Green Soya and Potatoes Curry (Soya bateta nu shak)

I got my first taste of green soya beans in Japan where they serve it boil them in salt and serve them cold in their pods as a starter.  Soya beans are full of proteins and vitamins.

I usually buy mine frozen from the supermarket and cook them either with potatoes or add them to other vegetables to make a mixed vegetable curry.

Most of you  will  already know this recipe but hopefully will pardon me for sharing this recipe for the young and new chefs like my son who are now living away from home and crave for home cooked food but too embarrassed to ask mum. 

Ingredients to serve 4 people:

2 medium potatoes -washed and diced. 
2 cups of frozen soya bean 
1 tablespoon oil (Most cooking oils are fine but try and use one which is low in saturated fats and trans fats) 
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chilly powder (or as required to your taste) 
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder 
1 teaspoon of ground cummin (jeera) powder. 
2-3 cloves of garlic 
One cup of passata or any tomato products like tinned tomatoes. Passata is made from ripe tomatoes that have been puried and sieved to remove the skin and seeds. It's sauce is a lot thicker and helps make the gravy in curry look richer and thicker. Passata is sold in bottles or cartons in most supermarkets and comes in various flavours such as garlic, basil etc. 
2 teaspoons lemon 
1 teaspoons of brown sugar or jaggery 
A small bunch of fresh coriander

Method: 

1. Dice the potatoes into cubes and the soak them with the frozen soya beans  in warm water. 

2.  Heat the oil in a saucepan.

3. Add the mustard seeds. They should start popping - if not, stir them with a wooden spoon and wait for them to pop.

4. Drain and add the diced potatoes and soya beans to the saucepan.

5 . Add the salt, turmeric, chilly powder, sugar or jaggery and stir well.

6.  Add a cup of water to this mixture and cover.

7. Let this cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, stir and cook for 5 more minutes. (You can transfer this to a microwave and cook until the vegetables soften)

8. Continue cooking and checking until the potatoes and soya beans have softened.  This should take a further 5 or 10 minutes.  The soya beans taste nicer when they are soft.

9 . Add the passata or tinned tomatoes, cumin powder, grated/minced garlic and lemon juice and let it cook for 5 minutes.

10. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve.

This curry can be served with puris, chappatis, bhakri, porathas, theplas, naan bread, khichedi, plain rice or even bread rolls.

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