Soya Chaap Butter Masala is a vegetarian butter chicken – a truly restaurant style soya chaap makhani recipe.
- The Signature Butter Masala Gravy
- What is Soya Chaap?
- Ingredients Required For Gravy
- How To Make Soya Chaap Makhani
- Serving Suggestion
- More Indian Curry Recipes
- Soya Chaap Butter Masala Recipe
The Signature Butter Masala Gravy
The process of making soya chaap butter masala might look long but is the simplest one. It is a three steps process. First step, is to marinate and grill the soya chaap tikka. The second step is to make the butter masala gravy. The third step is to combine both and do the finishing touch.
For this butter masala recipe, you can use my pre-made, signature makhani masala or the no onion, no garlic Jain style butter masala gravy .
My cookbook has a vegan soya chaap tikka masala recipe that you can easily cook in an instant pot .
What is Soya Chaap?
Soya Chaap is mock meat or vegan meat made with soya beans. The soya meat is wrapped around wooden sticks to give a vegetarian leg-piece-like appearance. Hence, the name soya chaap.
Soya Chaap is readily available in the dairy section of supermarkets, grocery stores, and frozen or canned food sections.
It has a perfect meaty texture to compliment the rich and creamy Indian vegetarian curries such as Punjabi Soya Chaap Masala .
Ingredients Required For Gravy
- Soya Chaap: I use fresh or canned soya sticks for this curry recipe.
- Curry Base: Onion, Tomato, Garlic, Ginger
- Creaminess: Cashew, White Poppy Seeds, Fresh Cream
- Tomato Ketchup: It gives a delectable sweet taste to the butter masala gravy. You can use tomato sauce or tomato paste instead of ketchup.
- Spices: Kashmiri Red Chilies, Red Chili Powder, Salt, Kasuri Methi, and Garam Masala
- Cooking Oil: You can use butter, ghee, or refined oil for cooking the masala.
- Other Ingredients: Salt, Water
How To Make Soya Chaap Makhani
This Soya Chaap Butter Masala Recipe is a two-step process.
- Marinate and Fry the Soya Meat
- Prepare the Gravy
- Assemble the Curry
Marinate and Fry the Soya Meat
- Remove wooden sticks from the soya meat and cut the chaap into bite-size round or oval pieces.
- Marinate chaap with salt, ginger-garlic paste, curd, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Mix to coat each piece with the marinade masala ( images 1 & 2 ). Keep aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can marinate them overnight as well.
- Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying. Once the oil is hot, fry the soya chaap till crisp and golden from both sides ( image 3 ). You can air-fry them as well. Transfer fried soya chunks to a bowl and set aside.
Prepare the Gravy
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom kadhai or wok over medium flame. Add dried red chili, poppy seeds, onion, ginger, garlic, and cashews. Fry the masala till the onion turn light brown ( image 1 ).
- Add chopped tomato and season with salt. Cook the tomatoes until they are mushy and the oil separates from the masala.
- Once tomato masala is ready, add water and stir to mix. Simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Transfer the tomato masala to a blender. Grind to a smooth paste ( images 2 & 3 ).
- Transfer the butter masala gravy to the pan after blending. For a silky smooth texture, pass it through a sieve ( image 4 ).
Final Simmer and Season
- Turn on the heat. Once the gravy starts simmering, add red chilli powder, tomato ketchup, garam masala , fresh cream, and kasuri methi. Stir to combine. Allow the butter masala gravy to simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to preference.
- Add the fried soya chaap meat to the butter masala gravy. Combine. Cover the pan with a lid, and simmer the curry over low heat for another 5 minutes.
- Garnish soya chaap butter masala with fresh cream and fresh coriander.
Serving Suggestion
This is a truly restaurant-style curry that tastes perfect with whole wheat naan , paratha, roomali roti, lachha paratha, or jeera rice .
