Description
Simplified vegan butter “chicken”. Seasoned tofu and chickpeas in an aromatic tomato based gravy – made in 1 pan and just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
The Tofu:
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 350g extra firm tofu
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
The Gravy:
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups passata or canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chickpeas (cooked from scratch for best savings)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds (see notes if using fenugreek leaves)
- 1/8 tsp hot red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp cane sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1/2 cup dairy-free unsweetened yogurt (or cashew cream, see notes)*
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Add 1 tbsp vegan butter to a large saute pan over medium heat and drain any excess liquid from the tofu. Pull the tofu into chunks using your hands (I find this helps to create a look closer to chicken because the edges are rough and the pieces are different sizes). Cook the seasoned tofu for 10 minutes or until the pieces are nicely browned.
- Meanwhile, have all your spices and other ingredients at the ready so you can add them quickly to make the sauce.
- When the tofu is nicely browned, add the additional 1 tbsp vegan butter to the pan.
- Add the cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and grated ginger. Toast those spices for 1 – 2 minutes until fragrant (stirring frequently).
- Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant.
- Add the passata or crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, the garam masala, fenugreek seeds, hot chilli powder, cane sugar, and salt. Cook for an additional 5 – 10 min until the tomatoes have thickened and started to reduce.
- Stir in the water and yogurt. Reduce the heat to low if the gravy is bubbling too much and cook for another few minutes until the gravy is warmed through.
- Serve alongside brown basmati rice (I like to toss mine with a bit of cilantro and lime juice if I have it) or my Turmeric Rice. And make my Easy 2 Ingredient Roti to scoop up that delicious gravy!
Notes
Approximate Cost:$6.99 CAD using chickpeas cooked from scratch and $7.89 using canned chickpeas. 350g extra firm tofu costs me $3.69 vs. upwards of $5 for just 350g boneless, skinless chicken breast.
If using fenugreek leaves add them at the end with the water and yogurt. Feel free to increase the amount to 1 tbsp.
If using my cashew cream recipe, make sure to omit the roasted garlic.
Add ⅛ tsp hot chilli powder to the tofu seasoning if you like a bit of extra spice.
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Indian inspired