Sri Lankan Soy meat (TVP) Curry
Soy meat curry (TVP / Soya meat) is a Sri Lankan plant based dish that is very popular among all Sri Lankans - even among the dedicated meat lovers. When done right, there's no better meat alternative than this delicious curry.
This curry is quick, easy to make and very versatile. You can make it hot or mild depending on how much chili powder or green chilies you use. You can make it as a lighter curry with less coconut milk, or you can add more coconut milk to make it creamy, coconutty and rich. Depending on the sour ingredients you use, you can make it less or more tangy. My recommendation is, follow the recipe I've given the first time, especially if you're a beginner for Sri Lankan cooking. Then next time you'll know exactly how you'd like to tweak it to your liking.
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Which Soy Meat (TVP) is best for this curry?
In Sri Lanka, soy meat comes in dried chunks that are packaged with a flavor packet. The packets usually say "Soya Meat" and the flavor that is comes with such as 'Chicken flavor', 'devilled shrimp flavor' etc. The favor packet has a mixture of spices and artificial flavorings and sometimes preservatives as well. I usually discard the flavor packets because I like the use my own curry powders and seasonings.
When you choose soy meat for this curry, make sure to buy the ones that come in medium to small chunks. You can find these soy chunks in Sri Lankan or Indian grocery stores or on Amazon. Do not buy the minced soy (such as this) as they won't work in the curry.
Also make sure the soy chunks you buy has no herbs or seasonings mixed in. You need the plain unseasoned soy chunks for this curry.
Additives you can use in Sri Lankan Soy Meat Curry
Banana Peppers/Capsicums:
Banana peppers (or Maalu Miris as we call in Sri Lanka) is a great addition to soy meat curry. I personally like to use milder banana peppers. It adds a nice peppery flavor without making the curry too hot. You can add them a few minutes before the curry is done to preserve the color of the peppers.
Potatoes:
Potatoes are a great addition to the curry because potatoes absorb the curry flavor so well as they soften and they also help to make the curry more hearty and creamy.
Onion rings or whole asian shallots:
This is for the flavor as well as for the texture and appealing look. You need to add them right after the curry is done and mix in. This helps to keep the cu
Tomatoes:
To add a sweet tangy umami flavor and also for the look. The curry looks nicer with red chunks of tomatoes or cherry/grape tomatoes that are added closer to the end of the cooking process.
How to Serve:
The best way to serve Sri Lankan Soy Meat (TVP) curry is with Rice and other dishes that goes with it. It's a very popular choice for rice and curry lunches and dinners.
One of my favorite rice menus is: Soya meat curry, Coconut sambol and red lentils curry. A very popular menu for us Sri Lankans.
I also like it with yellow rice, Red lentul curry, Seeni sambol, Mango curry and soy meat. Another popular Sri Lankan menu .
You can also serve it with roast paan or thati paan, coconut roti, hoppers and string hoppers.
My recipe to make one of my favorite Sri Lankan curries, Soy meat (soya meat) curry. Vegan, protein packed and delicious!
- 90 g Soy meat chunks (plain, no flavors added)
- 2 Cups Boiling water
- 4 tsp Sri Lankan roasted curry powder (divided)
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt, divided (adjust to your taste)
- 1 tsp Chili powder/Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 Piece of Ceylon cinnamon about 3 inches long
- 4 Cardamom pods
- 4 Cloves
- 2 Sprig of curry leaves, divided
- 1 Small pandan leaf broken into pieces
- 3 Large cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 small 2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 1 Large shallot or 4 Asian shallots finely chopped
- 1 green chili, diagonally sliced
- 1 cups Diluted coconut milk or second extract of fresh coconut milk (1/4 cup canned coconut milk dissolve in 3/4 cup water)
- 2 tsp Soy sauce (optional)
- 2 tsp Tamarind paste (dissolve 5g - 8g tamarind in warm water to make the paste at home)
- 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
Add dried soy meat into a bowl. Add 1 tsp of salt and boiling water and let it sit for 1 minute (they don't need to puff up all the way. They'll continue to puff up as they cook later). Drain all the water. Let the soy chunks cool down and then squeeze out all the water that they have absorbed.
Add 2 tsp of roasted curry powder (keep the rest of the curry powder for later), chili powder, turmeric powder to the soy chunks. Mix well. Set it aside.
Heat oil in a small pot or a wok. Turn the heat to medium low. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, curry leaves, pandan leaves, garlic, ginger, shallot and green chili. Saute until garlic starts to turn brown and onions start to turn soft.
Add the soy meat chunks and mix well.
Then add diluted coconut milk, tamarind paste and soy sauce. Mix well, cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes
Finally, add the rest of the roasted curry powder and black pepper. Mix and cook without the lid until you get the desired amount of gravy. Adjust salt if needed. (If you like it with more gravy, you can add a little bit of water or coconut milk. If you like a dry curry, cook until the gravy is thickened. )
Serve warm. Enjoy!
