Soya Chunks Fried Rice / Meal Maker Recipes

Meal maker Fried Rice

Ingredients

Soya Chunks – 20 nos ( I used tiny varieties around 1 cup )

Basmati rice cooked – 2 cups

Carrot small chopped finely – 1 no

Beans finely chopped – 4 nos

Spring onion – 5 stalks ( both green and whites chopped )

White pepper powder and Salt to taste

Ajinomoto – ¼ pinch

Oil – 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp

Ingredients to marinade soya chunks

Red chili powder – ½ tsp

Ginger and garlic paste – ½ tsp

Soy sauce – ½ tsp

Salt – less than ¼ tsp

Corn flour – 1 tsp

Water – 1 tsp ( optional)

Soya Chunks Fried Rice

Method

  1. Boil soya chunks in salted water, drain and squeeze excess water from soya chunks.

  2. In a bowl add the ingredients given under soya chunks marinade and mix to smooth paste. Add the cooked soya chunks to this paste and mix gently. Set aside for 5 mins.

  3. Boil basmati rice in salted water until its cooked and grains are firm. Spread the cooked rice on a large plate and allow it to cool.

  4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the marinated soya chunks and stir fry until they are slightly crisp. Remove the fried soya chunks to a plate.

  5. In the same pan heat 2 tbsp oil, add the chopped carrot, beans, spring onion whites and fried soya chunks, stir fry on high heat for a minute. Add the cooked rice to the pan, season with ajinomoto, required salt and white pepper, stir fry again for 2 minutes.

  6. Finally garnish with spring onion greens and mix well.

  7. Serve hot soya chunks fried rice with sidedish of your choice.

Meal Maker Recipes

Vegetable Hari Biryani / Vegetarian Green Biryani

Vegetable Hari Biryani

Ingredients
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Onion chopped - 2 nos
Tomato chopped - 2 nos
Mixed vegetable chopped - 1 cup
Soya chunks - 15 nos ( optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts - 10 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tsp
Water - 3 cups

Hari masala paste ingredients
Green chilli - 4 to 5 nos
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Mint leaves chopped - 1/2 bunch
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 bunch
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
Cloves - 3 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos

Green Biryani

Method
1. Grind the Hari masala ingredients to smooth paste.
2. Soak the soya chunks in boiling water for 5 mins, drain from water and squeeze the excess water.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan, add the cashew nuts and fry until brown, drain the cashew nuts and set aside.
4. In the same oil add cumin seeds and when the crackle add chopped onions and sauté for few seconds until onion becomes soft.
5. Add the chopped mixed vegetables to the pan and sauté for few more mins.
6. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook until tomatoes are soft.
7. Next add the ground Hari masala paste to the pan and sauté on medium heat for 2 mins.
8. Now add water, required salt, turmeric powder and soya chunks to the pan and bring the gravy to boil, when the liquid starts boiling add the basmati rice and stir well.
9. Cover and cook the biryani until 1/4th liquid is absorbed by the rice.
10. Again gently stir well, cover the pan with tight lid and cook biryani on low heat for 8 to 10 mins until rice is tender and cooked.
11. Serve hot biryani with raita or curry of your choice.

Hari Biryani

Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice Recipe

Ingredients
Rice cooked - 2 cups
Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomato chopped - 2 nos
Mixed peas, carrot and sweet corn - 1/2 cup
Jalapeños chopped - 1 or 2 nos
Vegetarian or Chicken seasoning - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro( coriander leaves) - few tbsp
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Mexican Rice Recipe

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan , add chopped onion, jalapeños, peas and corns, sauté for a minute.
2. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook till soft.
3. Add chicken seasoning and salt to the pan, sprinkle few tbsp water to the pan. Sauté until light gravy is formed.
4. Add cooked rice to pan and stir well so that rice is coated with tomato mixture.
5. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve as side to quesadilla, enchilada or stuff in burritos.

Mexican Rice

Kootanchoru Recipe / Kalavai Sadam / Healthy One Pot Meal

Kootanchoru Sadam

This is a popular Tamilnadu recipe, kootanchoru means combining rice, country vegetables, lentils and dried beans together and cooked in one pot. Now days we use pressure cooker to make things easier. You can use any kind of country vegetables, any kind of dried beans you prefer.

Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Mixed country vegetables chopped - 1 cup( like brinjal, drumstick, broad beans etc)
Dried beans - 1 cup( like mochai kottai, konda kadalai, pattani etc)
Small Onion chopped - 10 nos
Country tomato chopped - 1 no
Tamarind extract
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 bunch
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup ( grind to smooth paste) ( optional)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafetida - few pinch
Oil - 4 tbsp

Kootanchoru Recipe

Method
1. Soak the dried beans overnight, boil in water adding pinch of cooking soda for 7 minutes or until beans are tender, drain cooked beans and set aside.
2. Wash dal and rice together, pressure cook for 12 mins with 3 cups water until rice and dal are cooked. Once dal and rice is cooked mash it with a ladle.
3. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and asafetida, when mustard splutters add chopped onion and curry leaves, sauté until onions are soft.
4. Add the chopped vegetables to the kadai and sauté for a minute.
5. Now add the chopped tomato to the kadai and cook until soft.
6. Now add the tamarind extract, 1/2 cup water, red chilli powder, sambar powder, turmeric powder and required salt to kadai, bring to boil and simmer on low heat for 5 mins until vegetables are cooked.
7. When the vegetables are cooked and some gravy remains in kadai, add the ground coconut paste and mashed dal & rice mixture to the kadai and stir well until everything is combined well.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Applam.

Kalavai Sadam

Paneer Biryani

Paneer Biryani Recipe

Ingredients
Basmati rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
Paneer / Indian cottage cheese - 300 gms
Onion sliced - 2 nos
Green chilli slit - 2 nos
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Mint leaves chopped - 1 cup
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds / Shahi jeera - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2" piece
Cashew nuts - 10 pieces
Water - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Paneer Biryani

Method
1. Chop the paneer into cubes and soak it in hot water for 10 mins.
2. Wash the basmati rice and soak it in 2 cups water.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add cashew nuts and fry until golden brown, drain nuts from oil and set aside.
4. To the same oil add cumin seeds and cinnamon stick, let the cumin splutter.
5. Add the sliced onions and green chillies to the pan, sauté until onions are soft.
6. Add the ginger & garlic paste to the pan and sauté until raw smell leaves.
7. Now add the chopped mint leaves, sauté for a minute and add chopped tomatoes to the pan, cook until tomatoes are soft.
8. Next add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to the pan, sauté for
few seconds.
9. Add the soaked and drained paneer pieces to the pan and stir well until the masalas are coated on
the paneer.
10. Add the basmati rice along with the water in which it was soaked to the pan, bring to boil.
11. Once water starts boiling, gently stir well the rice and cook for few minutes until 3/4th of
the water is absorbed by the rice.
12. Cover the pan with lid, simmer and cook biryani for 10 mins on low heat.
13. Finally garnish paneer biryani with chopped coriander leaves, fried cashew nuts and 1 tsp
ghee.

Tofu Biryani

Tofu Biryani

Ingredients
Basmati rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
Tofu / Soy Paneer - 300 gms
Soya Chunks cooked - 10 to 15 nos( optional)
Green Peas - 1/4 cup( optional)
Onion sliced - 2 nos
Green chilli slit - 2 nos
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Mint leaves chopped - 1 cup
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds / Shahi jeera - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2" piece
Cashew nuts - 10 pieces
Water - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Vegetarian Protein Biryani

Method
1. Chop the tofu into cubes, deep fry in hot oil until golden brown, drain and set aside.
2. Wash the basmati rice and soak it in 2 cups water.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add cashew nuts and fry until golden brown, drain nuts from oil and set aside.
4. To the same oil add cumin seeds and cinnamon stick, let the cumin splutter.
5. Add the sliced onions and green chillies to the pan, sauté until onions are soft.
6. Add the ginger & garlic paste to the pan and sauté until raw smell leaves.
7. Now add the chopped mint leaves, sauté for a minute and add chopped tomatoes to the pan, cook until tomatoes are soft.
8. Next add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to the pan, sauté for few seconds.
9. Add the deep fried tofu pieces to the pan and stir well until the masalas are coated on the tofu.
10. Add the basmati rice along with the water in which it was soaked to the pan, bring to boil.
11. Once water starts boiling, gently stir well the rice and cook for few minutes until 3/4th of the water is absorbed by the rice.
12. Cover the pan with lid, simmer and cook biryani for 10 mins on low heat.
13. Finally garnish paneer biryani with chopped coriander leaves, fried cashew nuts and 1 tsp ghee

