Being a vegetarian has always been a point of contention between me and my dear ones. They always insisted that I might be missing out on a lot of flavors and fun in life by avoiding meat. On my journey to prove them wrong, this is one of the dishes I came up with that even my carnivore friends seem to go bananas over.

Fresh-ground masala paste:

• In a pan, heat some oil.
• Add 1 cinnamon stick,
• 1 cardamom,
• 3 cloves,
• 1 anise star,
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns,
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds,
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds,
• 4-5 dry red chillies,
• 5-6 cashews,
• 2 tsp poppy seeds,
• Half a cup grated coconut and fry it all until a pleasant aroma emanates
• Let it cool before blending into a smooth paste with water.

Main Ingredients:

• soya chunks
• cinnamon sticks-1
• fennel seeds- 1 tsp
• onions- 2 chopped
• ginger-garlic paste- 3 tbsp
• tomatoes-3 chopped
• coriander powder
• turmeric powder
• chilli powder
• salt
• chopped coriander leaves

Procedure:

• Grind the fresh masala as instructed above in a blender and keep ready.
• Meanwhile, boil the soya chunk with a little bit of salt for just 10 minutes and keep ready.
• In a pan, heat oil and add cinnamon sticks and fennel seeds.
• Once they are fried, add chopped onions.
• Then add a generous amount of ginger-garlic paste. (This is the major taste-enhancer).
• Once the raw smell goes off, add chopped tomatoes and let them all cook with a closed lid over the pan.
• Once they are well cooked, add 3 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp chilli powder and the required salt.
• After giving a complete stir, add the freshly ground masala paste and stir again.
• Now add the boiled soya chunks and stir until the chunks are entirely coated with the curry.
• Add a glass of water and let it boil until the soya chunks soak up all the flavors.
• Switch off the flame, sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves over the curry and serve hot.