May 3, 2023

Tofu Tikka Masala

Tofu Tikka Masala is a plant-based version of the very popular Indian tikka masala dish. A lip-smacking and rich dish, this recipe tastes as delicious as a traditional tikka masala. The taste and flavors of this dish will transport you to your favorite Indian restaurant. While the traditional recipe calls for yogurt and cream, we’ve swapped in cashews and coconut instead to make it Plant-Based Whole30 compatible. The smokiness of the dish comes from the dried fenugreek leaves and the pan-frying of the marinated tofu.

Recipe tips and tricks:

  • An important step when cooking tofu is pressing out the water. That helps with building the flavors, so do not skip that step. You can use a heavy object or tofu press. (See this tutorial to learn how!)
  • While pan-frying the tofu, do not over-toast it, or else the tofu will not soak in the flavors of the sauce.
  • If you do not have ginger garlic paste, you can replace it with minced ginger and minced garlic.
  • Serve tofu tikka masala with a side of cauliflower rice, if desired.
  • Try it with a side of our Roasted Potatoes with Freshly Ground Spices for a truly out-of-this-world meal!

This recipe is by Dee and Pri of Masala Paleo. Make sure to check out their blog for more amazing recipes!

Recipe & photos by Masala Paleo

Tofu Tikka Masala

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients  

Marinated Tofu

  • 1 (14) oz block tofu
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

Sauce

  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tbsp Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 1/4 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil (or oil of choice)
  • 1 tbsp coconut cream (optional)
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • PRESS the tofu to take out the excess water by sandwiching it between two plates and placing a weight over it for 30 minutes. You can also use a tofu press to do this.
  • CHOP the tofu into small cubes.
  • ADD all ingredients in the marination section to the tofu and give it a good toss. Making sure that the tofu is well coated with the spices.
  • MARINATE the tofu for 30 minutes.
  • HEAT 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan.
  • SAUTE the chopped onion until they get translucent.
  • ADD the ginger garlic paste and sauté.
  • ADD the salt and the chopped tomatoes, and sauté the tomatoes until soft.
  • ADD turmeric and red chili powder, and let the spices cook for a couple of minutes.
  • TOSS in the cashew nuts and turn off the heat.
  • COOL the ingredients in the pan.
  • BLEND to a sauce-like consistency with 3/4 cup of water and set aside.
  • ADD 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and pan-fry the marinated tofu until golden. Avoid over-roasting.
  • REMOVE the tofu from pan and set aside.
  • POUR the blended sauce back into the same pan. You can add some water to get a thinner consistency.
  • ADD the dried fenugreek leaves, garam masala, and cumin powder, and cook for 2 minutes.
  • TOSS the tofu into the sauce and let it cook for a few minutes.
  • DRIZZLE with the coconut cream (optional).
  • GARNISH with chopped cilantro or herbs of your choice.

Recipe Notes

  • An important step when cooking tofu is pressing out the water. That helps with building the flavors, so do not skip that step. You can also use a tofu press.
  • While pan-frying the tofu, do not over-toast it, or else the tofu will not soak in the flavors of the sauce.
  • If you do not have ginger garlic paste, you can replace it with minced ginger and minced garlic.
  • Server tofu tikka masala with a side of cauliflower rice, if desired!
Pri and Dee from Masala Paleo

Priya Anavarathan and Deepshikha Ganjoo | Masala Paleo

Masala Paleo is the brainchild of Priya Anavarathan and Deepshikha Ganjoo, also known as Pri and Dee! We met virtually through a health and fitness community on Facebook and now we both are part of the amazing team that leads and runs the group. Spreading the love for fitness and nutrition to women in our community is a passion we feel very strongly about. We both ended up trying the Whole30 in our journey to heal our bodies through food. One suffering from PCOS while the other with an autoimmune disease called Hashimotos, we started being our own advocates and exploring how certain foods were affecting our bodies. The Whole 30 was an eye opening experience for us, and made us realize that eliminating certain foods from our diet helped us heal in ways that actual medicines couldn’t. Now we both are strong advocates of this food philosophy. Indian food is our soul food, so we have experimented and learnt how to make our soul food Whole 30 compatible. Through our food freedom, we also focus on gluten free Indian Food. During our Whole30, we realized there were very few resources out there for Whole30 India and Gluten Free food, so we decided to share what we learnt out through a lot of experimentation with you all. With Dee being from the very north of India and Pri being from the very south, we cover Indian recipes from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and everything in between. If you thought Whole30 Indian recipes were limited to just chicken tikka masala, you are in for a treat !