If you find yourself trying out a vegetarian lifestyle, you know that you are still secretly craving meat.
But most importantly, to continue a well balanced diet, you’ll need to replace the proteins lost by avoiding meat. And while vegetables and lentils are perfectly great choices, sometimes you just miss the way it feels when you bite into a kebab or a drumstick. My mouth salivates instantly at the very thought of fried chicken. But you gotta do what you gotta do, right? Chewing on these soy chunks is the closest thing to meat there is. It’s the next best thing, trust me. And although it isn’t exactly as delicious as meat actually is (who are we kidding, nothing really is!), it is the closest vegan alternative, and I will take it!

Soya chunks or granules is just deflated soy flour, the remnants of the soybean oil extraction process.
Commonly sold as Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), these are popular meat substitutes or even meat extenders. When used along with meat, they soak up the flavours, making it absolutely impossible to discern meat from soy. They expand pretty well when soaked, almost doubling in size, making them a cheaper and healthier alternative to meat. You can find them in Asian and Indian supermarkets as Soya Chunks, or Granules.

A kheema is traditionally made with ground meat and spices. Soya chunks make a pretty good substitute for meat in this recipe. And when stuffed into rolls, they are crispy on the outside and soft, meaty and chewy on the inside. I loved it, and for a minute, my chicken cravings subsided for a bit there.

If you’ve never rolled spring rolls before check out this post for detailed step-by-step  instructions.