Store the leftover soya chaap butter masala in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days. While reheating, add ¼ cup of milk to get a curry-like creamy consistency.
More Indian Curry Recipes
- Dum Aloo
- Potato Curry
- Chana Saag
- Paneer Curry
- Cauliflower Curry
- Mushroom Masala
- Spinach Egg Curry
Ingredients
Ingredients for marinade
- ▢ 4 soya chaap sticks
- ▢ 2 tablespoon curd
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste ( see recipe )
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Ingredients for Butter Masala Gravy
- ▢ ¼ Cup refined oil
- ▢ ¼ Cup cashews (kaju)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds (khus-khus)
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped onion
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- ▢ 1 Cup chopped tomato
- ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- ▢ 1 ¼ Cup water
- ▢ ¼ Cup fresh cream
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Garam Masala ( see recipe )
- ▢ 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
Soya Chaap Tikka
- To make soya chaap tikka masala first marinade the soya chaap.
- Gently remove soya chaap from the sticks. You can easily slide them using a fork. Cut the chaap into bite-size round or oval pieces.
- Combine soya chaap and the remaining marinade ingredients in a bowl. Combine to coat each piece with the marinade. Keep in the refrigerator overnight or for 30 minutes atleast.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan for shallow frying. Once the oil is hot, fry the soya chaap till crisp and golden from both sides. Transfer fried soya chunks to a bowl and set aside. You can grill them on a BBQ, tandoor, oven, or air fryer.
Butter Masala Gravy
- To prepare the butter masala gravy, heat the remaining oil in a heavy bottom kadhai or wok over medium flame. Add dried red chili, poppy seeds, onion, ginger, garlic, and cashews. Fry the masala till the onion turn light brown.
- Add chopped tomato and season with salt. Cook the tomatoes until they are mushy and the oil separates from the masala.
- Once tomato masala is ready, add ¼ cup of water and stir to mix. Simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Transfer the tomato masala to a blender. Grind to a smooth paste.
Final Touch
- Transfer the butter masala gravy to the pan after blending. For a silky smooth texture, pass it through a sieve.
- Turn on the heat. Add 1 cup of water. Stor to combine. Once the gravy starts simmering, add red chili powder, tomato ketchup, garam masala , fresh cream, and kasuri methi. Stir to combine. Allow the butter masala gravy to simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to preference.
- Add the fried soya chaap meat to the butter masala gravy. Combine. Cover the pan with a lid, and simmer the curry over low heat for another 5 minutes.
- Garnish soya chaap butter masala with coriander leaves and fresh cream.
- Serve Soya Chaap Butter Masala with naan or lachha paratha.
Recipe Notes:
- I use fresh or canned soya chaap for making this curry. Do not use dried or dehydrated soya meat.
- You can grill soya chaap tikka in the oven or the grill mode of the microwave.
- If there is no time to marinade the soya meat, then at least try to marinade it till the time you prepare the gravy.
- For cooking, you can use ghee, butter, or flavorless refined oil.
Nutrition
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Soya Chaap Butter Masala Recipe
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
Ingredients for marinade
- 4 soya chaap sticks
- 2 tablespoon curd
- 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste ( see recipe )
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Ingredients for Butter Masala Gravy
- ¼ Cup refined oil
- ¼ Cup cashews (kaju)
- 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds (khus-khus)
- ½ Cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 Cup chopped tomato
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 ¼ Cup water
- ¼ Cup fresh cream
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala ( see recipe )
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
Soya Chaap Tikka
- To make soya chaap tikka masala first marinade the soya chaap.
- Gently remove soya chaap from the sticks. You can easily slide them using a fork. Cut the chaap into bite-size round or oval pieces.
- Combine soya chaap and the remaining marinade ingredients in a bowl. Combine to coat each piece with the marinade. Keep in the refrigerator overnight or for 30 minutes atleast.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan for shallow frying. Once the oil is hot, fry the soya chaap till crisp and golden from both sides. Transfer fried soya chunks to a bowl and set aside. You can grill them on a BBQ, tandoor, oven, or air fryer.
