Vegan Seekh Kebabs (Soya Chunk Kababs)

These vegan seekh kebabs are a revelation — scrumptiously crispy on the outside, with a meaty, succulent, chewy, and incredibly flavoursome inside. It’s hard to believe these are made from soy chunks, an affordable source of plant-based protein.

The idea for these vegan seekh kebabs came to me in 2019, when I was making the traditional hara bhara kebabs (vegetarian kebabs made from an array of healthy green vegetables!). Those were fantastic, but they weren’t meaty. They weren’t fooling anyone.

On the other hand, these vegan seekh kebabs are packed with that slightly smoky, umami-led flavour so reminiscent of meat. I’ve tested this recipe on members of my family who are omnivores, and they all agree it boasts a far more satisfying, full-bodied flavour than any meat kebab.

They’re seasoned with a tempting mix of spices, nutty roasted chickpea flour, a scattering of fresh herbs, punchy ginger garlic paste, and plenty more.

When served on a bed of salad and a pillowy, buttery garlic and coriander naan, these kebabs will have you craving them day and night.

🥙 The Ingredients You’ll Need

• Soy Chunks: Our key ingredient is a plant-based protein. Find these in Indian markets or online retailers (Amazon linked).
• Green chillies: Fruity, sharp, and spicy, jwala green chillies (the type most commonly used in India) add another layer of heat.
• Red onion: Boosts the umami with a subtle sweetness.
• Ginger garlic paste: Punchy, but melts into a buttery warmth once the kebabs are cooked. Subtle. I like to make my own; I don’t recommend jarred (too acidic).
• Seasonings including coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, garam masala, black pepper, and salt (of course!) all build up the layers of flavour that make these vegan seekh kebabs so moreish.
• Fresh herbs, such as coriander and mint, add a touch of cooling citrus.
• Gram flour (chickpea/garbanzo bean flour): Nutty and slightly sweet. It’s naturally gluten free and acts as a binder to help our kabab mix stay together.
• Plain flour (all-purpose [AP] flour): Another binder.
• Breadcrumbs: Make the mixture more succulent.
• Neutral oil: For frying/grilling the vegan seekh kebabs. You can use sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, or vegetable oil. High smoke point is preferred.

Dietary Requirements

I specifically designed this recipe to be fantastic for those with dietary requirements. That means these vegan seekh kebabs are:

• Vegan and plant-based. Despite the meaty flavour, there’s no meat here, meaning you get all the flavour without cruelty. It’s also dairy-free.
• Nut free. There’s no nuts involved in this recipe, but you still get the benefit of a gorgeous nutty flavour from the roasted chickpea flour.

While the vegan seekh kebabs aren’t gluten free, they can be adapted to be! Use cornflour (cornstarch in the U.S) to bind the vegan kabab mixture and gluten free breadcrumbs (you can make your own by blitzing up your favourite dried/stale free-from bread).

Let’s Talk About Soy Chunks

Never heard of soy chunks? You’re not alone. While soy chunks are a beloved ingredient in India, often used as a cheap and filling source of vegetarian (and vegan) protein, they’ve fallen out of fashion in other countries with the advent of more trendy meat-free options, like wheat and pea protein.

Sometimes known as “meal maker” (because it’s all you need to make a meal!), they’re made from soy flour.

When you purchase soy chunks, they will be dry to the touch. Prior to cooking, you need to rehydrate them by soaking the protein in boiling water.

Once rehydrated, the soy chunks become soft and spongy — ideal for soaking up all the fun seasonings we’ll add.

In addition to protein, soya chunks also contain plenty of iron, fibre, and calcium, amongst other essential nutrients.

🧑‍🏫 Troubleshooting

Help! My kebab mix is crumbling …

This kebab mix is slightly more crumbly than sticky.

If you’re used to making meat-based kebabs, you may need practice working with the mixture. You need to use a combination of careful delicacy and firm-handedness to ensure the mixture sticks to the skewers.

If you still can’t get the mixture to stick, you have two options:

Firstly, add a boiled and mashed potato to the mixture. This aids in binding (and doesn’t interfere with the flavour).

