Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala (Vegan),Slow

Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala
(Vegan)
In my book, anything served on a stick is a winner. It seals
the deal if what’s on the stick is smothered in a charred
tandoori paste, restaurant style.
Here’s my take on a British-‘Indian’ dish. It’s loaded with
homemade tandoori spices, garlic, lemon, ground almonds and
coconut cream. The best thing about it is that it’s 100%
vegan. That’s got to get me extra brownie points, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it’s not an ‘authentic Indian recipe’
and have heard far too many times, ‘Ask any Indian what tikka
masala is and they won’t know.’ To this I say, ‘Whatevs’. For
me, this started out as a guilty pleasure dish I’ve grown to
love and adapt to my own tastes, incorporating my love for
tandoori dishes. I’ve gotten over it and I promise once you’ve
tried it yourself, you will too!
I’ve been obsessed with tofu puffs for as long as I can
remember. I like to think of them as sailboats for any sauce
or spice you add. They soak in flavours like there’s no
tomorrow and you don’t have to marinate them for hours. A lot
of the time, we make our weeknight stir fries in a matter of
minutes and thanks to these spongy little fellas, they’re
filling and seriously flavoursome. In this recipe, tofu puffs
the perfect carriers for my homemade tandoori paste and creamy
vegan tikka masala sauce. If you like a mild curry that still
packs a punch in terms of being aromatic, this one’s for you.
As compromised as I feel for not owning my own tandoor (I keep
telling myself it will happen one day), this works just as
well in the oven. Whack the temperature up as high as it goes
and cook your skewers for about 8-10 minutes or until slightly
charred. It’s also worth noting that while it’s not exactly
authentic to add tomato puree to a tandoori masala paste, I do
because I don’t like adding red food colouring. It’s tandoori
paste, not red velvet cake. However, if you don’t like
tomatoes, go ahead and add some red food colouring. This is
your dish.
If you can’t get tofu puffs (I get mine from our local Chinese
supermarket), try this with cooked cauliflower florets, baby
potatoes, paneer, mushrooms, idli pieces or anything else that
will hold its own on a skewer. If you still want to use tofu
but can’t get the puffed kind, try using firm tofu, weighted
and pressed for a few hours to remove excess water, cubed and
lightly pan-fried. I’m afraid that medium or silken tofu won’t
cut it on the kebab skewer for this recipe.
Also, an FYI that I used metal kebab skewers – they get really
hot so be careful if you’re using them too. If you can only
get wooden skewers, soak them in cold water overnight to
ensure they don’t burn in the oven.
Serve with flaky paratha, rice and lime wedges. It’s also
delicious with garlic and coriander naan.
Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala
(Vegan)
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g tofu puffs
Fresh coriander, chopped, to garnish
Lime or lemon wedges, to garnish
Paratha or naan, to serve
Rice, to serve
For the homemade tandoori paste:
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
8 black peppercorns
2 dried red chillies (or fresh if you like)
2 inch stick cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 star anise
4 cloves
Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom (optional)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
2 tbsp coconut cream
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the sauce:
1 tbsp oil
4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 red chillies, chopped (or to taste)
1 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
400g passata
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp ground almonds
2 tsp ground green cardamom seeds
2 tsp ground fennel seeds
400ml coconut milk
1 tsp kasoori methi (optional)
2 tbsp light brown sugar
Salt, to taste
Method
1. To make the tandoori paste, heat a dry frying pan until
hot. Add all the spices apart from the coconut cream, lemon
juice, salt and concentrated tomato puree. Toast until
aromatic, a couple of minutes but don’t leave it unattended
because it can burn very easily.
2. Place all the spices in a high-powered blender or coffee
grinder. I use my NutriBullet. Once ground to a fine powder,
stir in the lemon juice, coconut cream, tomato puree and salt.
3. Add the tofu puffs to the paste and give them a good mix,
taking care not to break the tofu pieces up. Set aside while
you make the vegan tikka masala sauce.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
5. To make the vegan tikka masala sauce, heat the oil in a
medium, non-stick pan. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies.
Sauté for a few moments before adding the concentrated tomato
puree. Cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, stirring all the
time. Add the passata, followed by the rest of the
ingredients. Give it a good whisk, cover and cook on a low
heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often.
6. Lightly grease a non-stick oven tray. Skewer the tofu
pieces onto your kebab sticks. Arrange on the baking tray and
pop into the oven for 8-10 minutes, turning them halfway to
ensure even browning. Remove from the oven.
7. Serve immediately, bringing the kebabs and sauce to the
table, letting everyone mix their own sauce and tofu pieces
for a bit of fun and drama. Garnish with chopped coriander,
lime or lemon wedges and extra coconut cream. Serve with
jalebi paratha or garlic and coriander naan and rice.
