Soya Tamatari | Soya Beans in rich Tomato Gravy

I came up with that name all by myself! :-P This is 100% my recipe! Well, nothing extra-ordinary. The usual. But the fact that I didn't look into a recipe this time makes this dish special! :-) I didn't even ask my mom's opinion. And we loved it! Whether you will like it or not, I cannot guarantee. But I will tell you this - if you love the tangy tomato twist and want to know for sure that you are adding considerable amounts of protein (soya) to your diet, then do not miss the recipe! I also used Almonds & Cashews to give it a rich royal flavor! (I was even gonna use Ghee/Clarified Butter but freaked out at the last minute)

Ingredient	Amount	Detail
Soyabeans	1 cup	soaked overnight
Tomatoes	5 (medium)	chopped roughly
Capsicum / Bell Pepper	1 (medium)	cut finely
Onions	2 medium	Cut finely
Mint Leaves / Pudina	5-6 tablespoons	Chopped roughly
Garlic Cloves	2-3	Lightly crushed
Green Chili	5-6	Roughly chopped
Fennel Seeds / Saunf	2 teaspoons	-
Flax seeds	2 teaspoons	Optional
Cashew Nuts	3-4	Broken roughly
Almonds	5-6	Blanched (boiled & peeled)
Cardamom Powder	1 teaspoon	-
Salt	3 tablespoons or as per taste	In total. Read on for details
Turmeric Powder / Haldi	1 teaspoon	-
Red Chili Powder	1 teaspoon	Adjust accordingly
Coriander Seeds/Dhania powder	1 teaspoon	Optional
Garam Masala	1 teaspoon	Skip if you want less spicy
Oil	3 tablespoons	More, if you want a greasy curry

Method -

Boiling Soybeans

Soak the Soybeans overnight. They double up in size. 

Drain the water. Add more water to cover the beans & add 1 TBSP SALT

Steam / Boil / Pressure cook until the Soybeans get soft. It took me about 8-10 whistles in my pressure cooker

Making the Gravy

Heat 1 TBSP oil & add the Garlic cloves & sauté for 1/2 minute

Add green chilis & then all the nuts & whole spices (Cashews, Almonds, Fennel, Flaxseed, Cardamom) and sauté until you get a garlic-y smell & the nuts start getting golden.

Add onions & fry till they are golden. Then add tomatoes.

Add salt & cook until the onion-tomatoes mix reduces in size.

Let it cool a bit. Add it to a blender

Add the mint leaves. I love the smell of mint. Skip if you want. 

Blend it to a semi-smooth paste &; keep aside.

the green chilies & mint add a whole new flavor to the gravy

Cooking the Gravy

Heat 2 TBSP of oil in the same pan/wok. Add the remaining half of onions & sauté until light golden

Add capsicum , tomatoes

Add the powdered spices (Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Dhania/Coriander Seeds powder, Garama Masala) & mix

Add the gravy paste from the blender to the pan. (It doesn't look too red because I added a bunch of Mint leaves. You can skip the mint if you want.)

Add some of the Soy-Water. & let it cook until the raw smell of nuts & fennel goes away. It takes about 5 minutes (stir every now and then) for it to be completely cooked. (Watch out for oil leaving the sides of the gravy. That's your cue to know its done)

Final Step: Adding the Soybeans

Add the soybeans & mix well. 

Eat it like that as a dry curry.

OR

Add the remaining water from the Soybeans to the pan (only enough to cover the soybeans on the pan). Or if you don't have, add plain water.

Add boiled potato cubes, if you want.

Let it boil (stir occasionally) for around 4-5 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves & serve with roti, rice etc!

Enjoy! :-)

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