Soya burger

After discovering and succeeding with the soya kheema gravy, I cant think about different recipes using the soya chunks (I can't do just the kheema gravy with a whole pack of soya!!)..soya kurma, soya manchurian,soya nuggets..but these all sounded very common. why not burger?? I cudnt wait to try it once the idea stepped into my mind. But I doubted whether my husband would like the idea, because he is not a very huge fan of soya chunks. So when my husband went out of station, I couldn't wait to try it out. There were actually a couple of recipes for soya burger, so I am not the first one to try..but this one's my own version of the burger

Things you'll need:
soya chunks - 10-12
onion- 1 (medium size)
chilli powder - 1 tsp
green chillies - 2 no. or according to taste
garam masala - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste
coriander leaves - 5 or 6 stalks finely chopped
black pepper powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1 pinch
bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
Hamburger buns - 2

Yield - 2 burgers

Method:
Step1:
Boil 4 cups of water, add the soya chunks and leave them in the boiling water for few minutes. Drain the chunks and rinse them several times squeezing the water each time, until the raw smell form the chunks are gone.

Step2:
Coarsely grind the chunks with the chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, salt and black pepper powder. Mix the onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and bread crumbs with the ground mixture.

Step3:
Divide the mixture into two parts and shape each part  into a burger. Drizzle little oil in a pan and shallow fry the burgers until they are evenly browned on both sides.

Step4:
Place them between the burger buns, spread some mayonnaise or your favorite sauce, top it with some tomatio slices and lettuce. Take a bite!!

Note: The bread crumbs can be added or reduced according to the texture of the burgers. It should not be too dry or too sticky.

Soya kheema gravy

Soya is a protein-rich food which is also a good source of fiber and vitamins. Studies have found that consuming soya actually reduces the chances of coronary heart disease and chronic diseases. And other than food products soya is also used in producing candle wax..interesting isn't it? Even after having all these health benefits soya chunks has been an unwanted guest for my husband. He really hates the soya chunks added in the vegetable biriyani. But I love them since it gives a feeling of having a non-veg biriyani.. :)
I know I would get a 'please no' for an answer if I ask my husband to buy soya chunks. So one day when I got a chance to go alone into the Indian grocery store, I sneaked in some soya chunks. The next day I searched for some recipes with soya chunks, and I saw an interesting one in spiceindiaonline.com for soya kheema kurma. It was so impressive that i decided to try it right away. But instead of kurma i did a dry gravy version. I served it as a surprise side with dosa for dinner that night. My husband could not get what the ingredient was, and was taken aback when I revealed that it was his arch enemy 'the soya chunk'. It became one of his favorite recipes since then.

Things you'll need:
Soya chunks - 10-12
Onion - 1
Tomato -1 or Tomato puree - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves) - according to preference
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Step 1:
Bring 4 cups of water to boil and add the soya chunks to boiling water. Leave them for couple of minutes without reducing heat. When the soya hunks have doubled in size, switch off the stove and leave the chunks in water for another couple of minutes. Drain the water and rinse the chunks in cold water 5 to 6 times, squeezing water from the chunks after each rinse, until the raw smell of the chunks is gone. (If the raw smell stays on the soya would smell like mud which would ruin the flavor of the dish)

Step 2:
Pulse the chunks in a food processor of mixer grinder 3 to 4 times until the chunks are coarsely ground. The chunks have to look like ground meat (sorry vegans, you have to use your imagination here!!!)

Step3:
Heat up the oil in a pan, splutter the whole spices, saute the onion, ginger garlic paste and tomato/tomato puree. Add the soya chunks, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Cook until the masalas are cooked and a dry gravy is formed. You can add a little garam masala (optional) for garnishing couple of minutes before switching off the stove.

Even non-vegetarians can try this for a change since t is a protein-rich, low-fat  and nutritious alternative for meat kheema. This can be served as a side for rice, roti or even dosa. This can also be stuffed inside dosa to make kheema dosa