Vegan Tikka Masala

Aromatic tikka masala with homemade curry paste, vegan yogurt, and coconut cream

Contents

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions

Ingredients

For the curry paste

• ½ onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 40g ginger, peeled and sliced into coins
• ½ red chili, de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
• Seeds from 1 cardamom pod
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Small bunch of cilantro stems
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the curry

• 400g vegan chicken (or extra firm tofu)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 20g vegan butter (or margarine)
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 can (400g) peeled plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons mango chutney
• 150ml unsweetened vegan yogurt
• 50g coconut cream
• Small bunch of fresh cilantro, for serving

Instructions

Step 1: Make the curry paste

Blend all the curry paste ingredients in a food processor until you have a thick paste. Set aside.

Step 2: Prepare the vegan chicken

Slice the vegan chicken or tofu into 3cm cubes and set aside.

Step 3: Start the curry

Heat the oil and vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fry for 3 minutes, until starting to brown. Add the curry paste and cook for 3 minutes more, adding a splash of water if it starts to stick.

Step 4: Add the tomatoes

Stir in the tomato puree. Squash the canned tomatoes by hand into the pan, then add the remaining tomato juice plus 100ml of water. Bring to a simmer.

Step 5: Simmer

Add the vegan chicken or tofu, cover with a lid, and simmer for 25–30 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down.

Step 6: Finish

Remove the lid and reduce the heat to low. Stir in the mango chutney, vegan yogurt, and coconut cream, and warm gently without letting it boil.

Step 7: Serve

Serve with rice, topped with fresh cilantro.