Soya Paneer Biryani

Biryani Raita / Vengaya Pachadi / Onion Raita

Biryani Raita

Ingredients

Minced onion – 2 nos

Tomato chopped ( seed and pulp removed) – 1 no

Thick curd / yoghurt – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves chopped – 1 tbsp

Onion and Tomato Raita

Method

1.     In a bowl combine all the ingredients, mix well and serve.

Curd Rice / Thayir Sadam

Curd Rice

Ingredients

Curd / Yoghurt – 1 cup

Cooked rice – 1 cup

Warm Milk – 1 cup

Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos

Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no

Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Asafetida / hing – pinch

Salt to taste

Thayir Sadam

Method

1.     Sprinkle salt to the rice and mash rice with potato masher or dal masher.

2.     Add curd to the mashed rice and mix well, add warm milk little by little to the rice and mix well until required creamy consistency is reached.

3.     Heat 1 tsp oil in a tadka pan or small pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing. Fry for few minutes and add this tempering to the curd rice. Mix well everything and serve.

Soya Chunks Pulao/ Meal maker Pulao

Learn how to make Soya Chunks Pulao in easy method

Soya Chunks Pulao

Ingredients

Basmati rice- 2 cups

Soya chunks/ Meal maker nuggets- 20 to 30 nos

Onion medium thinly sliced- 2 nos

Tomato small chopped- 2 nos

Green chilly broken- 5 nos( +/- to taste)

Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves- 1/4 bunch

Mint leaves- 1 bunch

Garam Masala powder- 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Ghee/ Butter- 2 tbsp

For tempering

Cinnamon- 1" stick

Cloves- 4 nos

Cardamom- 4 nos

Bay leaf- 2 nos

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Oil- 4 tbsp.

Meal maker pulao

Method

Wash and soak basmati rice in 4 cups water for few minutes.

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan, add drained rice and fry rice in ghee on low heat until slightly browned, turn off heat and set aside.

Soak Soya chunks in hot water for 5 mins or until Soya chunks are soft, squeeze excess water from soya chunks and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan when hot add tempering whole spices, fry until aroma rises. Add sliced onion, broken green chillis and fry until slightly browned.

 Now add ginger and garlic paste and fry until raw smell leaves. Next add chopped mint and corinader leaves( reserve some to garnish), Soya chunks and chopped tomatoes. Saute for few seconds and add garam Masala powder. 

Pour 4 cups of water in which basmati rice was soaked to the pan, stir well and bring to boil. When water starts boiling add required salt and ghee fried basmati rice. 

Stir well on medium heat until 1/4th of the water is absorbed by rice. Now cover pan with tight lid and cook pulao on low heat for 10 mins or until rice is cooked and tender. 

Finally garnish with rest of mint and coriander leaves and serve hot Soya chunks pulao with your favorite mushroom korma or paneer tikka masala or mushroom masala.

Soya Chunks Pulav

Serve Soya Chunks Pulao with
Mushroom Korma
Paneer Tikka Masala
Mushroom Curry

Sakkarai Pongal/ Chakkara Pongal/ Sweet Pongal/ Pongal Recipes

Sakkarai Pongal

Ingredients

Raw rice-1 1/2cups

Moong dal-1/2cup

Jaggery-200gms

Cashew nuts-25gms

Green Cardamom-4 nos

Nutmeg/ Jathikkai powder-pinch

Ghee/Clarified butter-100gms

Sweet Pongal

Method

Pressure cook both dal and rice together. Dilute the jaggery in 1/2cup water and bring to boil, allow the jaggery to boil on high heat for 5 mins. Cool and strain the jaggery water and set aside. Mash well the pressure cooked rice and dal mixture, add the jaggery water to the mashed rice and mix well. In a small tadka pan heat ghee, add the nutmeg powder, cardamom and cashewnuts. When the cashewnuts turn golden brown add the cashewnuts to the prepared rice along with the ghee. Once again mix well and serve hot.

Pongal Recipes

Brinji Rice recipe with Kurma

This is an Hotel style Brinji Kurma recipe.

