Baked Soybean Koftas
We love Koftas ( Koftas are mostly what one would call as Meatballs - but we vegetarians can't be expected to be left out behind! No way! :)) I make them in many different ways. You might wonder how I can possibly think of making these calorie rich dishes often enough? Well you can easily make them as very healthy and nutritious to boot too. Just like these Soya bean koftas here.
Baked Soybean Koftas
Not only are they simple to make (Really..you will see), they are very healthy ( baked - so almost no oil in the entire dish ), immensely nutritious (power of soy at its best) and totally yummy (even non vegetarians will love it!). All the ingredients work in harmony and my gravy is such a fast little thing to make. I wanted to showcase the Koftas more than the gravy hence kept it to bare minimal ingredients which will only compliment but not hog the limelight from the Soybean koftas. Baked Soybean Koftas I served them with Phulkas ( the lighter cousin's of Chapathi/Roti's which uses no oil) - the resultant lunch was hearty - great on the palate and on the health not to mention pleasing on the eyes too. They don't take much of your time, most of it is done by the steamer (instead of boiling, I steam the potatoes - preserves nutrition) and the Oven. The gravy is a child's play :) Without further adieu, lets go to the recipe
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 4 people
  • Yields: Makes around 8 koftas
Ingredients
    For the Koftas
  • 1 cup Soy beans
  • 1 large potato
  • 1 small onion, (shallots/red onions work great.)
  • 1-2 green chillies, finely sliced (or as per taste)
  • few cilantro sprigs for garnish
  • juice and zest of one lemon
  • salt to taste
  • About 1/2-1 cup of Soya chunks (Indian stores) or TVP (in US stores)
    For Simple Gravy
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
  • about 1/4-1/2 cup tomato puree
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt to taste
Method
1. Soak the soy beans overnight. Cook them in a pressure cooker. No problems if it gets mushy. We are going to do that anyways.
2. Steam the potato in the steamer (with the skin. It has nutrition too)
3. Now mix all the ingredients for the koftas together except the soya chunks/TVP.  Mash them with your hands or pulse it up in your food processor - whatever works for you.
4. If you are not able to make it into a ball and the dough seems moist, add some soy flour to thicken it up.
5. Spread the soy chunks on a plate and coat the balls with them
6. Repeat with all the balls and place them in a lightly greased  baking sheet. Bake for about 10-15 minutes in an 400F oven.
7. Meanwhile in a skillet, in a 1/4 tsp oil (or skip the oil. Just place the onions and cumin on the hot skillet with some salt. The salt will bring out the moisture and help the onions cook easily. That way you cut the oil and make this dish oil free), saute the cumin seeds along with onions, ginger garlic paste and the spices together for a minute until soft.
8. Add the tomato paste (if using) and the puree.
9. Add enough water to make sufficient gravy and once it comes to a boil, thicken it up with little soy flour/cornstarch and bring it to a simmer.
10. Remove the koftas from the Oven and pour half the sauce over each of the koftas until they are soaked in the gravy.
11. Bake them for another 10 minutes and before serving pour out the remaining gravy.
Serve warm with phulkas.  Tell me now - Was that difficult? Baked Soybean Koftas

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2 Member Reviews

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By Sunita on Sep 30, 2010

THE KOFTAS WERE TASTY I JUST ADDED 2 TBSP OF TOMATO PUREE MORE AND ADDED FRESH FAT FREE CREAM IT WAS AMAZING,everyone thought it was mutton mince thanks

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By Radhika on Sep 13, 2010

Made this a couple of weeks ago. Sorry, couldn't post it.

The koftas were good. But, we felt that the gravy needed some more flavor. It felt like only tomato. May be will try to experiment next time. Thank you for this healthy version.

36 Comments

By 75 High Fiber Foods for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner - Fiber Guardian on Dec 4, 2015

[…] Awesome Recipe: Low-Fat Baked Soybean Kofta […]

By sudipta on Dec 12, 2013

can we steam the koftas by idli maker instead of ovan ?

By reetajaiswal on Nov 25, 2013

It was awsome but can i use rawa instead of soya chinks

By reetajaiswal on Nov 25, 2013

It was really awsome but can i use rawa instead of soya chunks

By Tāuge Vada and coconut chutney (gluten-free, vegan, savoury) | KVARM on Nov 3, 2013

[...] made stove-top..perhaps there’s a part 3 coming up. Stews can also be made with kachoris or koftas but that would’ve meant making more dishes to eat my [...]

By shaista on Jul 11, 2013

do i have to crush those soya chunks to make it more cripier because i have nutrela soya chunks which are quite big i n size do reply. . .

Yes, just break them into smaller pieces. Just pulse them in your processor. --DK

By shaista on Jul 11, 2013

well do i have to crush soya chunks. . . ? to make it crispier?

By Cat on Jul 9, 2013

These look great and I will try them tonight. Can they be frozen and reheated when needed?

By Aparna on Apr 18, 2013

Hi, Where can i get soy beans from? This recipe looks tempting and am looking forward to make it :)

By Ronen on Apr 9, 2013

:-P Is it possible the replace the potatoe with somw other ingrediant ( not wheat ...)?

By Baked Soybean Koftas on Apr 6, 2013

[...] visit site here) Filed Under: Vegetarian [...]

By ratna on Jul 17, 2012

wish me luck... I dont cook normally, but I discovered some soya bean in my kitchen. so will try this recipe. will let u know how it went! :wink:

All the very best, may cooking fairy bless you with awesome koftas :) --DK

By Shweta on Apr 30, 2012

Koftas looks stunning and healthy as well

By Kat on Apr 29, 2012

Do you just crush the soy chunks to make the coating for the balls?? I have soy chunks that are pretty big. Do these need to soak before going in the oven on the balls?

