Thanks for informing me, Dev.
Sailu neat blog, I’ve become one major food blog-aholic over the past month or so. About your recipe, can I reduce the amount of coconut milk (trying to eat healthy, see) by half or even more? Will that really affect the taste? How about milk as a substitute?
Do let me know, as I want to try it this weekend. Oh I have a hanful of mint that will go bad soon so can I add the whole thing?
-Vee
Yes, Vee, coconut milk can be reduced by more than half and replace with milk. Add more milk and a few tbsps coconut milk. Regarding mint, “the whole thing” - how much do you mean by that? You can add 15-20 leaves. Hope this helps. Thanks for dropping by.:)
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[…] Soya Chunks-Vegetable Pulao from Sailu’s Indian Food Andhra Recipes Sailu makes a healthy rice recipe using soya chunks, mixed vegetables and fried bread cubes. It’s a meal that her husband and son ask for seconds! […]
[…] Soya Chunks-Vegetable Pulao fromSailu’s Indian Food Andhra RecipesSailu makes a healthy rice recipe using soya chunks,mixed vegetables and fried bread cubes.It’s a meal that her husband and son ask for seconds! […]
Hi,
We are vegetarians and I also try to use soy granules to the vegetables, snacks like upma or poha and even in paratha stuffing you can hardly see them if anybody is fed up of eating soy chunks. You never know when your family get bored of seeing soy chunks in every dish. But at the same time, I was wondering..how can you make soy granules from soy chunks at home? This time I went to the store and it was sold but I did get soy chunks.
If anybody knows please email me at raan67@yahoo.com. I would appreciate it.
Thanks!
Hi,
My husband likes soya chunks a lot.. & so I need to try its new recipe every time… I am happy, I found your recipe.. It looks absolutely mouth watering… I am planning to make it today to give him surprise.. I hope it comes out well too….. & he likes it
. Can you please share any other recipe of soya chunks, if possible. I would love to try it. Any ways, great job !!! Keep it up.
Thanks.
Hi sailu,
I have tried soya chunks pulav checking in ur site, it really came well and my husband and son loved it, me too. Can i try the same recipe with chicken or mutton without adding soya chunks?
Thanks
Yes, you can try with chicken/mutton too.
Hello Sailaja.
I tried out this recipe and it had come out great. Thanks for the wonderful recipe with soyachunks. My family likes it so much and had prepared it for a party last weekend and everyone liked it a lot. I vist your site almost daily now a days to check out your recipes. They are awesome and easy to prepare.
Hi Sailu,
I prepared the pulav with out soy chunks based on your ingredients measurements. I am able to make the pulav very well for the first time with great taste. Thanks for all those recipes.
I am lloking for one recipe which I could not able to find in any food blog, i.e the red tomato pickle which is served along with breakfast(with Idli, Dosa) in restaurants. If you know that recipe could you please give me ingredients for that recipe.
Hi Sailu,
Can i use Normal milk instead of coconut milk.
Yes, reduce the quantity of normal milk (as a substitute for coconut milk)
I was looking for a one pot meal for mbp - Got a really good one! I do not generally use coconut milk and croûtons, but will try it this time!
this used be one of my favs as a kid..thanks for the detailed recipe:)
Hi Sailu,
This is ramya. I love ur site. But i am sad to say that a site named cusine masti has this particular photo in their site. u can check this out at
cuisinemasti.com/page/6/ or cuisinemasti.com/2008/05/14/indian-cuisines/ghee-pulao-traditional-north-indian-style/
all the pics are copied and modified.
please do check.
bye
Ramya
http://ramyascusine.wordpress.com