Brinji Rice with Kurma

Ingredients

Basmati rice- 2 cups

Onion medium sliced- 1 no

Tomato medium chopped- 1 no

Green chilli broken- 3 nos

Ginger and garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts- 20 nos

Salt to taste

Oil- 2 tbsp

Water- 2 cups

Whole spices for tempering

Cinnamon stick- 1" piece

Cloves- 4 nos

Green cardamom- 4 nos

Bay leaf- 2 nos

Star anise/ Annachi poo- 1 no

Mace/ Jathipathri- 1 nos

Marathi moggu/ Kapok buds- 2 nos

Brinji

Method

Wash and soak basmati rice in 2 cups water. Heat oil in a pan when hot fry the cashew nuts until golden brown, drain the fried cashew nuts and set aside. In the same oil add whole spices and fry till aroma rises. Add the onions and green chilli to the pan and saute for few seconds. Now add the ginger and garlic paste and saute for few secs. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan, do not over cook the tomatoes as they will turn color of the rice, let the tomatoes be chunky. Now add the soaked basmati rice along with the water to the pan, season rice with required salt and stir well on high heat. When the rice starts absorbing the water, cover pan with tight lid and reduce the heat. Cook the rice on low heat for 10 mins or until the rice is soft and tender. Garnish Brinji rice with fried cashew nuts and its traditional to serve along with Vegetable Kurma.

Click here for Hotel Vegetable Kurma recipe

Tips and notes.

Brinji rice can also be made with jeera samba rice or with ordinary raw rice. 

Its optional to add tomato to brinji.

If preferred bread croutons( deep fried bread cubes) can be added to brinji rice.

Its optional to add coconut milk to the rice it doesn't make a big difference, if doing so replace 1 cup water with 1 cup thick coconut milk.

Brinji Kurma

Mushroom Cashew Pulao/ Kumbh Kaju Pulav

Mushroom Cashewnuts Pulao

Ingredients

Basmati rice cooked- 2 cups

Button mushrooms- 1 small box or 200 gms

Cashew nuts- 1/4 cup or 20 nos

Green chilly broken- 2 nos

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Butter- 3 tbsp

Coriander leaves to garnish

Dry roast and grind to powder

Black Cardamom- 1 no

Cloves- 4 nos

Cinnamon stick- 1"

Black pepper corns- 1 tsp

Kumbh Kaju Pulav

Method

Clean the button mushrooms, quarter, wash and pat dry. Heat butter in a large pan, when butter starts to melt add the cashew nuts and fry on low heat until cashew nuts are browned. Remove the fried cashew nuts on to a plate, in the same butter add cumin seeds, broken green chilly and ground gram masala powder, fry for few seconds on low heat. Increase heat and add button mushroom to the pan and toss for few seconds. Add the rice, fried cashew nuts and required salt to the mushrooms. Gently mix everything well and garnish the mushroom and cashew nuts pulao with coriander leaves. Serve hot with curry of your choice.

Mushroom Cashew Pilaf

Kuska Biryani/ Plain Biryani( Restaurant/ Hotel style)

There are two methods of preparing Kuska rice, first method is home style by cooking rice in coconut milk and another method is restaurant style.

In this post let's see how to prepare Kuska Biryani in restaurant style.

In hotels and restaurants normally biryani are prepared as usual with meat( mostly chicken). When you order for Kuska biryani/ Plain biryani they serve the biryani rice without any meat in it. You can attain the same restaurant quality taste by cooking the rice with chicken stock or prepare it 100% vegetarian by adding few pinch of MSG( ajinomoto).

Kuska Biryani

Ingredients

India gate classic basmati rice- 4 cups

Onion large thinly sliced- 2 nos

Tomato large chopped- 2 nos

Green chilli broken- 4 nos

Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tbsp

Thick curd/ yogurt- 2 tbsp

Mint leaves chopped- 1 bunch

Coriander leaves chopped- 1/4 bunch

Red chilli powder- 1 and 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Tiger brand biryani essence( optional)- 1/4 tsp

Water or Sawson Chicken broth- 4 cups

MSG/ Ajinomoto( optional)- few pinch.

Bay leaf- 2 nos

Cloves- 4 nos

Green cardamom- 4 nos

Cinnamon stick- 1" piece

Oil- 4 tbsp

*Note- if you are using chicken broth instead of water do not use MSG and also reduce the quantity of salt. If using water instead of broth you can use the MSG if required.

Plain Biryani

Method

Soak basmati rice in water for 10 minutes.

Hear oil in a pan, when oil is hot add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf, saute until the aroma of whole spice rise. Add the chopped onion and green chiili to the pan and fry until onion turns brown. Add ginger and garlic paste to frying onions and saute until raw smell of paste leaves. Now add the chopped tomatoes, mint leaves, coriander leaves, thick curd, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ajinomoto( optional) and required salt. Saute everything for few minutes. Add water to the pan and bring the mixture to boil.

