Veg Soya Keema Matar

I am not much of a lover of veg food. Never was. If it’s not meat then it has to be fish. Well...fish is staple in any Bengali household..right???  Or else it has to be a potato curry. This is the routine I maintained till I got married. And after one month of our marriage the whole scenario changed and I faced a do or die situation. The egg curry that our first cook in Abidjan, served us that day was horrible. It was literally bitter and had a very strong raw garlic flavour. It was evident that she was cooking Indian food for the first time. This type of experience went for a few days and I gave up my hope of having an experienced cook. Because what I saw that people here train their cooks according to their style. So when you appoint a new cook she will cook according to their previous employee and you have to train them again. This situation arises mainly because they do not come with an Indian taste. They just follow the rules of frying and simmering. If it works...it works...and if it doesn’t then you are screwed!! So you have to give that time to your cook so that she can understand your taste and preferences. And with time she will be accustomed with them too!!

But sorry...I did not have that much patience. If I needed something I can’t wait that long. I need that then and there. Not a good trait I know. So I dismissed my cook and took the charge. Hopefully they did not turn out that bad. And you know what chickens are the best option if you are not a skilled cook. Just be careful not to overcook it...and everything will be just fine!! So initially I cooked only non-veg. Bevause with veg I could not even cook a good “aloo-posto”.  So you can understand why it too me so long to make a good soya keema matar..whereas it was really frequent in my mom’s kitchen.  Ma used to make such good soya bean curries. I miss them a lot. Her tangy soya bean curry and her soya keema matar with lots of green chillies. But before I prepare myself to eat them again...because the time has come...here is the recipe that I got from her!! Enjoy!!

Temper the oil with whole spices.

Then add chopped onion and cook till reddish. Then add ginger - garlic paste and cook till the raw flavour is gone.

Next add the chopped tomatoes.

Add the chopped chillies.

Cook the tomatoes till the oil separates. 

Add the spices and cook for a little to ward off the raw spice smell.

Once the gravy is prepared add the cooked soya keema and 1/4 th cup of water to them and cook for 5 minutes.

Then add the green peas and cook till the peas are cooked.

Finally add the garam masala powder and cook till all the water evaporates.

Veg Soya Keema Masala

Serves 3

Ingredients:

1 and ½ cup of soya keema / minced keema

1 onion – finely chopped

1 tomato – chopped

A handful of green peas

2-3 green chillies – chopped

4-5 garlic cloves – minced / paste

½ inch stick of ginger – minced / paste

A handful of fresh coriander leaves – finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 bay leaf

5-7 black pepper corns

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

½ tsp coriander seeds

Salt

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Soak the minced soya in some water for 2 hours. After that, wash the soya keema well and drain the water. Place the soya keema in a pressure cooker and add 3 cups of water and a sprinkle of salt. Pressure cook it for 2-3 whistles and then put off the flame. Once done let the pressure release from the cooker naturally and then drain the water. Keep the cooked soya keema in a separate bowl.

In a kadai heat oil and add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaf and black peppercorns. As the whole spices start to sizzle add the chopped onions to them.

Sauté and cook the onions till the onions are a little reddish and translucent.

Then add the ginger – garlic paste to them and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the raw garlic flavour is gone.

Next add the chopped tomatoes and chopped green chillies. Sprinkle some salt over them and cook till the tomatoes are all cooked and the oil strats to separate.

Add a little water to the cooked curry and add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.

Mix and cook till the raw flavour of the spices are gone.

Once the gravy is done, add the cooked soya keema and 1/4 th cup of water. Give a good stir and cook covered for 5 minutes.

Then add the green peas and cook till the peas are cooked and soft from inside.

Finally add the garam masala powder and mix everything properly.

Simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until the gravy is dry.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of them and put off the flame.

Serve hot with roti / chapatti / steamed hot rice and dal.