Based on the Sour Chickpea recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks Madhur Jaffrey’s India Cookery First published in 1982.

Serves 6

600g Frozen Podded Soya Beans

350g of onion, peeled and chopped

5 – 6 cm piece of peeled fresh ginger

3 teaspoons salt

1 fresh, hot green chili, finely chopped (can be omitted if you do not want this dish to be spicy)

6 tablespoons lemon juice

8 tablespoons vegetable oil

375g tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1.5 tablespoon ground coriander seeds

1.5 tablespoon ground cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 teaspoons garam masala (see page 18)

Splash of your favourite hot sauce if you require

1. Cook the soya beans as instructed on the packet, drain the cooking water into a small pan or bowl to use later and run the beans under cold water to cool then leave to dry slightly in a sieve.
2. Finely chop the onion and ginger in some kind of food processor or by hand
3. Put 3 tablespoons of the chopped onion/ginger mixture, 1 teaspoon salt, green chili (if using) and lemon juice into a cup. Mix well and set aside.
4. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high flame. When hot, put in the remaining chopped onion/ginger mix. Stir and fry for 8-10 minutes or until the onion bits develop reddish-brown spots. Add the tomatoes. Continue to stir and fry another 5-6 minutes, mashing the tomato pieces with the back of a slotted spoon. Put in the coriander, cumin and turmeric. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Now put in the cooked soya beans, 300 ml of their cooking water, 2 teaspoons of salt, the garam masala and hot sauce (if using). Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low and cook very gently for 10 minutes. Stir a few times during this period and if the sauce gets too thick use a little more of the soya bean cooking liquid to thin it out.
5. Add the mixture in the cup. Stir again to mix and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve hot or lukewarm. Good with hard boiled eggs, rice, Indian style breads and various pickles and chutneys.