Instant Pot Soya Chunks pulao is a perfect one pot dish which is healthy, flavorful and high in protein and can be prepared under 30 minutes. Its good lunchbox option for both kids and adults.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, south indian
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword Instant pot, instant pot rice, instant rice recipes, one pot recipes, soya chunks
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Author Sowji'sKitchen
Equipment
Instant pot
Ingredients
2tbspGhee or oil
2tspCumin seeds
1OnionSliced
2Green chiliChopped
1CupSoya Chunks(soak 10 minutes in hot water and squeeze out water before adding to the recipe)
2CupsBasmati rice
Cilantro / coriander leavesFor garnish
4CupsWater
Spices
1tspTurmeric powderOptional
1 1/2tbspCoriander powder
1 1/2tspRed chili powder
2tspGaram 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 .