Indian food is something my husband and I have never seen eye to eye on. I adore it. I would eat it all the time and be so very happy. My husband will not.
So going out to eat Indian food is something I just stared going to do with my girlfriends. There is no need to drag Dave out and make him eat a food he doesn't like. I am a nice wife. Here is my proof if ever there was any question.
Before we were vegan or even vegetarian, I would go to Indian restaurant near us that served tandoori chicken tikka masala. It was tandoori chicken with a side of the sauce for dipping. I always loved this more than having the chicken simmered in the sauce. The chicken was so delicious and flavorful on its own, that I only wanted a little sauce with it. I have always been one to order sauces, dressing, condiments on the side. I have not found another restaurant near me that serves it this way, and that was always my favorite thing to order.
You can simmer this recipe in the sauce which I did here since it is more the norm. Or you can serve the vegan tandoori chicken with the sauce on the side. You can decide for yourself how you would prefer to eat or serve this dish! Oh the power of choice….its glorious.
Making Indian food at home is also something I hardly ever do since 2 out of 6 people in my house actually enjoy it. The handful of times I actually have made Indian food, I have had a ton of leftovers to give away. I also am no expert at Indian cuisine but have always enjoyed trying new Indian recipes.
But the other day I was thinking about how much I miss chicken tikka masala and how I really wanted to make it with seitan vs tofu which is what I have done in the past. I also knew I could make it and share it with my friends next door, Yanira and Dustin, because they also love Indian food! I was confident I could try and make a vegan tandoori chicken that would be super flavorful on its own or could be turned into vegan chicken tikka masala as well. I basically just researched oven tandoori chicken recipes and decided how I could adapt that to work with seitan.
And being that the vegan oven tandoori chicken turned out so well, the next obvious step was tikka masala!!
This sauce is super simple to whip together and really flavorful. I keep the spice heat low so that at least a few of my kids will eat it, but feel free to kick it up if you like it HOT!
Since the chicken takes a day to make and allow to rest, I make the chicken the day before I want this dish. You can even make several days in advance. I tend to make seitan chicken or turkey when I have a few hours of free time, and then its ready and rested when I need it! The resting part is super important or optimal texture so you have to trust me when I tell you it is so much better when it rests.
The sauce its pretty quick and If the vegan tandoori chicken is already made and ready to go, this dinner can be done in less than an hour! You could also use any pre-made vegan chicken you can find or like for this dish, although it will not be as flavorful as the vegan tandoori chicken. You could also marinade some tofu in the tadoori seasoning and cook it up to add this recipe if you are at a place where you want to attempt seitan. It would probably still be really good!
Fry up a batch of vegan naan and you have a really delicious, and pretty easy vegan Indian dinner at home. And if your family doens’t love Indian food either, find a friend or neighbor that does and share :)
INGREDIENTS:
1 batch Vegan Oven Tandoori Chicken
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce
1/4- 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 large onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger or ginger paste
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/4 cups vegan plain unsweetened yogurt or sour cream
handful of chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large deep skillet, add the vegan butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.
Add the dry spices and let them cook for minute with the onion and garlic. Next add in the the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT for the sugar, water, and yogurt, stirring well, and reducing the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes.
Dice the tandoori vegan chicken pieces. Stir in the yogurt, sugar, and 1/4- 1/2 cup of water depending on how thick or thin you would like the sauce. Add in the cubed vegan tandoori chicken pieces and let them simmer in the sauce for another 20-25 minutes.
Serve vegan chicken tikka masala over basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.
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