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This Tempeh Tikka Masala is vegan, has kale, and packs a complex flavor. Tempeh is cooked with Indian spices, then toasted to make tikka then added to Tikka Masala sauce Jump to Recipe
This creamy masala curry, is a perfect addition to a cozy dinner, served hot with Indian Naan Bread or Basmati Rice. Depending on your spice preference, reduce the heat (cayenne, hot green chile) and serve it with Naan bread or Rice or over cooked Quinoa. Tikka Masala, butter masala , Makhani are curries often used interchangeably in restaurants. These are not totally authentic to Indian cuisine. The origins of the tikka masala stem from butter masala/makhani versions from Punjab, North India and Pakistan. Meat Tikka masalas or Paneer(cottage Cheese) Tikka masala are a staple in most restaurants now.
The base curry is very similar. Makhani or butter masala. is usually the creamier version with more butter and fresh cream or cashew paste.
Tikka Masala. is the tangyier version with more tomatoes/tomato paste. The curry is glutenfree. To make soy free, use seitan or cubed soy free patties or chunky veggies.
There is no standard recipe for the Tikka Masala. Many restaurants have their own versions. This is the way I usually make it. This one is adapted from my Mom’s version, my own taste preferences and a few elements incorporated from other chef’s versions seen over the years. Kale or your choice of greens add some more nutritional punch to this curry. This is one of the longer recipes, but that flavor play with each bite is worth the effort! You can change it up for several variations.
Add whole roasted cashews an raisins with veggies to make Korma.
Add some mango puree to the curry for a sweet and spicy mango curry.
Variations: Make this tikka masala sauce and add whatever veggies or beans or chickpeas when you add non dairy yogurt, and simmer until the veggies are tender. You can also freeze the sauce. Make the sauce, add non dairy yogurt at step 6 (dont add the non dairy milk) and simmer for a few minutes to thicken. cool and freeze. Thaw, add non dairy milk as needed and simmer with the veggies, tofu, chickpeas, beans, lentils etc or whatever you want to make the tikka masala of.
Get this popular recipe also in my cookbook! Available Internationally May 19, 2015!
Tempeh Tikka Masala with Kale. Vegan Glutenfree
This Tempeh Tikka Masala is vegan, has kale, and packs a complex flavor. Tempeh is cooked with Indian spices, then toasted to make tikka then added to Tikka Masala sauce
Ingredients
Tempeh Tikka marinade:
- 4 oz Tempeh cut into small cubes, about 3/4 cup (ensure tempeh is gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tsp nondairy yogurt
Tikka Masala Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons organic canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika or Kashmiri mirch
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- a generous pinch of asafoetida, hing - optional - omit to make gf
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, methi
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 medium onion chopped small, 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup packed finely chopped Kale leaves , or greens of choice
- 3 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1 inch ginger
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- 1 green chili or to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon raw sugar
- 3 tbsp plain unsweetened non dairy yogurt
- 1/4 cup or more nondairy milk such as almond milk
Instructions
Tempeh Tikka:
- Mix all the ingredients of the marinade and add Tempeh. Let sit for 5 mins (optional)
- Transfer to a pan and cook the mixture over low-medium heat, partially covered for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed by the tempeh.
- Once the tempeh is dry, add a teaspoon of oil and toss on medium for 2-3 minutes, until the edges of the tempeh become golden. Take off heat and keep aside.
Tikka Masala Sauce:
- Meanwhile, in a deep medium pan, add 2 teaspoons oil and heat over medium.
- Add the onion and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally till it becomes translucent and golden.
- Blend the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chili into a smooth puree and set aside.
- Add the spices (turmeric, coriander powder, hing, garam masala, paprika and fenugreek leaves) to the onions, and mix well. Add Kale, mix and cook for another minute.
- Add the tomato puree to the onion mixture and cook over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally, until the mix thickens, comes together and leaves oil on the sides.
- Add the crisp tempeh, and non dairy yogurt, salt and sugar and mix well.Taste and adjust spices, salt.
- Add almond milk to get the curry consistency you like. Mix well and bring to a boil on low medium heat.
- Take off heat, serve hot topped with fresh chopped cilantro, with Indian flat breads (Roti/Naan) or Basmati rice.
Notes
Make this tikka masala sauce and add whatever veggies or beans or chickpeas when you add non dairy yogurt, and simmer until the veggies are tender.
