These air fryer soya chunks are crisp on the outside, chewy inside and coated with a simple soy and chilli marinade. You can serve the air-fried chunks straight from the air fryer as a snack or continue with the second part of the recipe and turn them into an easy soya Manchurian stir-fry.
Soya chunks, also called soya nuggets or meal maker, absorb sauces very well once they are softened and squeezed properly. Air frying gives them a lightly crisp surface without deep frying, making them easy to add to stir-fries, rice bowls or noodles.
Serve the finished soya Manchurian with vegetable fried rice for a simple Indo-Chinese meal.
Quick Summary: Soak the soya chunks in hot water, squeeze them well, marinate, coat with cornflour, air fry at 180°C, then serve them crispy or toss them with vegetables and the reserved sauce.
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Why Make Soya Chunks in the Air Fryer?
Air frying is an easy way to give hydrated soya chunks a crisp exterior without deep frying them in oil. It uses less oil, keeps the preparation simple and gives the chunks a firmer texture that works well in stir-fries.
The crispy chunks can also be eaten directly from the air fryer, so one batch can work as a snack or become the base for soya Manchurian.
Air Fryer Soya Chunks Ingredients
For the crispy soya chunks
- Dried soya chunks
- Hot water
- Cornflour
- Sesame oil
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Chilli paste
- Rice vinegar
For the soya Manchurian stir-fry
- Oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Onion
- Red bell pepper
- Green bell pepper
- Spring onion
- Salt
How to Make Air Fryer Soya Chunks
1. Soak and squeeze the soya chunks
Bring enough water to a boil, turn off the heat, add the dried soya chunks, soak for 10-15 minutes or according to the packet instructions.
Drain the softened chunks, allow them to cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as possible.
Pro Tip: Squeeze the soaked soya chunks thoroughly. Removing excess water helps them absorb the marinade and gives them a better texture in the air fryer.
2. Marinate and coat the soya chunks
Mix sesame oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chilli paste and rice vinegar. Reserve half of the sauce in a separate bowl for the Manchurian stir-fry.
Add the squeezed soya chunks to the remaining marinade, toss well, rest for about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle cornflour over the marinated chunks, toss until the pieces are lightly and evenly coated.
3. Air fry the soya chunks until crisp
Preheat the air fryer to 180°C or 355°F for about 5 minutes.
Arrange the coated soya chunks in a single layer, leave a little space around them so the hot air can circulate.
If using air fryer parchment, add it only when the food is placed on top so the paper stays weighted down.
Air fry at 180°C for 12-13 minutes, shake or toss once halfway through, cook until the outside looks dry and lightly crisp.
Do not keep cooking the chunks simply to make them darker, as overcooking can make soya chunks tough and chewy.
Example: For a simple crispy soya chunks snack, stop here and serve them with your favourite dip. You can also add the air-fried chunks to wraps, salads or rice bowls.
4. Make air fryer soya Manchurian
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet, add chopped ginger and garlic, then add onion and bell peppers, stir-fry over medium-high heat for a few minutes.
Keep the vegetables slightly crisp rather than cooking them until completely soft.
Add the air-fried soya chunks and the reserved marinade, toss over high heat for 1-2 minutes until everything is evenly coated.
Taste before adding extra salt because the soy sauces are already salty. Finish with chopped spring onion and serve immediately.
Serve the soya Manchurian with hakka noodles or vegetable fried rice.
Air Fryer Soya Chunks Variations
Crispy air fryer soya chunks
Skip the vegetable stir-fry and serve the air-fried chunks immediately. This works well when you want a quick snack or a crispy topping for a rice bowl.
Mild soya Manchurian
Reduce the chilli paste or use a mild chilli sauce instead. Keep the soy sauce and vinegar for the savoury and tangy flavour.
Add more vegetables
Add broccoli, mushrooms or extra bell peppers to the stir-fry. Cook them briefly over high heat so they remain slightly crisp.
Make it slightly saucier
Add a small splash of water when you add the reserved sauce to the wok, toss until the sauce coats the soya chunks.
For another crispy plant-based air fryer recipe, try these air fryer tofu nuggets.
Substitutions
Dark soy sauce: Replace it with extra light soy sauce. The finished Manchurian will be lighter in colour.
Sesame oil: Use a neutral cooking oil if sesame oil is unavailable. The flavour will be slightly different, but the recipe will still work.
Chilli paste: Use another chilli sauce or Asian-style chilli paste that you normally cook with. Adjust the amount according to its heat level.
Bell peppers: Use whichever colour of capsicum you have available.
Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce and check the labels on the chilli paste and other packaged sauces.
Air Fryer Soya Chunks Recipe
easy air fryer soy chunks recipe | air fryer soya manchurian recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Mixing bowl
- wok
- spatula
Ingredients
For air fry soy chunks
- 100 gms soy chunks
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
Marinade (use half of below sauce mix for air fried soy chunks , rest for stir fry)
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. dark soy sauce can be replaced with light soya sauce,dark soy sauce helps with color and flavor
- 2 tbsp. chilli paste or any asian spicy paste, like red thai curry paste
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
For soy chunks stir fry
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 2 tbsp. ginger-garlic chopped
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ red pepper diced
- ½ green pepper diced
- 2-3 stalks green onions chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt as per taste adjust as per the salt in the soy sauce.
Instructions
For Air fried soya manchurian
- Heat water in a pot, soak the soy chunks in boiling hot water (turn off the heat) for 10-15 minutes or as per packet instructions.
- Drain the excess water and squeeze the chunks.Mix the sauces & oil for marination in a bowl
- Mix soy chunks in the sauce mix .Keep it aside for 10 mins. Add cornflour on the marinated soy chunks
- Preheat your air fryer for 5 mins at 180 deg C. | 355 F. Layer the pieces on a parchment paper on the air fryer basket without overlapping each other. Air fry the soy chunks for 12-13 mins at 180 C| 355 deg F.
- Once cooked, keep them aside. You can enjoy these as is or make a stir fry below.
For vegan soya manchurian stir fry
- In a wok, heat oil and fry chopped garlic,add onions ,Cook on medium/high heat for few minutes,add peppers
- Add the cooked soy chunks. Add the marinade mix,allow to cook for few minutes, turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped spring onion optionally.
- Serve as a stir fry or with tortilla/taco
Video
Notes
Air Fryer Soya Chunks FAQs
For this recipe, the soya chunks are soaked in just-boiled water after the heat is switched off rather than actively boiled. Soak them for about 10-15 minutes, or follow the directions on your packet. Once soft, squeeze them thoroughly before marinating.
These soya chunks cook for about 12-13 minutes at 180°C or 355°F. Shake or toss them halfway through so the pieces cook more evenly. Air fryer models vary, so check the texture near the end of the cooking time.
Soya chunks can become overly chewy if they retain too much soaking water or are air fried for too long. Soak only until softened, squeeze the chunks thoroughly, then stop air frying once the outside has become lightly crisp.
Conclusion
Air fryer soya chunks are useful beyond Manchurian. Once you know how to soak, squeeze and crisp them properly, you can use them in snacks, wraps, rice bowls and stir-fries.
For the full Indo-Chinese version, toss the crispy chunks with the vegetables and sauce and serve immediately with hakka noodles or vegetable fried rice.
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