Instant pot Soya Chunks Pulao | Meal maker pulao with detailed photo and video recipe – Soya Chunks pulao or Meal maker pulao recipe is a perfect one pot dish which is healthy, flavorful and high in protein and can be prepared in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Stove Top just under 30 minutes. Soya pulao is a good lunchbox option for both kids and adults.
It is one of the protein enriched easy pulao that one can make. It can be served without any side dish, however a simple onion raita or a mint raita also goes well with this.
Soya chunks Pulao can be made in a pressure cooker or in a instant pot, however you are comfortable. This can be made quickly anytime either for lunch or dinner and also goes well in office lunch box or school box.
What are soya chunks?
Soy chunks or meal maker or textured vegetable protein (TVP) is a processed soy product. They look like meat but are 100% vegetarian. You can use TVP to achieve that “meaty” texture you’ve been craving for and to help keep you on your plant-based diet.
What are they made up of?
It is a by-product of extracting soybean oil. Once the oil has been extracted, the remaining defatted soy flour is cooked under pressure, extruded into various shapes and sizes (you may see it as crumbles, flakes, chunks or strips) then dehydrated. It has a protein content which is equal to that of meat. It is quick and also easy to cook.
How do they taste?
When cooked, it resembles a meat-like texture and they are soft, juicy, and chewy. Since they don’t have any flavor of their own, they absorb other flavors easily.
Are they great plant-based meat alternatives?
Yes, soya chunks are both vegan, gluten-free, and great meat alternatives. Soy chunks are known for their various health benefits like their high protein content that exceeds eggs, meat, and milk! Soya nuggets are also a good source of vitamins especially vitamin D.
What rice to make Soya chunks pulao :
However, no matter what method you choose, always use good quality Basmati rice when making pulao or biryani.
For Stove top : Follow the same instructions below but use a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles and remove from heat. ( or adjust the number of whistles depending upon how many whistles you usually count for rice ).
In Instant pot : Cook for 12 mins in rice option.
Usually Soya chunks are very hard but when soaked in hot water, they fluff up and become soft.
If you don’t have to soak soya chunks, we can use directly also , but cook on low heat .
Boil soya chunks in water for 5 mins and then add rice. So that soya chunks cook perfectly.
I have made different types of rice recipes in my blog like Instantpot soya chunks biryani, Veg dum biryani, Mushroom dum biryani, Paneer biryani
Making this flavorful rice pot dish is very easy. It uses basic pantry staples or ingredients that can easily be found.
- Soya Chunks – I prefer the Nutrela Soya chunks that are available at all leading grocery stores. You can also get the mini chunks.
- Rice – Whenever I am making pulao, biryani, or fried rice, I prefer using Basmati rice is light, has a fluffy consistency, with the grains remaining separate rather than clumped together. Soaking them 30 minutes prior to cooking helps remove any starches from the surface of the grains which tend to make the cooked rice stickier. Also, Basmati is gluten-free and low in fat.
- Veggies – I have used onions and tomatoes. However, you can add or omit any veggies you want.
- Spices – Cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, or green chilies.
- Ground spices – Red chili powder, garam masala, and coriander powder.
- Indian herbs – Cilantro/coriander for the aromatic finish.
Instant pot Soya chunks pulao video recipe :
Recipe Card :
Instant pot Soya Chunks Pulao
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Ghee or oil
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 2 Green chili Chopped
- 1 Cup Soya Chunks (soak 10 minutes in hot water and squeeze out water before adding to the recipe)
- 2 Cups Basmati rice
- Cilantro / coriander leaves For garnish
- 4 Cups Water
Spices
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder Optional
- 1 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
- 2 tsp Garam masala
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot.
- Add ghee/oil, when hot add cumin seeds – fry well.
- Add onions and green chilies, fry till onions turn slightly golden. Sauté till the onions turn translucent.
- Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2-3 mins.
- Add tomatoes and turmeric powder, fry for 3 minutes or until mushy.
- Add all the spices (coriander powder, red chili powder and garam masala) and mix well
- Add soya chunks and rice along with water and mix.
- Turn off sauté mode. Put the lid and vent to sealing position. Set the pot to RICE OPTION and set timer to 12 minutes on low temperature. After Pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR). (Wait until silver button on lid drops).BE CAREFUL OF THE HOT STEAM. Do natural release or quick release after 2 minutes in warm mode.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves
- Serve hot with raita or or even Mirchi ka salan.
Notes
- In order to make vegetarian or vegan rice recipes, use good quality aged Basmati rice. Look for cloth packaging, labeled with “extra-long grain,” for that high-quality grain action.
- Soak them 30 minutes prior to cooking for the best results. You can use regular rice as well but the taste will differ slightly.
- We can also use whole spices for more flavor.
- If you are not following a vegan diet, cook this recipe in ghee instead of cooking oil. Feel free to add more veggies like carrots, green peas, beans, mushrooms, etc, or skip some if you don’t have. But do add onions and tomatoes.
- Add little turmeric and salt in the water before adding the soy chunks. It gives it flavor and color. You can also use vegetable stock instead of water.
- Squeeze out as much water you can from the soya chunks using your palm. Soya meat doesn’t require too much to cook. But if not cooked properly, it can cause indigestion and smell bad as they are rich in protein.
- You can also cut them in halves if they become very big after cooking.
- You can also add some mint leaves as a garnish for that extra zingy flavor. You can follow the same recipe and make Paneer Pulao. Simply swap soya nuggets with paneer.
- This recipe can also be made entirely in the Pressure cooker .
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How to make Soya chunks pulao in instant pot with step by step :
1.Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot.
2.Add ghee/oil, when hot add cumin seeds – fry well.
3.Add onions and green chilies, fry till onions turn slightly golden. Sauté till the onions turn translucent.
4.Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2-3 mins.
5.Add tomatoes and turmeric powder, fry for 3 minutes or until mushy.
6.Add all the spices (coriander powder, red chili powder and garam masala) mentioned above and mix well
7.Add soya chunks and rice along with water and mix. Turn off sauté mode.
8.Put the lid and vent to sealing position
9.Set the pot to RICE OPTION and set timer to 12 minutes on low temperature. After Pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR). (Wait until silver button on lid drops).BE CAREFUL OF THE HOT STEAM.
10.Do natural release or quick release after 2 minutes in warm mode.
11.Garnish it with coriander leaves
12.Serve hot with raita or or even Mirchi ka salan.
Hi, I don’t see the amount of tomatoes listed in the ingredients list?