Butter Masala Gravy
- To prepare the butter masala gravy, heat the remaining oil in a heavy bottom kadhai or wok over medium flame. Add dried red chili, poppy seeds, onion, ginger, garlic, and cashews. Fry the masala till the onion turn light brown.
- Add chopped tomato and season with salt. Cook the tomatoes until they are mushy and the oil separates from the masala.
- Once tomato masala is ready, add ¼ cup of water and stir to mix. Simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Transfer the tomato masala to a blender. Grind to a smooth paste.
Final Touch
- Transfer the butter masala gravy to the pan after blending. For a silky smooth texture, pass it through a sieve.
- Turn on the heat. Add 1 cup of water. Stor to combine. Once the gravy starts simmering, add red chili powder, tomato ketchup, garam masala , fresh cream, and kasuri methi. Stir to combine. Allow the butter masala gravy to simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to preference.
- Add the fried soya chaap meat to the butter masala gravy. Combine. Cover the pan with a lid, and simmer the curry over low heat for another 5 minutes.
- Garnish soya chaap butter masala with coriander leaves and fresh cream.
- Serve Soya Chaap Butter Masala with naan or lachha paratha.
Notes
- I use fresh or canned soya chaap for making this curry. Do not use dried or dehydrated soya meat.
- You can grill soya chaap tikka in the oven or the grill mode of the microwave.
- If there is no time to marinade the soya meat, then at least try to marinade it till the time you prepare the gravy.
- For cooking, you can use ghee, butter, or flavorless refined oil.
Nutrition
This is a failproof whole wheat naan recipe made without yeast on the stovetop (cast iron griddle). Be sure to watch the video!
- Origin Of Naan
- Naan Without Yeast
- Ingredients Required
- Naan Toppings
- Ways To Cook Naan
- Serving Suggestion
- FAQs Related To Naan Recipe
- Watch Naan Video
- More Indian Bread Recipes
- Whole Wheat Naan Without Yeast Recipe
Origin Of Naan
Naan made its way into Indian cuisine during the Mughal era. The trade of yeast was an important landmark in the origins of naan as it was an important ingredient in making it.
The bread’s soft and mild buttery taste provided the perfect complement to the indulgent Mughlai dishes.
Whether rich and creamy butter chicken or light and hearty dal makhani, naan is one bread that humbly compliments all. Today, it is one of the most widely popular flatbreads across the World.
Naan Without Yeast
Naan is usually made with all-purpose flour (maida) using yeast as a fermenting agent.
USP Of This Naan Recipe – is that the dough is fermented without using any yeast. Secondly, instead of tandoor or oven, I have cooked naan on a tawa (cast iron pan) directly over the gas stove flame. Third, it is a whole wheat naan.
Traditionally, the Indian bread is baked in a clay oven aka tandoor .
My naan recipe shows you how to make restaurant-style naan on a stovetop tawa (cast iron griddle) at home.
The stovetop version gives more control over the texture and cooking time of the naan.
Naan Ingredients
Ingredients Required
- Wheat Flour – I am using whole wheat flour, but you can use all-purpose flour or bread flour to make this naan without yeast.
- Curd – for binding the dough, I am using slightly sour curd. You can use yogurt as well.
- Ghee – you can use butter or any other fat
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, White Sugar
Naan Toppings
There are a variety of toppings one can use to make naan all the more delicious:
- Finely chopped garlic, also known as garlic naan
- Finely chopped fresh mint and coriander
- A mix of nigella seeds, chopped garlic, and mint
- A mix of grated cheese and chopped garlic, also known as cheese naan
Ways To Cook Naan
There are a variety of ways to cook naan bread. Once the bread is shaped, you can:
- bake it in the oven at 200-degree Celcius for 5 – 6 minutes like pita bread.
