Vegan Butter "Chicken" with Baked Tofu
40 min
Meal
Servings
Total
40 minPrep
10 minCook
30 minContains
soy
tree nut
Free from
peanut
sesame
gluten
Ingredients
-
¼ cup (32 g)raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour or at least 2 hours or overnight
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15.8 oz (450 g)extra firm tofu, pressed, cut into 1 cm cubes
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½ cup (120 mL)unsweetened soy yogurt
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1 tsp (3 g)ground cumin
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1 tsp (2 g)ground coriander
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½ tspground turmeric
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1 pinchsalt
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1 Tbsp (15 mL)vegetable oil
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5cloves garlic, minced
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1large onion, diced
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1fresh jalapeño, seeded and minced
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2 tsp (4 g)fresh ginger, grated
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1½ Tbsp (9 g)ground coriander
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1½ Tbsp (13 g)ground cumin
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1 tsp (6 g)salt
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¼ tspcayenne pepper
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1⅔ cups (400 g)canned diced tomatoes
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¼ cup (60 mL)canned tomato paste
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1⅔ cups (399 mL)canned full-fat coconut milk
Serves well with
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cooked rice
-
fresh cilantro
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lemon slices
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unsweetened soy yogurt
Make your own
Directions
- Soak the raw cashews in boiling water to soften. Set aside while chopping the vegetables.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- In a bowl, combine the tofu, yogurt, garam masala, cumin, coriander, and turmeric.
- Transfer the tofu onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake the tofu in the centre rack of the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, turning every few 5 - 10 minutes for even cooking, and to keep an eye on it to prevent burning.
- To a large pot on medium-high heat, sauté the oil, garlic, onion, jalapeño, and ginger until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan.
- Add in the garam masala, coriander, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring throughout to toast the spices.
- To the pot, add the drained cashews, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, agave syrup, and coconut milk. Blend everything using an immersion blender or transfer to a standing blender to blend until smooth. Let simmer on low, and cover with a lid. Once the tofu is golden, remove it from the oven and add it to the pot. Give it a gentle stir, and serve with rice, naan, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, some plant-based yogurt, and some lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Storage
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains 0%
Proteins 45%
• raw cashews
• extra firm tofu
• unsweetened soy yogurt
Fruits & Veggies 55%
• clove garlic
• large onion
• fresh jalapeño
• fresh ginger
• canned diced tomatoes
• canned tomato paste
Calcium
• extra firm tofu
• unsweetened soy yogurt
Fat
• raw cashews
• vegetable oil
• canned full-fat coconut milk
Nutrition info
We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.
Watch it step-by-step!
Discussion & Rating
This recipe is delicious. I have made it several times for my husband and me. Thank you for inspiring us to eat more plant-based.
It sounds like a lot of spices, but it all works SO WELL! If anyone is concerned about the spice, just reduce the cayenne (I halved it).
The second time I made this, I added some oil to the tofu so it would stick to the pan less. I also added some leftover cauliflower (1/4 a head) to the tofu mixture, and that worked great.
Highly recommend this!
I'm not familiar with Indian cuisine and I hadn't tried the "original" butter chicken before going plant-based, but this recipe was absolutely delicious and rather quick to make, I will definitely make it more often! Also love the new scale feature, makes cooking even quicker and easier when you're a student only cooking for yourself ;-)
I made this recipe for my boyfriend and our two children of 6 and 9 years old and they loved it. They are very picky eters and love meat (unfortunately - but on our way to become vegetarian) but they thought this dish was perfect. My boyfriend said he want to eat this every two weeks now.
I didn't notice beforehand that the cashews had to be soaked for at least one hour, I did only soak them for 20min. but it still came out very well.
Overall, very nice dish if you can find garam masala. I didn't have garam masala, so I made my own from scratch. I didn't have enough cumin, so my garam masala ended up being a bit too intense from other spices. So my suggestion - if you are mixing spices yourself, taste the dish as you add them. Lemon is listed as one of the serving suggestions, but I would highly recommend adding it. Without it the sauce part was lacking some acidity (at least for my taste buds). I didn't add any sweetener and I don't think the dish was missing it. To boost up the veggie content I also added some lightly sauteed broccoli and whole, toasted cashews - tasted great! Another important detail - you must use full-fat coconut milk. If you use reduced fat (like I did - I suffer from heartburn), the sauce will be a bit too runny.