Add the soaked and drained basmati rice to the boiling gravy and stir well.

Cover pan with lid and cook the rice until soft and tender.

Garnish the Kuska biryani with mint leaves and serve hot with Chicken chalna or vegetarian chalna of your choice.

Restaurant- Hotel style Kuska Biryani/ Plain Biryani

Kovil Puliyodharai/ Tamarind Rice Temple Style.

Kovil Puliyodharai

Ingredients

Cooked rice( Ponni par boiled variety) - 2 cups

Tamarind extract- 1/4 cup or Tamarind paste- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Curry leaves- few

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Split gram dal/ Channa dal- 1 tsp

Split black gram/ Urad dal- 1 tsp

Whole red chilly- 4 nos

Gingelly oil- 3 tbsp

Dry roast and grind below ingredients to fine powder

Whole red chilli- 4 to 5 nos

Coriander seeds- 3 tbsp

Iyengar Puliyodharai

Method

Grind red chilly and coriander seeds to fine powder. Allow the cooked rice to cool, add tamarind paste, turmeric powder and salt to rice. Mix with fingers until tamarind paste is well mixed with rice. Heat gingelly oil in a kadai when hot add mustard seeds, when mustard crackles add urad dal, Channa dal and curry leaves. When dals are browned add rice and ground powder. Reduce heat and mix the rice well until everything is mixed well. 

( Normally kovil puliotharai will be bland and should me fully made with gingelly oil. Its optional to increase the heat and tanginess. If required Puliyodharai can be garnished with fried cashew nuts and roasted peanuts).

Tamarind Rice

Vegetable Pulao Recipe

Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients

Basmati rice or short grain rice cooked- 2 cups

Carrot medium diced- 1 no

Green beans chopped- 6 nos

Green peas- 1/2 cup

Green chilli minced- 1 no

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Cloves- 2 nos

Cardamom- 2 nos

Cinnamon- 1/2"

Butter- 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Vegetable Pulav

Method

Par boil the vegetables, drain well and set aside. Heat butter in a pan, when butter starts to melt add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and cumin seeds. Fry for few seconds, reduce the heat to medium and add the par boiled vegetables along with minced green chilli to the pan and sauté for few secs. Add the cooked rice and sprinkle required salt. Toss well the rice and vegetable until well mixed. Serve hot vegetable Pulao with gravy of your choice.

Vegetable Pilaf

Coconut Rice/ Thengai Sadam

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

Cooked Rice- 3 cups

Fresh Coconut( shredded)- 1/2 cup

Green chilli( finely chopped)- 3 nos

Curry leaves- few

Cashew nuts- 20 nos

Chana dal- 1 tbsp

Urad dal- 1 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

South Indian Coconut Rice

Method

Fry the cashew nuts in oil, until golden brown on medium heat and set aside.

Heat oil in pan when hot add the mustard seeds.

When the mustard seeds crackle add the chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn brown.

Reduce the heat to medium and now add the chopped green chilli, shredded coconut, fried cashew nuts, curry leaves and cooked rice to the pan.

Season the rice and coconut mixture with enough salt, stir well and increase the heat.

Stir the rice for 2 more mins and remove pan from heat.

Serve hot Coconut Rice with papad.

Thengai Sadam

This Coconut rice is a idle Lunch box recipe.

Ellu Sadam/ Sesame Rice.

How to make South Indian Ellu Sadam Recipe.

Ellu Sadam

Ingredients

Cooked rice- 2 cups

Salt to taste

To make Ellu Podi/ Ellu Powder

( roast and grind below ingredients to coarse powder)

Ellu/ Black sesame seeds/ Black Til- 1 tbsp

Black peppercorns- 1 tsp

Whole dry red chilli- 2 nos

Roasted peanuts- 1 tbsp

For tempering

Gingely oil- 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Urad dal- 1 tsp

Channa dal- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- few

Whole dry red chilli- 2 nos

Sesame rice

Method

Heat gingely oil in a pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds and allow to crackle. 

Add the channa dal, urad dal and whole dry red chilli, fry until golden brown. 

Add curry leaves and ground powder, fry for few seconds on low heat. 

Now add the cooked rice to the frying powder and season with salt. 

Mix well so that rice is well blended with Ellu powder. 

Serve hot with Appalam or Vadam.