Tofu Tikka Masala

Recipe inspired by Allrecipes.com

There’s an Indian restaurant on Chicago’s northwest sidethat will forever be my favorite place to eat until I’m uncomfortably full.Their lunch buffet taunts me with an ever-rotating selection of foods I can’t pronounce and heaps of garlic naan that does a fantastic job of sopping up the various flavors that manage to escape my fork. As I waddle out of the restaurant preparing myself for the impending food coma, I always promise myself I’ll save the 20 bucks next time and learn to make myself an Indian feast at home.

I don’t live in Chicago anymore, so the promise I made to myself became something I actually had to follow through with. That, or I had to find a new favorite Indian restaurant in Los Angeles. In case you didn’t get the memo from my first blog post, there is no good food in Los Angeles (except Taco Zone). So, I started experimenting in my kitchen. I have tried many times to replicate the complex flavor of the Tikka Masala sauce from Cumin without success, but I think I’ve finally nailed it. It’s not authentic by any means, but I don’t even care. It totally hits the spot when I’m craving something sweet and spicy.

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Tofu Tikka Masala
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of brown rice, uncooked
  • 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 container of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
  • ½ teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
  • Green onions and/or cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Cook your brown rice according to the package directions and set aside.
  2. Heat Earth Balance in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook and stir just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric into the onion mixture; fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir tomato sauce into the onion and spice mixture, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Simmer sauce for 10 minutes. Then mix in coconut milk, paprika, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bring sauce back to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until sauce is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Heat vegetable oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir tofu into the hot oil, sprinkle with curry powder, and sear for about 7 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer tofu and any pan juices into the sauce. Simmer tofu in sauce for about 5 minutes; adjust salt and sugar to taste.
  5. Spoon the Tofu Tikka Masala over brown rice and serve immediately.