My kids LOVE this dish! The smooth sauce, along with the spiced and flavorful tofu is real winner in our house. The tikka sauce can be made in advance and is very versatile - we've also had it with grilled vegetables in a salad and it was delicious. You can even replace the tofu with chicken if you prefer animal protein, but I really feel the tofu works better. This dish has several steps, especially if you're marinating the tofu the night before, so do familiarize yourself with the steps beforehand.
Ingredients:
(for sauce)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
21/2 tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
2 tbsp ginger, finely grated or minced
2 green chillies, crushed or finely chopped (optional)
11/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander/cumin mix
1/2 cup water
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
(for tofu marinade)
1 pack extra firm tofu
3 tbsp plain coconut yogurt (unsweetened)
4 tbsp avocado oil (1 tbsp for cooking tofu)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 inch fresh ginger, grated or minced
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
Method:
* Tofu preparation always comes first with this recipe. One of the most important steps is to drain the liquid out of the tofu.
* Place the tofu in between a muslin/dish cloth and place a weight on top (such as a tin of beans) and leave for 45 minutes.
* Place all of the ingredients for the tofu marinate in a large bowl, leaving out 1 tablespoon oil and mix together making thick marinade.
* Once tofu is ready, cut into small cubes.
* Add tofu to marinade and coat evenly.
* Leave in fridge for a minimum of 45 minutes, the longer the better. A few hours or overnight gives a deeper flavor.
* To prepare the curry sauce, heat coconut or avocado oil in a pan with medium heat. Add cinnamon and cumin seeds and wait for seeds to sizzle and pop.
* Then add onion and cook on medium to low heat until onions are browned. This may take up to 5-7 minutes.
* Add garlic, ginger and green chillies (if using) and cook for around 1 minute.
* Add ground coriander/cumin and cook for a further minute, stirring.
* Add tomatoes and salt, stir and cook on lower heat for around 15-20 minutes, until you have a nice thick sauce.
* Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
* Once cooled, place sauce in a blender (I used a Nutribullet) and blend until totally smooth. Return tikka sauce to saucepan. Taste and add salt if necessary and a little water if the consistency is too thick.
* Heat frying pan to medium heat, brush the remaining 1tbsp avocado oil all around pan and add tofu (depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in two batches).
* Cook until tofu is browned and lightly roasted on both sides. This usually takes around 8-10 minutes, turning halfway.
* Heat the sauce up and add the roasted tofu pieces to the sauce just before you're ready to serve.
* Sprinkle with chopped coriander and enjoy with rice or roti/chappati.
Yum!
Notes:
* The cinnamon and cumin are extremely important ingredients for the tikka masala flavour. Do not replace these with something else. * Draining the tofu is key to getting the flavor of the spices in this dish. The longer, the better.
* If replacing the tofu with chicken, you may need a little more oil in the marinade and can also cook up the chicken on the grill.
* You can replace the water for the sauce with vegetable or chicken stock.
