TANDOORI SOYA RECIPE. SOYA CHUNKS TANDOORI RECIPE

TANDOORI SOYA RECIPE.
The menu for today is Tandoori Soya, presented by a very special Guest  of mine,  Sobha Shyam from USA. She is  a special lady with  great culinary skills, blogging on   healthy and versatile recipes, that can satisfy the palate and pleases the eyes. do visit Sobha at:  http://sobha-goodfood.blogspot.com/

About me:


I am Sobha Shyam. I am from India, now residing in US. I am a Software Engineer by profession, but I have taken a break from work currently. Now I am enjoying as a full time mom to my 2.5 year old son.I started my blog Good Food with the intention of sharing my culinary experiments and recipes.
I always try to focus on making healthy dishes. I love to spend time with my family, travelling, reading and cooking.
I am very happy to share the recipe of Tandoori Soya with you all. This makes a great party appetizer or serve as a side dish.
Regards, 
Sobha


Introduction
Soya chunks is a Soy product which is said to be Textured Soy protein and is usually used as a meat equivalent by the Vegetarians.
It is high in protein and said to have almost the same protein content as in meat.


Tandoori is a dish which is usually cooked in a tandoor. Tandoor is a clay oven where the wood or charcoal is burnt to cook the food, thus exposing the food to open fire.
This is very similar to the barbeque method. Usually meat is marinated for long hours and cooked inside the tandoor. Tandoori chicken, Chicken Tikka are very popular recipes.


Since we don't have a Tandoor at home, I made this in our conventional oven. I have prepared using Soya chunks here, but followed the same method for preparing Tandoori Chicken.
It's a healthy recipe and hope you all will love it.

Ingredients:
1 cup Soya chunks (I have used Nutrela brand)
1/2 of a large onion, diced
1/2 of a bell pepper, diced


For Marination:
4 tbsp Yoghurt
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tsp Lime juice
Salt

Procedure:
How to cook Soya chunks :Boil about 3 cups of water in a vessel and add the soya chunks to the water. Let it boil for about 5-10 minutes.
Soya chunks will be doubled in size by now. Remove the vessel from stove, close it with a lid and let it remain so for 10-15
minutes. Then drain the water, allow the chunks to cool. Once cooled, gently squeeze out the water and keep aside.


In a bowl, beat the yogurt well. Add all other ingredients listed under For Marination and mix them well to form a smooth paste.
Add this paste to the soya chunks and mix so that the chunks get coated well. This should be kept in refrigerator for a minimum of 4-5 hours.
I kept it overnight and made the tandoori next day. Longer the marination time, better the taste will be.


I have used about 6 bamboo skewers. If you are using them, soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, else they might burn in the oven.


Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and spray some oil. On each skewer, slide in carefully the soya chunk, onion and bell pepper alternately.
Place it on the baking tray.Once all the skewers are filled and kept on the tray, spray some oil on them.


Bake for 10-12 minutes on one side. Slowly turn the skewers to the other side. Bake for about 10 minutes again. Keep an eye on the oven as all ovens vary.


Sprinkle some chaat masala or lime juice if you desire. Enjoy the Tandoori Soya !!

Notes:
* I have used Nutrela brand Soya chunks here which is available in all Indian grocery stores.
* You can vary the quantity of the spices used for marination as per your taste.
Thank you Ms. Wan for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I am very glad that we met in the blogosphere.
I am so happy and excited to do a guest post at your space and this is my first guest post :)