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Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken with Soycurls and Chickpeas. 15 minute Active time! 1 Pot Creamy Indian Butter Soy Curls, Vegan Murgh Makhani. Use all chickpeas for soy-free. Vegetarian Gluten-free Recipe. Oil-free Nut-free option. Skillet option Jump to Recipe
Its no Butter No Chicken you all. Then why call it that? Well search! Most people search for vegan butter chicken for some reason and not vegan soycurls in no butter butter sauce or other variations ;). So here goes.
This recipe adapted from my popular Butter Tofu recipe. To make a skillet version, use the butter tofu recipe with soy curls. Just simmer the soy curls in the sauce with a up of water for 15 minutes. I use a combination of soy curls and chickpeas in this version and don’t use any oil. You can add some oil or vegan butter with the cashew cream to make it even more like restaurant flavor profile. Don’t have soy curls ? use all chickpeas, beans or veggies.
Its a super simple recipe. Blend up the tomato, garlic, ginger, chile. Add to the IP along with spices, soy curls and chickpeas, close and cook. Add some cashew cream and simmer for a few minutes to thicken, garnish and done! The garnish of fresh minced ginger and chile and some dried fenugreek takes this dish to an amazing flavor level. Make it!
Soy curls are a meat sub made with whole non gmo soy beans. You can find them in some stores or online on amazon. You can also use other bean curls! Look for “Wadi” in Indian stores made of moong dal, black eyed peas and other lentils/beans. The texture is different but they work equally well. You can also use seitan, tvp, soy chunks, beyond meat strips other chickin subs.
More IP recipes.
- Lentil Veggie Dhansak – Lentil Veggie Stew in IP. GF
- Kohlapuri Veggies – Veggies in sesame coconut sauce GF
- Mushroom Matar Masala GF
- Bombay Potato and Peas GF
- Aloo Palak Dal- Potato Spinach Lentils in IP. GF
- Eggplant Sambhar – Eggplant Split pea soup
- Aloo Gobi – Spiced potato and cauliflower
This recipe is adapted from my Butter Tofu “Paneer” recipe and the IP method is adapted from twosleevers’s butter chicken. Urvashi has some great tips on cooking indian food under pressure. This recipe benefits from a good fresh garam masala blend. I usually keep my garam masala in whole spice form and then grind it about a 1/4 cup at a time for a potent spice blend. Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) can be bought online or from an Indian store. If you cant find them, omit and add 1/4 tsp ground mustard instead. Indian restaurants generally add fenugreek for the flavor and of course a ton of cream and butter.
If you make the recipe, please do rate it. I also love to see your creations, so do tag me #veganricha on Instagram.
Vegan Butter Chicken Video:
Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken with Soy Curls and Chickpeas - oil-free
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe tomatoes , or 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 inch cube of ginger
- 1 hot or mild green chile, , I use serrano
- 3/4 cup water, , use 1 cup if the tomatoes arent very juicy
- ½ to 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp paprika or kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup soy curls, (dry, not rehydrated)
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/4 cup soaked cashews blended with ½ cup water, , or 1/2 cup cashew cream or other non Dairy cream
- 1 tsp or more garam masala
- 1/2 tsp or more sugar or sweetener
- 1 tsp kasoori methi - dried fenugreek leaves, or add a 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 moderately hot green chile, finely chopped, or use 2 tbsp finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 tsp minced or finely chopped ginger
- 1/4 cup cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Blend the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chile with water until smooth.
- Add pureed tomato mixture to the Instant pot or pressure cooker. Add soy curls, chickpeas, spices and salt. Close the lid and press manual/pressure cook at high pressure, for 8 to 10 minutes. (6 minutes for stove top pressure cooker). Quick release after 10 minutes. (See notes for Stove top instructions)
- Start the IP on saute (medium heat for stove top pressure cooker). Add the cashew cream, garam masala, sweetener and fenugreek leaves and mix in. Bring to a boil, taste and adjust salt, heat, sweet. Add more cayenne and salt if needed. Fold in the chopped green chile, ginger and cilantro and press cancel(take off heat).
- At this point you can add some vegan butter or oil for additional buttery flavor. Serve hot over rice or with flatbread or Naan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made it yesterday for dinner, didn’t use chickpeas as I didn’t have any, I replaced them by vegetables and peas. We loved it thank you !
What if you don’t have an instapot?
there is a stove top skillet version linked on the post. See recipe notes on this recipe to use soy curls https://fettabbau-trim.today/2017/05/butter-tofu-paneer-tofu-butter-masala-recipe.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I used soy chunks for the first time this week and they didn’t really excite me. The slight rubberyness in the chew and small burst of veggie flavor did it. Can you describe the ‘wadi’ a little more? I have an excellent Indian market here in NJ and would like to try it.
The spice blend in this recipe looks like a pleasant smelling house next week.
Thanx.
soy chunks generally would need a longer simmer time to infuse with flavor and also reduce the chewyness. I am also not personally fond of them, but they work with the long simmer time. Wadi are made by soaking the beans or dal overnight, then blending to a thick batter, piping that batter onto sheets and sun drying it. flavor depends on the bean. Most wadis are not chewy as the beans or dals used dont have that property like soy beans. Depending on the size, the wadis might need additional cooking time to rehydrate well. get a small packet of moong or urad dal wadi to try out.
Thanx so much for the info and quick reply. I’m definitely trying the wadi soon.
I didn’t know you could substitute ground mustard for kasoori methi. I’ve used a mixture of freshly ground celery and fennel seeds (or in a few occasions fresh fennel and celery leaves).
you can do a bit of celery as well. I feel like sometimes the flavor an overpower, so i use mustard which is safer and gels better. Though i strongly suggest getting some dried fenugreek leaves!
Hi Richa, this sounds delicious. I’ve never purchased soy curls. But I did buy dried soy chunks at the Indian market recently. Are they either the same or a good substitute? Thanks.
yes those will work. they have similar texture, but probably a bit more processed.
Oh man. This looks like a winner. I can’t wait to try it. Do the soy curls need to be reconstituted or do we use them as is for this recipe?
no, they get reconsistuted with the liquid in the IP during cooking.
Do you soak the curls first for the recipe or put them in dry?
dry. they get reconstituted with the liquid in the IP during cooking.
this looks amazing! i don’t have an instant pot, but i do have a stovetop pressure cooker. it has high (15psi) and low (8psi) settings, which would you suggest for this recipe?
the 6 minutes is for high pressure (15 psi) as many stove top pressure cookers just have one high setting. I have made it in my old cooker at high pressure. Keep the flame at medium to slightly lower to avoid scorching. If the dish dries up or scorches easily, try 10-12 minutes at low pressure.
What are soy curls and where do,you get them?
I get Butler soycurls. They are available online on amazon or in some stores like whole foods. https://www.amazon.com/Butler-Soy-Curls-bags-pack/dp/B008EMAF0G/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1507436911&sr=8-4&keywords=butler+soy+curls
I think they’re cheapest directly from Butler Foods. Best if you can split a larger order with someone; they include samples then (like their addictively yummy soy curls jerky!)
Hey Richa! Thank you so much for mentioning my butter chicken recipe! I too use soy curls in a vegetarian version of butter chicken. It’s so good thst way! Your recipe here sounds delicious. Can’t wait I try it.
Thank you urvashi! I was hesitant to try the no roasting method when i saw you mention it in the IP group (ingrained Indian cooking :). Then i tried my butter tofu with it and it worked well. Soy curls are definitely a great sub. I do prefer stove top and baked tofu 🙂