How to make tandoori soya chaap 

Learn to make tandoori soya chaap recipe with step by step images and a video for better understanding. A Street style recipe hugely popular in young crowds which is rich in protein and taste. Make this chaap recipe at home easily with the same street style touch and flavours. The term 'Chaap dish" typically refers to a type of Indian cuisine, mainly popular in North India.Chaap dishes feature marinated and grilled or fried pieces of Lamb meat served with a flavourful sauce. The ribs part of lamb or mutton are called as Chaap in this region. The term Chaap can refer to various ingredients such as soya chaap, made from soya bean or mushroom chaap made from mushroom.

Tandoori soya chaap is a dish that combines the rich flavours of spices and herbs with the wholesome goodness of soya protein. This is a pure vegetarian delight that not only appeals the meat lovers but also those seeking a protein-packed alternative. You can surely imagine sinking your teeth into a succulent, juicy marinated soya chaap which is infused with richness of aromatic spices. If you are looking for such a yummy tandoori soya chaap recipe, you have come to the right place. Here I am sharing a mouth watering recipe that will surely fulfill all your needs.

Before we jumped into the recipe here there are some facts which might be very helpful to know for the recipe.

The magic of this recipe begins with the marination process, where the chaap is coated and marinated in a blend of yogurt, tandoori masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and herbs like ginger, garlic and green chilli. This mixture not only imparts the smoky taste and flavours but also tenderizes the chaap. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth experience. Tandoori chaap can be enjoyed as an appetizer, or as a side dish of your meal, This Soya Chaap never fails to impress your near and dear ones.. So I think you should bring your loved ones and treat them with this culinary masterpiece that celebrates the union of flavors, textures, and the joy of savoring every bite. If  you love to make more recipes with tandoori masala then here is one article which gives you a list of 15 most incredible recipes with tandoori masala.

What is tandoori soya chaap?

This is a popular vegetarian dish of Street Indian cuisines, made by marinating soya chaap with a blend of spices, yogurt and herbs known as tandoori masala.These marinated chaap are then threaded and cooked in a clay oven tandoor or on a grill. The result is a flavourful and protein rich dish with a smoky flavours and charred exterior. These soya chaap are served tossing with chat masala, lemon juice, cream and butter. Or with green chutney, onion slices and lemon wedges.

Chaap dish meaning

The term 'Chaap dish" typically refers to a type of Indian cuisine, mainly popular in North India.Chaap dishes feature marinated and grilled or fried pieces of Lamb meat served with a flavourful sauce. The ribs part of lamb or mutton are called as Chaap in this region. The term Chaap can refer to various ingredients such as soya chaap, made from soya bean or mushroom chaap made from mushroom.

What is Soya chaap made of?

Soya chaap is a protein rich meat substitute made from textured vegetable protein (TVP). It is mainly derived from soyabean. Soya chaap is shaped in cylindrical sticks or tubes resembling meat like shewers. Soya chaap often comes as frozen at shops and stores.

Benefits of soya chaap 

Soya chaap offer several potential health benefits. Here are few from many of them

• High protein content : Soya chaap are rich in vegetable protein, making it a excellent option for vegetarian and vegan.
• Low in saturated fat : Soya chaap typically contains low level of saturated fat which is better for a good heart health.
• Rich in fiber
• Good source of vitamins and minerals
• Cholesterol free : Soya chaap are naturally cholesterol free making it good for heart.

Ingredients required for the recipe

To make delicious soya chaap at home you need the following list of ingredients

• Soya chaap sticks
• Marinade ingredients : Hung curd, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, green chilli paste, ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, kasoori methi, lemon juice, salt,red chilli paste,and oil.
• For cooking and garnishing : cooking oil, butter or mustard oil. Chopped coriander leaves for garnish and onion ring and lemon wedges for seving.
• Shewers : wooden sticks or iron shewers.

How to serve tandoori soya chaap?

They are often served coated with a secret sauce made by mixing cream, butter, chat masala and lemon juice. This is a popular serving method in street style tandoori chaap. I love to serve the chaap hot, garnished with fresh coriander leaves and lemon wedges. The zesty lemon juice adds a burst of freshness to the smoky chaap.Tandoori soya chaap pairs wonderfully with green chutney, sliced onions, and Indian bread like naan or tandoori roti. You can also serve it with a side of biryani or pulao for a complete meal.

Time require to make the recipe

The total time require to make the recipe is under 30 minutes which includes the preparation time of 20 minutes and cooking time of 10 minutes. Here I have excluded the second marination period which may vary from 2-3 hours or overnight.

                         Video

Tandoori Soya chaap recipe video

Steps to make tandoori soya chaap

1. Boiling the Chaap

Heat adequate amount of water in a pot over medium heat flame fire, when the water become hot enough add the soya chaap sticks into the water and boil them for 8 - 10 minutes. This will not only help to remove any excess flavor but also soften the chaap.Soften chaap can absorb the marinade flavor quickly. While cooking directy over gas flame, the boiled chaap get cooked faster. 

Drain and let the chaap to get cool. After that remove all the sticks from them one by one and cut into one inch tikka size shape.

2. First marination

Take all the tikka size chaap in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 tablespoon green chilli paste, 1/3 tablespoon ginger garlic paste and salt as per your taste. Pour some cooking oil or mustard oil around two tablespoon and mix everything nicely. Let the chaap aside for 7 -8 minutes to absorb the flavour. You can skip this step but it can enhance and bring more taste and flavor in your dish.