You can also freeze the sauce. Make the sauce, add non dairy yogurt at step 6 (dont add the non dairy milk) and simmer for a few minutes to thicken. cool and freeze. Thaw, add non dairy milk as needed and simmer with the veggies, tofu, chickpeas, beans, lentils etc or whatever you want to make the tikka masala of. Nutritional values based on one serving
You can also freeze the sauce. Make the sauce, add non dairy yogurt at step 6 (dont add the non dairy milk) and simmer for a few minutes to thicken. cool and freeze. Thaw, add non dairy milk as needed and simmer with the veggies, tofu, chickpeas, beans, lentils etc or whatever you want to make the tikka masala of. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Calories: 226kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 440mg, Potassium: 764mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 3655IU, Vitamin C: 56mg, Calcium: 184mg, Iron: 2.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
I’m planning on making this tonight (I have your cookbook!) but I only have fenugreek seeds, is there any way I could substitute them for the leaves?
powder the seeds and use a fourth amount of leaves listed
So so so good! Cannot stress enough! I was astounded that I was able to produce something this good! A must-make.
awesome!
Hi Richa, I just made the Tikka Masala sauce from your first book and noticed that vinegar is added there, but not in the recipe you posted here. Is there a reason for that? I didn’t have cider vinegar and used red wine vinegar instead. Maybe I didn’t cook the sauce long enough after adding the vinegar (the chickpea tofu I added was rapidly disintegrating), but I can still taste the vinegar in the sauce. Is the vinegar necessary? The sauce was still awesome though. I used coconut yogurt for the first time and am amazed at how “yogurty” that tastes….
Thanks as always for all your great recipes!
You can omit the vinegar. You can also add it earlier so that it cooks out. Vinegar and wine are things that should cook long enough to cook out the initial strong flavor and mellow into the dish. You can reheat it with a bit of cashew cream. In my second book, i use tomato paste for the additional tang. Recipes evolve over time, and also change a bit based on when and where they appear. The second book is about easy recipes with everyday ingredients while the first was a combination of authentic and easy.
Richa,
I have only very recently stumbled across your blog, and I cannot tell you how excited I am to start trying to replicate some of your dishes. An avid fan of Indian cuisine in my pre-vegan days, I have searched high and low in the previous few months to try to find vegan, healthy, tasty alternatives to what used to be my favourite dishes, and I now kinda feel like I’ve hit the jackpot! I have bookmarked a plethora of your gorgeous-looking recipes, and I am very much looking forward to trying this masala out as my first attempt within the next few days. As it’s rather difficult for me to access tempeh, I am going to try giving chickpeas and veg a whirl.
I’ll report back! Many thanks!
Thats amazing!I am so glad you found me 🙂 There are a bunch of Indian recipes on the blog ranging from easy to a bit more steps/ingredients .. https://veganricha.com/category/indian-vegan-recipes
And my first book is all Indian vegan recipes with all thepopular recipes as well as regional everyday Indian food. https://veganricha.com/vrikamzn
Hi, again, Richa!
I made this last night and it was beautiful! I was concerned because sometimes I expect way too much out of dishes, but it turns out that I didn’t expect enough from this one! I used spring greens instead of kale and added some steamed broccoli in at the end, and the taste of the spices was sublime. I’m definitely going to making this again, and I am looking forward to trying out many different recipes on your site. I actually want to cook this again in the next week or so for some friends, and I was hoping you could give me some tips on how to double up on this recipe. Is it as easy as simply doubling up on all of the ingredients? I don’t want to presume so as I love the balance of the spices in the dish and understand how easy it could be for one of them to overpower the rest. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated!
As for your first cookbook, I do have my eye on it (and your second, to be honest). I looked through the recipe index on Amazon and the vindaloo is crying out to me, along with pretty much every dish I saw listed! I can assure you that as soon as I have the disposable funds I will be making a purchase.
Thank you so much. I hope you have a wonderful day!
I made it this past weekend and it was so good! I’ve made tempeh before but I guess I didn’t steam it long enough before because it came out very bitter. This time I steamed it for 25 minutes (for good measure) and followed the recipe. You honestly can’t event tell it’s tempeh, tastes like chicken to me (or maybe that’s because it’s been a long time since I’ve had chicken, ha!). Great recipe!. And I got my tikka fix too 🙂
Doh! I forgot to mention…I baked my tempeh cubes (15-20min @ 425F) in the marinade instead of frying as I’m trying to reduce the oil intake. It probably wasn’t as crispy as frying in a pan but the texture was fine to me.
