Tofu Tikka Masala

Indian food… this is the type of food that my husband and I truly bonded over. It all began with an overly-spicy Vindaloo experience at a major chain during a date, but this led to a mutual love and discovery of Indian food. From the Vindaloo incident onward, we have made it our mission (and dare I say, hobby?) to try Indian restaurants everywhere we go, in search of the very best. Unfortunately, not all Indian restaurants measure up, but the experience is always fun!

This Tofu Tikka Masala recipe is a longtime favourite of ours. I use extra firm tofu in this dish and it really mimics the texture of Indian paneer. The recipe calls for the use of green chilies, however jalapenos work just fine. If you like your curry milder, just omit the chilies or just use one. The recipe also calls for the use of non-dairy yogurt – now I realize that many of these yogurts just don’t measure up. I have tried and really enjoyed the Silk Cultured Coconut (unsweetened/plain) and it works perfectly in this dish. If you don’t have access to a non-dairy yogurt that you enjoy, feel free to leave it out. The curry still tastes great without the yogurt! The yogurt simply provides a bit of richness and creaminess. I haven’t tried it, but I bet a dollop of cashew cream would work beautifully in this recipe too! For the most part, the ingredients are all things you’ll have in your pantry or are easily found at any regular supermarket. There are no overly exotic ingredients that are hard to find.

The nice thing is that the sauce gets blended up in to a smooth curry, and while you’re doing that the tofu is getting crisped up and filled with flavour in the same pan as you made the sauce. The tofu is like a sponge for all the drippings and crispy bits left in the pan. It’s absolutely delicious. Just look at that beautiful tofu:

After you fry your tofu, you return the sauce from the blender/food processor to the pan and cook for a few minutes to make sure all the flavours meld. You add the yogurt and cilantro, and then VOILA!  A gorgeous Indian curry!

Tofu Tikka Masala: Perfect served with basmati rice and roti!

Tofu Tikka Masala

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Cuisine Indian

Servings 3

Calories 323 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 block extra firm tofu cubed (about 250g)
• Oil for sauteeing
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 green chilies or jalapenos seeded and chopped
• 1 inch ginger peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Indian chili powder or cayenne
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can diced or crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup PLAIN vegan yogurt optional, see note.
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or more to taste

Instructions

 

• In a large pan, heat about 2 tbsp oil.
• Fry onions and chili until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add ginger and garlic, fry 2 minutes.
• Add in spices and sugar. Stir and fry until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes
• Add in tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cook about 5 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a blender or food processor (or use immersion blender) and blitz until smooth.
• In same pan, heat 2 more tbsp oil and fry tofu until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Return sauce to pan and simmer for 10 minutes. If too thick, add in a bit of water
• Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt and the chopped cilantro.
• Serve over rice, garnish with cilantro. Serve alongside roti or vegan naan.

Notes

The best vegan yogurt I've tried is the Silk Cultured Coconut - be sure you use the PLAIN UNSWEETENED variety. If you cannot find a decent vegan yogurt, you can omit it from the recipe. It's better with the yogurt, a bit creamier and richer - but the sauce is delicious without it.

If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below! 🙂