 I always prefer this first step to marinate any dishes like tandoori chicken , tandoori Prawns, Chicken malai tikka and many more.

3. Preparing the marinade

To prepare the marinade, take hung curd or Greek yogurt in a mixing bowl then add 1/2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 1/3 tablespoon green chilli paste, salt as per taste, 1/3 tablespoon turmeric powder, 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder, 1/2 tablespoon red chilli powder, 1/4 tablespoon coriander powder, some carom seeds, some dry kasoori methi leaves, 2 tablespoon mustard oil or other cooking oil and 1 tablespoon kashmiri red chilli paste. Now give a good mix  with a whisk. Check the seasoning of the marinade and if required add more salt and chilli. 

Here kashmiri red chilli paste is used to give the chaap the distinct red colour appearance. Red chilli powder would not give the same required red colour appearance. Adding chilli paste is optional and if possible try to add it for a restaurant style touch and flavours. If you want to make a restaurant style marinade then sure to read this tandoori masala paste article for better understanding.

4. Second marination

In this step mix the first marinated chaap with the above prepared marinade nicely so that all parts of the chaap are evenly coated from all sides. Cover and let them to marinate for about 2 - 3 hours or overnight to absorb all the flavours.

5. Cooking the chaap

Generally these chaap are cooked in a charcoal oval shape tandoor. But you can cook them in other ways also. Like in an oven, air fryer, on a pan or over direct gas flame. As we already have boiled them so we don't need to cook them longer. Just need to cook the marinade and make our chaap little bit crisp and charred.

For cooking them you can either use wooden sticks or iron shewers. If using wooden sticks then don't forget to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. This will help the sticks not to get burnt whole cooking.

When the marination period is over bring the chaap and start to thread in the sticks or shewers one by one. 

Preheat the oven to 220-240 degree Celsius for 15 minutes and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.  Now place the shewers on the baking tray and place it inside the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

If cooking in a charcoal tandoor then place the shewers inside a preheated tandoor and cook for 7-8 minutes or until golden.

Brush some butter or cooking oil while cooking them, this will help the chaap not to get dry.

Similarly place the shewers over direct gas flame and cook all the marinade become dry and the chaap are become crisp and charred.

6. Serving the chaap

There are two popular ways to serve the chaap on a serving plate. First one very common in street stalls is by coating the cooked chaap with a cream butter sauce and second one is the regular way most tikka or tandoori items are served. So it depends upon you to choose any one of the serving method.

In first method a sauce is prepared by mixing fresh cream, butter, chat masala, lemon juice and chilli powder in a bowl. Then the cooked chaap are mixed and coated with the sauce and served topping with some chopped coriander leaves.

In second method the chaap are served like paneer tikka, chicken tikka are served with green chutney, onion slices and lemon wedges topping with chat masala and coriander leaves.

If you love this tandoori soya chaap recipe then I am sure you would love the folloing tandoori recipes as well.

• Tandoori Chicken recipe
• Paneer malai tikka
• Tandoori momos recipe

Tandoori soya chaap recipe 

A perfection, rich in flavours tandoori soya chhap recipe made n a blend of yogurt, tandoori masala, cumin, coriander, red chili powder and other spices. Served with cilantro mint chutney, onion and lemon edges.

preparation time : 20 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serve ; 3 serving

Author : Mobasir hassan

Ingredients:

• 250g soya chaap
• 1 cup thick yogurt
• 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon green chilli paste 
• 1 tablespoon red chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 tablespoon carom seeds (ajwain) optional 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons oil(mustard oil)
• Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
• Lemon wedges and onion rings for serving
• 4 tablespoon fresh cream
• 2 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/3 tablespoon red chilli powder
• 1/4 tablespoon chat masala
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice 

Instructions:

1. Begin by boiling the soya chaap in a pot of water for about 5 minutes. This helps to remove any excess flavor and soften the chaap. Drain and set aside.
2. After that remove the sticks from all the chaap and cut them into tikka size shapes. Then add ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste , salt and mustard oil. Give them a good mix and set aside for 7-8 minutes.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, lemon juice, salt, and oil. Mix well to form a marinade.
4. Add the tikka shape soya chaap to the marinade, making sure each piece is coated evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours, or overnight for best results.
5. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or prepare a grill.
6. If using an oven, place the marinated chaap on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, turning the chaap halfway through and basting with some oil or butter to keep them moist.
7. If using a grill, thread the marinated chaap onto skewers and grill them for about 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with oil.
8. Once the tandoori soya chaap is cooked and has a nice char on the edges, remove from the oven or grill.
9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with lemon wedges and onion rings.

1.Can I use frozen soya chaap?

Yes, you can. Thaw the chaap thoroughly before marinating for better absorption of flavors.

2. What if I dont have a tandoor or grill?

You can still make delicious tandoori chaap in an oven or on a stove top griddle. Adjust cooking times accordingly.

3. Can I use any other oil for brushing?

Yes, you can use melted butter or any cooking oil of your choice.

For more Tandoori recipes

• Banjara kebab
• Chicken malai tikka
• Gilafi Seekh kebab
• Paneer tikka
• Veg seekh kabab