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?
Prep Time35 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: curry, north indian, tandoori, tofu, vegan
Servings: 4
Author: Sanjana
Ingredients
300gtofu puffs(I get mine from my local Chinese supermarket)
Fresh corianderchopped, to garnish
Lime or lemon wedgesto garnish
Paratha or naanto serve
Basmati riceto serve
For the homemade tandoori paste:
1tspwhole coriander seeds
6black peppercorns
2dried red chilliesor fresh if you like
2inchstick cinnamon
1tspcumin seeds
1star anise
4cloves
Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
1black cardamomoptional
1tspfennel seeds
1tspturmeric
2tbspconcentrated tomato puree
2tbspcoconut cream
1tspsalt
1tbsplemon juice
For the sauce:
1tbspoil
4clovesfresh garlicchopped
1tbspgrated ginger
3red chillieschopped (or to taste)
1tbspconcentrated tomato puree
400gpassata
1tbspground coriander
1/2tbspground cumin
2tspgaram masala
2tbspground almonds
2tspground green cardamom seeds
2tspground fennel seeds
400mlcoconut milk
1tspkasoori methioptional
2tbsplight brown sugar
Saltto 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.