On a rainy day, most people crave something creamy and spicy but often cannot decide what to cook. If you are looking for a rich, flavourful dish to try at home, malai chaap made with soya chaap is a great choice. This malai chaap recipe is as easy to make as it is delicious, and following a few simple steps can bring a restaurant-style taste straight to your kitchen.
Ingredients you will need
Before starting, gather all the ingredients. You will need soya chaap, 5 to 6 pieces, hung curd, half a cup, fresh cream or malai, half a cup, cashew paste, 2 tablespoons, ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon, green chilli paste, 1 teaspoon, chaat masala, 1 teaspoon, black pepper powder, half a teaspoon, kasuri methi, 1 teaspoon, butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons, oil for frying, salt to taste, and finely chopped onion and capsicum, half a cup.
Boiling and frying the soya chaap
Start by boiling the soya chaap in water with a little salt for 5 to 7 minutes, which softens the chaap thoroughly. Once boiled, remove it from the water and let it cool, then pull out the sticks and cut the chaap into pieces of the desired size. Heat oil in a kadhai and fry the chaap pieces until they turn light golden, being careful not to fry them for too long or they will become hard. This light frying opens up the layers of the chaap, allowing the marinade to seep deep inside later.
Preparing and applying the marinade
In a large bowl, combine thick curd, cashew paste, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, black pepper powder, kasuri methi, salt to taste and 2 teaspoons of cream, mixing everything into a smooth paste. Add the fried chaap pieces to this mixture and coat them evenly so the marinade covers every piece. Set it aside to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes, letting the flavours soak fully into the chaap.
Grilling the chaap and finishing the gravy
Once the marinating time is up, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan or tawa. Place the marinated chaap pieces on it and keep turning them until light brown grill marks appear on the surface. Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in another kadhai, add the chopped onion and capsicum, and sauté for about 1 minute. Next, add the leftover marinade paste and the remaining fresh cream to the kadhai and let it cook on low flame for 2 minutes. Finally, add the grilled chaap pieces and mix everything together well. The creamy, flavourful malai chaap is now ready to serve, best enjoyed hot alongside paratha.