Secondly, make shami kebabs — these are in the shape of flatter burger patties, so much easier to shape. One of my readers did the same:

🫙 Storage and Reheating

To store soya chunk kebabs, keep them refrigerated in an air-tight container and consume within three days.

To freeze vegan seekh kebabs, arrange them on a tray and freeze the tray for at least an hour, or until frozen. This prevents the seekh kababs from sticking to each other later in the freezing process. Once frozen, remove from the tray and transfer to an air-tight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months.

Unfortunately, the uncooked seekh kebabs are too delicate to store. Both storage options must be done after cooking.

To reheat the soya chunk kababs, heat in an oven or frying pan until piping hot. I prefer not using a microwave, as it’s not the best at preserving texture.

Seekh kebabs also taste great cold. They’re ideal for picnics or travel.

🌯 Serving Suggestions

These soya chunk kebabs taste best when served as a kabab roll with freshly made naan, crunchy green salad, and delicious sauces.

Homemade vegan raita is always a classic, as is green coriander chutney, yogurt mint sauce, tzatziki (fusion is always delicious!), garlic mayonnaise, or sweet chilli sauce.

Alternatively, you can serve vegan seekh kebabs as an appetiser to an Indian feast, alongside other starters like Punjabi potato and pea samosa or gluten free onion bhajis.

Want to get experimental? Crumble the cooked kebabs on top of pizza, or use them as a stuffing for vegan sausage rolls. It’s surprisingly delectable.

Continue to Content

Yield: 9 Kebabs

Vegan Seekh Kebabs (Soya Chunk Kababs)

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Vegan Seekh Kebabs make from a great starter for Curry Night or a filling wrap. Easy to make and impressive.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 150g Medium Soy Chunks
• 120ml Water (to soak soy chunks)
• 2 Thin Indian Green Chillis
• 80g Red Onion, very finely minced
• 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• 3/4 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder
• Few stems Fresh Coriander leaves, chopped
• Few stems Fresh Mint leaves, chopped
• 20g Gram Flour (Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean Flour)
• 40g Plain Flour
• 40g Breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp Water
• Oil to taste, for frying the kebabs

Instructions

1. Begin by preparing the soy chunks. Firstly, add the soy chunks to a large bowl along with 120ml of hot water. Cover them and leave to soak for around 20-30 minutes. Once they’ve thoroughly soaked, drain all the water from the bowl and using your hands, squeeze all the water out of the soy chunks. Once they’ve been squeezed of water, add to a large blender.
2. Grind the soy chunks. Add the green chillis along with the soy chunks to your blender and pulse until both have completely broken down. The soy chunks should be extremely finely minced. You may have to do this in smaller batches if your grinder is small.
3. Roast the chickpea flour. Add the chickpea flour to a small non-stick frying pan over very low heat. Roast it for around 5 minutes, or until fragrant. You don’t want to burn the flour, so do continuously stir it around the pan and keep an eye on it at all times. As soon as the flour becomes fragrant, turn off the heat and leave the flour to cool.
4. Make the kebab mixture. Add the ground soy chunk and green chilli mixture to a really large bowl. To this bowl also add very finely chopped red onion, ginger-garlic paste, salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala, black pepper, turmeric powder, and fresh coriander and mint. Mix well to ensure all the spice powders are equally distributed. At this point add the roasted chickpea flour, plain flour, breadcrumbs, and water. It’s time to get messy! Get in their with your hands and mix everything together nicely.
5. Shape the kebabs. This bit can be a little tricky. The mixture is not firm and sticky, so it can crumble. I used bamboo skewers, but flat metal skewers will be beneficial here. Wet your hands (this helps), take some mixture, and shape it around the kebab, squeezing into place. This can take some practice so don’t give up. Repeat with all the kebabs.
6. Cook the kebabs. Heat a large pan over medium flame. I used a large, flat, non-stick tawa – but you can use any pan which has room for the skewers. Carefully place the kebabs onto the pan and drizzle a little oil over them. Once one side gets golden-brown, carefully rotate. Cook this way until all sides are a lovely golden brown and then serve in your preferred way!

Recommended Products

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• 
  Soy Chunks
• 
  Non Stick Tawa
• 
  Kebab Skewers

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

9

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 90Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 468mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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