How To Store Soya Chaap: Tips To Keep Raw Soya Chaap Fresh For Long

Nothing really can beat the flavours of a soft and chewy soya chaap dunked in spice-loaded curry. Enjoy it with some hot parathas and there you have it, a meal that instantly puts a smile on your face and makes your heart full. Across North India, soya chaap or sticks are enjoyed as the vegetarian alternative to chicken due to its texture.

While most of us enjoy preparing both the curry and dry versions of soya chaaps, we all struggle to store raw soya sticks for a long time. Here, we thought of bringing you some tips from Tarla Dalal to store soya chaap at home so that they stay fresh for longer.

How To Store Soya Chaap?

A post on renowned chef Tarla Dalal's official website has three key tips for storing soya chaap at home:

1. Store away soya chaap from direct heat, sunlight, or moisture.

2. If you are getting canned soya chaap sticks, consume them the same day.

3. If you are stocking up the chaap tins, they stay fresh for as long as 9 months if the directions on the packaging are followed.

Soya chaap remains fresh if stored in the freezer. However, the chaap sticks should be frozen properly. Take a plastic wrap or aluminium foil and start packing each chaap stick individually in it. Once wrapped, place all the soya chaap sticks in an air-tight container or freezer bag.

To completely prevent the risk of air getting into the container, use a vacuum sealer. It will help remove all the air. When using a freezer bag also, squeeze out the air before sealing the pack or there is the risk of ice formation on the sticks.

If you are storing soya chaap in bulk, label each pack with the date of storage. This will help you use the oldest ones first. (Soya chaap curry recipe)

It is a good idea to marinate soya chaap before freezing. Marination before freezing will help the chaap absorb all the flavour.

To ensure that the quality of soya chaap remains unaffected while in the freezer, keep checking the freezer temperature regularly. Fluctuations can harm the taste of the soya chaap. The freezer temperature should be below -18 degrees Celsius.

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Thawing Soya Chaap Sticks

In The Refrigerator

Take out soya chaap sticks from the freezer, transfer them to a plate, and place them in the refrigerator. The thawing time will be slower, it can take a few hours. You can also do it overnight.

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In Cold Water

Place the frozen soya chaap bag in cold water. Make sure the bag is completely dunked in cold water. Keep changing the water every 30 minutes to maintain the temperature. This process can take a few hours.

Avoid thawing the soya chaap sticks in a microwave as it will only partially thaw. It also isn’t advisable to cook soya chaap immediately after thawing.

We hope these tips help you up your cooking game, for more such cooking tips, stay tuned!