- cook it on a cast-iron skillet /cast iron pan or Indian roti tawa like I did in this naan recipe video.
- cook it on a stovetop (gas stove) tandoor available in many parts of Northern India.
- bake it in a traditional outdoor tandoor .
Serving Suggestion
Naan perfectly complements spicy curry or creamy dal.
Here are a few of my favourite Indian main-course dishes to serve with naan without yeast:
- Dal Makhani
- Keema Matar
- Butter Chicken
- Paneer Kofta
- Paneer Butter Masala
The key to making a soft naan is the dough. From mixing the ingredients and kneading to fermenting, every step in the process contributes to the soft texture of the naan. Especially, a good sticky dough will always give you fluffy naans. A perfect soft naan dough should never be dry or non-sticky.
Naan and roti are both flatbreads widely popular in the Indian subcontinent. The roti or chapati has a perfectly round shape and is prepared with whole wheat flour without any yeast on a stovetop. Whereas naan is a baked bread prepared with all-purpose flour. No toppings are added to the roti. But the naan is often topped with chopped garlic, mint, nigella seeds, or fresh coriander for the flavor. In India, roti is mainly consumed with everyday meal whereas naan is more of an indulgent affair.
Can you make naan in advance and freeze them? Yes, you can. Prepare the naan dough, shape each naan, and then place a piece of parchment paper of the same size between each naan and make a stack. Seal the stack in a freezer-friendly zip lock bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible from the zip lock bag and freeze for 2 – 3 months .
The best way to use leftover naan is to make Naan Pizza . We, as a family, love Cheesy Naan Pizza to the core. Add toppings of your choice, sprinkle grated cheese, bake for 3 – 5 minutes, and a delicious dinner is sorted.
Watch Naan Video
More Indian Bread Recipes
- Green Peas Stuffed Paratha
- Cheese Egg Paratha
- Paneer Paratha
- Methi Paratha
- Dal Paratha
- Spinach Puri
- Gobi Paratha
- Onion Kulcha
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 Cup whole wheat flour (atta)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ ⅓ Cup sour curd or yogurt, at room temperature
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- ▢ 2-4 tablespoon lukewarm water
Ingredients for topping
- ▢ 2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- ▢ 2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves
- ▢ 1 teaspoon nigella seeds ( kalonji)
Instructions
Prepare Dough:
- Combine flour along with baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix nicely. Make a dent in the centre. Pour curd, and ghee in that dent. Mix well and let it rest for 1 – 2 minutes
- Using one tablespoon lukewarm water at a time form a soft and sticky dough. Knead well for 10 minutes. Naan dough is never dry. It has to be a bit sticky and moist.
Proofing:
- Grease a bowl with a teaspoon of ghee or oil. Transfer the dough into the ball. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or cling foil. Keep in a warm, draught-free place (I prefer inside the oven/ microwave/instant pot) for 1 – 2 hours.
Prepare Naan:
- Combine topping ingredients in a bowl and keep near the gas stove. Keep one bowl of clean water next to it.
- Heat flat cast iron pan/griddle over medium heat. Divide the dough into equal golf ball-sized rounds.
- Gently flatten the dough ball with the pressure of your palm. Next, dip your fingers in water and gently try to shape the naan. Alternatively, you can dust the rolling surface with flour and roll out naan into an oval-shaped bread of ¼ inch thickness.
- Again, using wet fingers stick a teaspoon of chopped toppings over the naan
- Place the naan on a hot griddle. Cook over medium heat. After a few seconds, naan will puff up and has charred, uneven marks on top
- Now turn the griddle upside down and cook the other side of bread on direct flame till it becomes light golden in color.
- If you are not comfortable flipping the pan, simply put the naan on direct flame-like Chapatis and cook until it gets charred marks on top or cook it covered in the cast iron pan itself.
- Apply some ghee/butter just before serving. Serve Naan warm with any curry of your choice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
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