Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala
Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala is my ultimate guilty pleasure dish. Juicy chunks of puffy tofu, a smoky tandoori marinade and creamy vegan curry sauce.
It carries the flavour of an excellent Makhani sauce, with extra tandoori tofu. Indeed, it’s a vegan take on Britain’s favourite curry.
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.
How to make Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala
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.”. Wrong. It’s delicious and you must try it.
What type of tofu is best for Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala?
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.
Tofu puffs are pre-fried tofu cubes you can find in your local Chinese supermarket. If you can’t get these, substitute them for firm tofu. Drain it and pan fry it until golden.
How to cook with tofu puffs
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.
How to make Tofu Tikka Masala
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 they carry a slight char.
It’s also worth noting that while it’s not exactly traditional to add tomato puree to a tandoori masala paste, I do. However, if you don’t like tomatoes, go ahead and add some red food colouring. This is your dish.
What if I don’t have tofu?
If you can’t get tofu puffs (I get mine from our local Chinese supermarket), try this with regular firm tofu, 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.
What kind of skewers should I use?
I use flat metal kebab skewers. They get really hot so be careful if you’re using them too. If you only have bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water for an hour to ensure they don’t burn in the oven.
How to serve Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala
Finally, serve with flaky paratha, rice and lime wedges. It’s also delicious with garlic and coriander naan.
Tofu Tikka Masala recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g tofu puffs (I get mine from my local Chinese supermarket)
- Fresh coriander chopped, to garnish
- Lime or lemon wedges to garnish
- Paratha or naan to serve
- Basmati rice to serve
For the homemade tandoori paste:
- 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 6 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
- 400 g passata
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 2 tsp ground green cardamom seeds
- 2 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 tsp kasoori methi optional
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Kadai Tofu & Vegetables
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My partner and I just had this for dinner and all I can say is wow! We ate the whole lot between the two of us and we both felt that we could’ve eaten it twice! I will be recommending this to my readers immediately!
Sara, hello. That’s music to my ears. So glad you both enjoyed it!
hi i was wondering if i can use coconut milk instead of coconut cream for this recipie?
Sure can!
Thank you 🙂
how do i fix it, if it tastes like tomato sauce and cumin?
Hello. Boil it with a lid on for longer. It sounds like it hasn’t simmered for long enough and the spices haven’t had a chance to develop.
Ok, silly question, Is the dish in the bowl chicken or is hat tofu as well. I understand the skewers are tofu from the shape but the bowl looks fabulous
It’s tofu! Take a look at the recipe. The tandoori tofu pieces cooked on the skewers are removed from the skewers and put in the curry. It’s a totally vegan recipe. No chicken on this blog! ☺️
Hi Sanjana, I made this recipe exactly as specified and here are my thoughts. It smells absolutely divine (I took leftovers to work and my colleague was so distracted he ran out to get Indian food!) My colours however came out very different – the tofu marinade was much browner in colour (I did not burn the ingredients) and my gravy was light pink in colour. When mixed together they were closer to the restaurant tikka masala colour. Taste-wise, it’s a very spicy recipe but not a hot one, if that makes sense. The marinade was a bit too earthy for my taste but the gravy is so heavenly. Next time I make it (for I will definitely make it again), I may add a little less cardamom seeds and thrown in some kashmiri chili for colour.
I have never made Tikka masala at home because my husband can’t eat dairy and all the recipes call for yogurt in the marinade. Thanks for being so innovative 🙂
P.S. I used tofu puffs and seitan. This recipe works great with seitan (vital wheat gluten) if you want another vegan protein source in there. Seitan tastes better if stewed in the gravy unlike the tofu puffs and it’s a really nice textural contrast.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and share your thoughts. Love all of this and yes, I’m all for adjusting to personal taste. Kashmiri chillies are perfect for adding a deeper colour. Could be to do with the tomatoes – perhaps the ones I used were a little more concentrated. So glad you enjoyed the flavours and textures otherwise. I’m totally trying it with seitan next time! You’re always welcome and again, big thanks for your comment! x
Hi Sanjana This recipe looks something i would like to try. But could you tell me where i can buy Tofu puffs ?
thanks
Hi Sangeeta, check your local Chinese or south east Asian supermarket!
It looks so yummy.
I will try to make it for my son
i’m sure he like it.
I agree with the other blogger who said tell recipe works better with seitan than with tofu puffs. Where I stay we get tofu heaven and the recipe did look a bit unappealing with tofu so i used mock chicken (seitan) added a bit of food coloring (because we don’t all have great lighting) and hacked the the whole spices to ground (as usual with a son running around in the house) and it turned out well
Glad you had success with your own ideas, Priti!
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Excellent recipe. I absolutely loved it. Next time I would taste before adding sugar since tomato sauce may be on sweeter side already.
This was absolutely delicious, thank you! I would like to make again in a bigger batch, do you think the sauce would be OK to freeze?
Hi Rosanna, thanks for your lovely comment. So pleased you enjoyed it! You can make a bigger batch to freeze for later. Defrost at room temp and heat through before serving.
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