Love Sanjana
Slow-Cooker Channa Masala and
Fluffy Bhatura
Happy New Year! Firstly, I’d like to say I’m sorry I’ve been
AWOL for some time now. I promise I have a good reason. We did
it; we finally bought our first house!
It has a small kitchen, huge amounts of natural light and wait
for it… room for a photography studio! I can’t believe I have
a space fully dedicated to my passion. 8 years ago, I started
out with this blog, no camera and no clue. Now I have actual
shelves just for props. I hope I’m able to produce more
delicious recipes to share with you this year, all from my
little studio in my little house. Totally overjoyed.
So I’ve been spending the last few months working out what we
need to furnish it, upcyling old furniture (which I am loving,
btw) and spending my life on Pinterest. Although we’ve still
got a fair way to go with getting the house finished, I’m in a
good spot to get back on track with blogging. I kid you not, I
have a list of 89 recipes waiting to be shared this year so
brace yourselves.
Throughout the winter months, I crave belly-warming dinners to
soothe my soul after a long day at work and a chilly commute.
This traditional Channa Masala with Fluffy Bhatura (or Chole
Bhature, if you like) does the trick every time. I make a big
batch of my own spice blend, keep it in an airtight jar and
sprinkle it into an assortment hearty bean and lentil dishes
to ramp up the flavours. It includes a medley of cinnamon,
cloves and nutmeg predominantly – earthy and aromatic enough
to engulf the chickpeas in the wave of intense flavours they
so demand.
I add a shot of strong-brewed black tea to my chickpea curry,
for both a rich colour and aroma. If you’re using dried
chickpeas, add two teabags and soak overnight before boiling
and adding to the dish. However, I’m all about the shortcuts,
so use tinned chickpeas and add the tea straight into the
sauce for a whack of flavour and unashamed ease.
This dry curry with hot and sour flavours makes it the ideal
partner for fluffy fried bread and a tall glass of ice-cold
lassi. Go on, the weather is crap and your belly needs this.
Slow-Cooker Channa Masala and
Fluffy Bhatura (Chole Bhature)
For the Homemade Channa Masala Spice Mix (makes enough for
this recipe plus leftovers):
2 tbsp green cardamom seeds
3 black cardamom pods
9 cloves
4-inch piece cinnamon
6 tbsp coriander seeds
4
3
1
1
5
1
1
tbsp cumin seeds
tsp amchur (dried mango)
tsp anardana powder (dried pomegranate seed)
tbsp black peppercorns
bay leaves
whole nutmeg
tsp mace
For the Channa Masala (serves 6):
2x 400g tins chickpeas
300g passata (sieved tomato pulp)
240ml strong brewed black tea (1 teabag steeped in hot water
for 8 minutes, squeezed)
1 large onion, chopped
100g butter
4 green chillies, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2-inch piece ginger, grated
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric
3 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp homemade channa masala spice blend
For the Fluffy Bhatura:
135g plain flour
120g plain natural yogurt
Juice ½ lemon
120ml warm milk
7g fast-action dried yeast
30ml sunflower oil
¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1 tsp salt
Oil, for deep frying
Method
1. To make the Homemade Channa Masala Spice Mix, toast all the
ingredients in a dry frying pan until aromatic. Don’t take
your eye of it because it’ll burn quickly. Grind in a coffee
grinder. Pass through a fine-holed sieve and store in an
airtight jar.
2. To make the channa masala, heat the butter in a large pan,
add the cumin seeds and chopped onion. Cook until browned,
about 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to
combine. Pour into your slow cooker and cook on high for 5
hours. Stir it every hour.
3. Next, make the dough for the bhatura. Combine the yoghurt,
lemon juice and milk in a large bowl (it will increase in
volume and get frothy). Stir in the yeast and set aside for 10
minutes. Next, mix in the sunflower oil, ajwain, flour and
salt. Bind to make a dough, kneading for 10 minutes.
4. Place in a large, deep bowl, cover with a damp cloth and
leave in a warm place to double in size for two hours.
5. Once risen, knock the air out of the dough and knead
briefly.
6. Get the oil ready for deep frying. Pour into a large, deep
pan (I use a wok) and heat to 160C.
7. Make yourself a cup of tea.
8. Use a rolling pin and wooden board or flat worktop to roll
out the bhatura dough to approximately 3 inches in diameter
and 3-4mm thick. Place it into the hot oil very carefully and
use a slotted spoon to agitate it. It might take some practice
to get them to rise each time but you’ll get there, I promise.
9. Drain in a colander lined with a paper towel.
Some bhatura tips:
I found that the smaller I rolled them, the more they
rose so try not to make them too thin.
Use your hands to pick up the dough, swivel it round and
roll again to make a circle.
Only ever roll one side of the dough, not both.
Serve your channa masala and bhatura with sliced red onion,
chillies, yoghurt and far far, (because who doesn’t love those
multi-coloured crispy crackers?), plus a glass of salted
lassi.
Love Sanjana