For the growing vegetarian population in India, soya chaap which comes in a meat-like structure has become a ubiquitous treat for Indians. The palatable item is available on most street corners and is delectable to taste. It now comes in various surprising avatars to suit the taste buds of a large mass of the audience. With its unique prepping items, the non-vegetarians seem equally attracted to the trending dish which even beats the overexposed paneer dishes.

Soya Chaap is made up of enriched protein and when wrapped in sticks, it takes the exact shape of a mock chicken. It mostly consists of maida or all-purpose flour with the mere addition of soya flour. Normally, soya is a gluten-free product and therefore the addition of maida becomes important to give chaap its unique flavour and texture.

The soya cheap in its various incarnations comes in a sizzling plate of tandoori, crispy drumsticks or creamy rogan josh rendition.

Being absent from the cultural heritage, this trending dish has gone gaga over millions. Not only in various street corners of the country, but it is also similarly exposed to millions of Mughlai restaurants, serving the delicious chaap either in a creamy malai, tandoori, barbeque or on a Chinese platter. Made from soybeans, this alternative vegetarian meat option has led to an increase in protein consumption. In fact it is advisable to use high gluten flours in chaaps recipes to moisten the texture and give it a creamy finish.

The recipe attained popularity mainly in South-Asian countries like India where religious festivities demand the practice of trying out different recipes to satisfy the guests. Soya has often been considered a twin alternative to chicken and thus, to satiate the desire for meat-eating in various religious ceremonies, this came as a great alternative. Later, due to its texture and taste, various innovations of curries were tried and it had successful feedback. Customers now crave its various avatars in every corner of their outings due to its pocket-friendly budget as well as for a satisfying appetite.

Looking at the growing demand for vegetarian protein intake, several plant-based food product companies which include Vezlay, Ahimsa Food and Good Dot have come up with Alternative proteins which include a great variety of soya-based foods including nuggets, patties, soya balls and stuffed sandwiches and related items. For those who consider meat consumption as harmful to their health, leading to a risk of prolonged diseases, and the spread of many zoonotic and pathogenic diseases, soya chaap serves as a great alternative. It discards unethical animal cultivation which is considered to be one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and leads to a more environmentally friendly consumption.

Popular with both street and fine-dine

The barbeque joints have become increasingly popular as they come up with sizzling platters of the tandoori chaap and roll makers which satisfy the hunger of a million queues. This delectable chaap appears in multiple versions of curry, malai, as meat in popular chicken curries and in the form of appetizing snacks as in rolls, stuffed bread, pan-fried soya chaaps, soya stuffed momos soya stuffed cheese samosas. The most trending dish considered is soya chaap biryani due to its soft, juicy, melting texture as it is slow-cooked with a mixture of yoghurt and versatile ingredients.

Home-made Chaap

There also remain various ways of going for homemade soya chaap. The most promising method includes making a dough with all-purpose maida and resting it overnight. The resting will finally decide the texture of the chaap. The next day, the dough requires proper kneading under water which removes the water-soluble starch from it. With full incorporation of the dough mass and the visibility of the stretchiness and the elastic, it has to be left covered for 30 minutes and then finally, shaping it into a cylinder and folding them on ice-cream sticks, it can be simmered in flavoured water of one’s choice which includes, ginger-garlic water, Maggi veg stock, monosodium glutamate or any other suitable combinations. After the simmering process for 10 mins, it can be taken out and immersed in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process and finally, the sticks can be drained before relishing the final product.

Conclusion

Therefore, recognising the importance of alternative protein consumption, some big players in the animal-based meat industry like Tyson Foods and Cargill are investing in such alternative companies. Plant-based protein market is taking over globally and creating a big momentum in the development of the food industry. As per the report of Plant-Based Protein Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2017-2022, it has been anticipated that such consumption will reach 10,892 million by 2022 with a CAGR of 6.7%. In such a scenario, soya chaaps have stolen the show and are expected to rise in the mainstream, beating multiple modern dishes in near future.