By now you are all aware of how much I love Indian food. I’m obsessed with the flavors, the way ingredients are used, and all the different dishes. Indian recipes can be intimidating if you have never attempted them before. I was so overwhelmed when I first started studying them! But the first lesson I learned was that the techniques are the same just some of the ingredients are different. Once you get the ingredients, mostly spices, you can successfully tackle any recipe.
On Christmas Eve I made a huge meal with ten different recipes. Chicken biryani was the main dish but I really wanted to make chicken tikka masala. To avoid chicken overload I used tofu. I marinated it just like I would chicken but skipped the grilling step to save time. The tofu was a flawless substitution and we all went for seconds.
Since Christmas, I have made tofu tikka masala a handful of times making small adjustments every time. The recipe is adapted from Joy Kapur’s Chicken Tikka Masala recipe in India: The Cookbook. I have used his method and spice combinations but changed some of the ingredients to make this dish vegan and easily accessible any time of the year. The best part about it is that besides marinating, which can be done in advance, this dish comes together in about 30 minutes. I’m excited to share it so let’s jump right in.
Tofu
Not all tofu is created equal and the main difference is the texture. Tofu is made when nigari (a coagulant made from seawater) is added to soy milk, the milk curdles, and the solids are pressed into tofu. The longer the pressing time the firmer the tofu will be. You’ll find tofu ranging from a soft custard texture all the way to firm blocks that hold its shape like cheese. You can read more in-depth about the types of tofu here but today we are using a firm or extra firm block of tofu.
Firm and extra firm tofu hold their shape excellently. We are going to cube, marinate, and then simmer the tofu so something delicate that could fall apart won’t work in this recipe.
Once you have your tofu it is time to make the marinade. Traditionally chicken would be marinated in a mixture of yogurt and spices. The enzymes in the yogurt are used to tenderize the proteins in chicken but since we are not using chicken, I got rid of the yogurt altogether.
Fresh ginger and garlic are grated and combined with ground turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Kosher salt, of course, and a little neutral vegetable oil so everything is saucy to coat the tofu.
The cubes of tofu only need a few hours of marinating, let’s say three, but if you want to prep in advance you can marinate them overnight in the fridge.
Bring it all together now
Let’s clear up what masala means. Masala can mean a spice blend like garam masala which translates to “warming spices.” Or masala can be used to describe a spiced dish like tikka masala. Tikka refers to the marinated meat cooked in a tandoor and masala is the creamy spiced sauce.
Today’s masala is a tomato and coconut milk sauce spiced with garam masala. We have touched on garam masalas before and how they can vary by the quantity of each spice. Spices found in garam masala are coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, fennel, nutmeg, star anise, mace, and bay leaves. You can make your own but there are awesome premade options available and it is way more convenient. Burlap and Barrel’s blend is delicious and very anise forward. Spicewalla’s blend leans a little warm and sweeter. Test some out until you find a favorite.
The first time I made this tofu tikka masala I used fresh tomatoes because that is how the dish is traditionally made. Well, it was December and the tomatoes were flavorless. The dish was still good but it was a nice reminder to never use bland tomatoes in the middle of winter. My solution to this problem is to use a can of tomatoes which allows you to have great tomato flavor during any season.
The actual process of making our sauce is exactly the same as all the other sauces we have made. Alliums simmered until lightly brown for extra flavor, spices bloomed in the hot oil, add tomatoes, and simmer. Easy peasy right? Next, we add a can of coconut milk and ground almonds…
I had to do a good amount of research on why ground almonds (or cashews) are added to sauces and the reason is for consistency. It has nothing to do with flavor but it is all about the texture of the sauce. I was skeptical that a bit of almonds would really make a difference in the sauce but after leaving them out and then adding them back in, I’m sold. It won’t make or break your sauce but it will add an extra bump of creaminess. If you have almond flour on hand, go ahead and use that.