Recipes
Butter Chickpea and Tofu Vegan Curry
This mouthwatering vegan curry recipe by Melissa Delport is a keepsake. Quick and easy to make and a wonderful plant-based alternative to the much-loved dish, butter chicken.
Tofu is made from fermented soya beans, and you can find it at Asian supermarkets or your local health store. For this recipe, I recommend buying a GMO-free, firmer tofu as you want to fry it up so that it gets crispy. Not all tofu is created equal, so try them out and find the one that works best for you. Tofu will take on the flavour of what you cook it in, so although it can be perceived as bland if not cooked correctly, it can also be absolutely incredible when submerged in surrounding flavours. It is also naturally high in protein and a wonderful substitute for many meat products.
Melissa Delport
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 tbsp coconut oil
250 grams tofu (or paneer), cubed
¾ cup raw cashew nuts, roasted
1¾ cups coconut milk
3 tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup greek yoghurt or coconut cream
250 grams chickpeas, cooked
250 grams tender-stem broccoli
1 handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
½ red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp curry powder
3 tbsp massaman or Red curry paste
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste) ½ tsp salt
Method
- Cook the rice as per the packet instructions. Once the water has evaporated, remove from the heat and set aside with the lid on to steam.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. - Add the tofu and cook for roughly 3 minutes per side until crispy. Once ready, remove from the heat, drain on paper towel and set aside.
- Place the roasted cashew nuts, coconut milk, tomato paste, yoghurt or coconut cream and ½ cup water into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Using the same frying pan from the tofu, heat the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 5 minutes until the onion starts to caramelise.
- Add the curry powder, curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt and cook for another minute to release the fragrance of the spices.
- Once ready, pour in the cashew sauce and mix well. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little water to help it along.
- Once the flavours have developed, stir in the tofu and the chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Serve a generous ladle of curry with a helping of rice or naan bread and top with fresh coriander leaves and a crack of black pepper.
This recipe is an extract from Melissa’s recipe book, Heal: Begin with food.
Looking for other delicious plant-based recipes? Find more on our blog.
