Two weeks ago I picked up a bag of soya chunks from a shop somewhere on the West Rand.

I’ve never seen chunks this big and cooking with it excited me.

Today I decided to make a rich tomato chutney with my homemade masala and tomato sauce. To be honest, this curry is very strong. But you don’t have to add the amount of spice that I did if you don’t want to. The method that I used was also somewhat different to how I usually cook soya chunks. And that’s what I wanted to share with you.

I have posted a tab below for my crushed green masala recipe if you’re in the mood to make some of your own.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 tsp crushed garlic and ginger

handful of coriander for garnishing

1 piece of cinnamon

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp jeera seeds

1 tsp crushed chilies

1 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)

1 curry leaf stalk

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp jeera powder

4 cups soya chunks (soak in a bowl for 10 minutes, drain and set aside)

1 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tsp barbeque spice

1` tsp dry thyme (I used Robertsons)

1 onion diced

4 large tomato’s, grated/blitzed in a blender

2 potatoes, diced.

Method

1. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry onion, mustard, methi, jeera, and the curry leaf.

2. Add jeera, garam masala and chili spice to the pot and give it all a stir for like about a minute.

3. Your heat must be on medium-high when you add the ginger and garlic.

4. The onions should be nice and soft at this point. Add tomatoes and let the mixture simmer well, until all the water has burnt out.

5. Add 2 cups of water and then your potatoes.

6. In a separate pan, add thyme and barbeque to 1 tbsp of oil and when it sizzles, drop in your soya mince. With a metal spoon, toss it well until it browns a little bit.

7. Add soya mince to your pot. You will notice that the curry will become thick. Add water to make it the right consistency for you but always allow the curry to simmer and develop it’s own flavour. This step usually takes about 20 minutes.

8. Season well with salt and garnish with coriander.

9. Serve on a bed of rice or with rotli.