Thats awesome! Yes steam it for longer then marinate for longer if using marinade style tempeh. these steps usually help with the bitterness.
Hi – can I use canned tomatoes (fresh are flavorless right now) in this recipe? Looks awesome and I want to make sauce in bulk to freeze! Thanks!
sure. and yes the sauce is freezer friendly.
So incredibly delicious—as good as what restaurants make, not that any use tempeh (a few will sub tofu). I steamed the tempeh first—just used to doing that. Didn’t brown it per se—trying to avoid oil except where absolutely necessary. Didn’t have yogurt—subbed cashew cream. Yum yum yum! Served with your corn dish…
This was DELICIOUS! I used unsweetened coconut yogurt and loved it. As a vegan with Caribbean parents living in Canada, I’ve found it very difficult to find flavourful vegan recipes that remind me of my parents’ cooking. Thank you so much, Richa!
Hi, this recipe looks fab. Howeverm I cannot find tempeh where I live the UK. Can you suggest any meat type texture subtitution or is tempeh something I can make myself?
Also, I am considering purchasing your new cookbook. I avoid coconut oil/milk and cream. Does the book contain a lot of coconut? Finally, in the recipes that do contain coconut do you give alternative substitutions that work and have been tried and tested?
Best of luck with your new book, it looks amazing.
Thanks.
How about soy curls or seitan?
No the book doesnt use too much coconut. Often the coconut milk can be subbed by any other non dairy milk. In Some of the recipes that use shredded coconut, you can omit it or use sesame seeds. Subs will depend on each recipe.
Hi, thanks for your reply.
Unfortunately, I have never seen soy curls or seitan in the UK. Is seitan something I can make myself? Soy curls sound like a ready made soy product that has not hit the UK supermarket/health food shop shelves yet! I’m not sure if London has this kind of sub in the shops or not. I live in North Yorkshire quite a long way from London.
It is a problem sometimes with cookbooks that are not published with the UK market in mind and it is hard to sometimes find substitutions for recipes.
I am however grateful for your suggestions and appreciate you replying to my comment, but obviously this will put me off possibly purchasing your book in the future.
I am glad to hear that the coconut milk can be subbed for other milks. . I do make my own nut milks using my Vitamix blender, but sometimes the recipes can vary with the success…….when substituting them for coconut milk.
You mentioned using sesame seeds are you able to give me any idea how much and when and how to substitute them in your recipes?
Thanks in advance.
For the sesame seeds sub, it really depends on the recipe. 3 or 4 recipes use coconut as a garnish, so use the same amount. I think there are 2 or 3 recipes that have coconut in the sauce, that you can omit or use the same amount of sesame seeds.
Seitan can be made at home. Its just wheat gluten -> https://www.theppk.com/2009/11/homemade-seitan/
I have seen tempeh in UK based books as well. Someone mentioned https://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/brand/IMPU.html.
But you dont have to use any of these.
In my book, there are about 20 recipes that use tofu or tempeh or seitan. Out of 150 recipes. so 130 recipes do Not use any meaty things. You can use chickpeas or veggies or chickpea flour-tofu(recipe in the book) in any of the recipes. There are examples of using chickpeas and veggies in other recipes in the same chapter so you can mix and match those steps. Make chickpea tikka masala or tofu tikka masala. Many recipes mention in the notes how to as well.
Hope this helps! Also look at the Look inside feature on amazon. The entire 150 recipe recipe list is in the first few pages. You can read through it to see. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Richas-Indian-Kitchen-Traditional/dp/1941252095
Indian food is a lot of veggies, lentils, chickpeas. one chapter in the book has the restaurant style curries which generally favor meat, and hence the meat subs. But everyday home cooked Indian food is actually meat-free and hence doesnt need any meat subs. Also see the blog index for an idea of the recipes. You will find very few recipes that use meat subs. https://fettabbau-trim.today/category/indian-vegan-recipes%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thank you for all the information and links that you have kindly forwarded. I will take a look and I will be buying your book having looked at it in more detail on Amazon UK.
Thanks again.