Soya Keema Matar
A North Indian keema made with soy granules: the spiced onion-tomato masala and green peas give a texture close to the meat version, at a fraction of the fat.
- Region
- Delhi and wider North India
- Status
- Adaptation — soy granules in place of minced meat
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min · Total 30 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Quick dinner, tiffin, roti rolls
- Tags
- High protein · Quick · Lower-fat · High fibre · Whey-free · No added sugar · Meal-prep friendly
- Allergens
- Soy, milk (curd); gluten (roti)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 345 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Headline values are for the full plate.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keema only (about 220 g) | 205 | 19 g | 19 g | 5 g | 1 g | 8 g | 6 g | 9.0 g |
| Dinner plate: keema, 1 roti, salad | 345 | 23 g | 46 g | 6 g | 1 g | 14 g | 8 g | 7.0 g |
High protein. Soy granules use a typical label — verify against the brand used. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 80 g soy granules, dry · 120 g green peas
- 120 g onion, finely chopped · 150 g tomato, puréed · 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste · 2 green chillies · 50 g curd
- 12 g groundnut oil · 1 bay leaf · 1 tsp cumin seeds · ½ tsp turmeric · 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder · 1½ tsp coriander powder · 1 tsp garam masala · 5 g salt · 2 tbsp coriander
- Plate: 105 g whole-wheat atta for 3 rotis · 300 g salad
Method
- Soak soy granules in 300 ml hot water for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and squeeze out all the liquid.
- Heat oil; add bay leaf and cumin, then onion. Cook 7–8 minutes until golden brown — this gives the keema its depth.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and chillies for 1 minute; add tomato purée and spices. Cook 5 minutes until oil separates.
- Add the granules and stir 3 minutes so they absorb the masala.
- Add peas, whisked curd and 100 ml water. Cover and cook 5 minutes until the peas are tender and the keema is moist but not wet.
- Finish with garam masala and coriander. Serve with roti and salad.
Protein optimisation
- Soy granules supply 14 g per serving; peas 3 g; curd and vegetables 1.5 g.
- Boost: crumble 50 g paneer per serving in at step 5 for a "keema-paneer" (+9 g protein, +130 kcal, +10 g fat).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: Hyderabadi style — add 1 tsp each poppy-seed and cashew paste and a handful of mint.
- Serve as keema pav with a whole-wheat pav, or rolled in a roti with onion and chutney.
- Storage: 3 days refrigerated; freezes 1 month.
- Food safety: reheat until steaming throughout.
- Meal prep: excellent.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com