By Chicken Meatballs in a Soup | | Yummy Food GuideYummy Food Guide on Apr 11, 2012

[...] Spaghetti and meatballs..I have read of in a lot of books; Movies like the Godfather evoke images of meatballs and sauce. I’ve often wondered how a meatball tastes.We do have our meat and bottle-gourd koftas, which look a lot like meatballs, but that is probably where the resemblance ends. Meatballs are essentially made of ground beef. They can however be twisted to an alternative protein to suit your needs. Chicken is an obvious replacement.Vegetarians could try soybean balls. You cn find a recipe to make these soybean balls Indian style. [...]

By vasu on Nov 16, 2010

hey great recipe. Can i fry koftas insted of baking

Oh yes :)

By emily on Oct 22, 2010

These look great! It might be a stretch but is there any way to make them soy free? I'm trying to limit my soy intake :) I know I could probably just substitute another bean for the soy beans, but I'm not sure what to substitute for tvp

Why make a Soybean Kofta if you dont want to use soy? You can instead use vegetables like these - http://chefinyou.com/2010/06/vegetable-manchurian-recipe/. Or else search for Koftas in the site for other ideas

By Sunita on Oct 6, 2010

:wink: As i have already made this and those who want to make this can use the nutrela soya chunks and add soda powder to bind it. It will not only come out tasty but tasted awesome seriously those who want to try plzzzz go ahead :mrgreen:

By sonika on May 23, 2010

I tried this with navy beans instead of soybeans and koftas almost tasted like mashed potatoes, I think partially becuase soy chnks did not stick to the balls. I did not add lime zest and juice so may be it was not wet enough.

By GANESH on May 14, 2010

SIR IHAVE NO M/W HOW CAN I BAKED IT. GIVE ME SOME SOLUTION

This has been made in an Oven and not in microwave --DK

By Julia on May 11, 2010

Just tried this recipe and it was yum! We used fresh tomatoes for the sauce, and coriander seeds rather than fresh coriander... will definitely try again! :)

By Sunita on Nov 27, 2009

I want to know how bake soya kofta's in Kenwood Microvave Oven. It has microvave option at 100 degrees, 80 degrees etc. Please let me know.

Hi Sunita, I dont have a m/w oven hence I am not an authority on it, but you can try baking the koftas at 100C and keep checking in 10 minute intervals. Although I would say testing it out with these koftas is not the best thing since you are not cooking per se in the oven (the soybeans are already cooked remember?). You can try cutting bread cubes, spreading them in a baking sheet and baking them with 100C - see how long it takes and how well it bakes. based on it, you will get comfy with baking rest of the stuff too. Hope this helps --DK

By Deepali on Aug 7, 2009

Hi , Can I use Nutrela ( Soya chuncks) instead of Soya beans ; Please let me Also what variation I have to do in this case

I think soya chunks will work too. For that, you would have to soak them in hot water for a while until they get soft and then do the rest of the process in the same way. Since I havent made this way myself, I am not sure if it will as hearty as beans - but i think it will taste good :)

By Ramya Kiran on Aug 5, 2009

I must have not cooked the soya beans well. That might be the reason. Because i could not mash it with a masher and i used the blender to grind it.

By nags on Aug 4, 2009

not hard at all :)

By Ramya Kiran on Aug 4, 2009

I tried this dish tonight. I found the kofta's tasted raw inside. The rest was fine. The curry tasted great.

Probably the baking time was not enough - but I am surprised at the "rawness" factor - all the ingredients were already cooked before baking - cooked soybeans with cooked potatoes and onions too minuscule to make a difference - so how can it be raw?? (wondering!!)

By Parita on Aug 4, 2009

Soyabean koftas is a fantastic idea DK, so healthy and delicious!

By Ramya Kiran on Aug 4, 2009

Wow, this sounds terrific. I keep searching for different kinds of curries(low fat) to accompany chapati everyday. This is going to be my todays menu. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for sharing!

By Chakh...le...Re!!! on Aug 3, 2009

Hey this is just amazingly healthy dish!! Just loved it!! Its a real must try!

By singh b on Aug 3, 2009

in my view that is the only dish which can provide much nutrition to a veggy in a very simple way of cooking,and i think the taste of the dish will be very rich ................thanks for such a nice recipe

By prathibha on Aug 3, 2009

That is infact a healthy food...soyabeans n top of baking it..hmm nice ideas..

By madhui on Aug 3, 2009

wow awesome...My son is been asking for koftas since 2 days... i just dont have soy granules. but i do have soy balls....I guess i will have to do some shopping and give ur recipe a try:) thank you...

Soy balls work too - just grind it coarsely in your food processor and u have the granules ready. - DK

By Laura Dwight on Aug 3, 2009

Half of my family can't eat any wheat at all. Have you ever made phulkas from a different kind of flour? The soya koftas look great!

I have made roti's with teff flour - will post it soon. Havent made phulka though. Lemme try that and will surely update u on that :)

By Pavani on Aug 3, 2009

Nutritious and delicious dish. Love the way you incorporated so many different types of soy in one dish. Mouth watering pics as usual.

By Priya on Aug 3, 2009

Wowow DK...Soya koftas looks outstanding...wat a healthy way to enjoy this delicious dish!! Great work!!!

By Soma on Aug 3, 2009

Real nice idea to make "meatball" curry with the soy;-) We made our Vegan Chicken pops (Popcorn chicken) with the nutrela, it was great.