You might have noticed and also tried Mushroom pepper fry, found in most restaurants under the starter section. Its spicy, juicy, yummy and perfect as a South Indian starter that goes well with Parathas, an addition to fried rice combo and the masala powder has n number of applications.
I've tried replicating this delicious recipe with Soya chunks, you can also do it with pre-cooked meats like chunks of chicken breast, toss in deep fried crispy paneer or tofu or broccoli - the variations are endless!!

The trick for getting that darkened hue in your semi-dry gravy while making this dish is to gently roast the base sauce with intermittent stirring, so as not to break the soya chunks. Once all the masalas are added along with a wee bit of water basis the consistency desired by you, slow cook the whole dish on a low simmer. Remember to dry roast all the whole spices and keep the leftover masala aside in an airtight container - this goes fabulously well as a sukkah mix sabzi when you are super busy and need something easy yet delicious for your dubba.

INGREDIENTS :
2 cups soya chunks - pre-boiled and drained off excess water
1 medium-sized onion - finely chopped
1/2 cup - curry leaves
1 tsp - mustard seeds
1tbsp -ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
6 tbsp - Oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for Garnish
Ground masala: roast all spices individually in a dry pan and set aside to cool. Grind to a fine powder
Dried Red Chillies - 4 (adjust basis spice preference)
2 tbsp - Black pepper
1 tsp - Cumin seeds
1 tsp - Fennel seeds
2 tsp - Coriander seeds
PROCEDURE :
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard & curry leaves, let them splutter.
Add ginger-garlic paste,1 chopped green chilli along with chopped onions - cook for 4 mins until they turn translucent.
Add turmeric powder and ground masala powder along with pre-boiled soya chunks, stir well.
Add 1/2 cup water, salt to taste and cook till the oil separates with little stirring to avoid masala from sticking to the bottom of your pan.
Garnish with fresh coriander and few curry leaves, close lid and let this sit for 5 mins.
Drizzle with lemon juice before serving.
This dish is fiery hot - so do check for spice levels (while adding the roast masala powder).

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