Name: Vegan Butter Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp rapeseed oil; 400 g firm tofu, pressed and cubed; 1 onion, finely diced; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 2 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes; 240 g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 200 ml coconut cream; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp coriander, chopped

Vegan Butter Chicken

Tofu and chickpeas in a spiced tomato and coconut sauce, a plant-based take on butter chicken, simmered for 30 minutes.

45 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

Before You Start

Press and brown the tofu well.

Simmer the sauce until it darkens.

Taste before adding any sugar.

Cooking Vegan Butter Chicken

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Heat half the oil in a pan and fry the tofu for 8 minutes until golden. Lift out.
Heat the remaining oil and cook the onion for 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the garam masala, cumin, paprika and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and salt, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until thick.
Stir in the coconut cream, chickpeas and tofu and heat through for 3 minutes.
Scatter with the coriander and serve.

Why the Method Works

This is what to make in the first cold week, when a bowl of curry and rice feels like the right answer. The sauce follows the familiar butter chicken pattern, a smooth, mild tomato sauce enriched with cream, and here the cream is coconut.

The tofu replaces the chicken. Press it for 10 minutes, cut it into 2 cm cubes and fry until golden on all sides, which gives it a firm outside that holds up in the sauce. Do not skip the browning, as unbrowned tofu stays soft and tastes of very little. Chickpeas add bulk and absorb the sauce.

The sauce is built on onion, garlic and ginger, with garam masala, tomato purée and tinned tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes, until it darkens and loses its raw edge, then stir in the coconut cream. A spoonful of sugar can balance the acidity of the tomatoes, but taste first. Finish with fresh coriander and serve over rice or with naan.

After You've Cooked It

Keeps for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Common Substitutions & Variations

If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Good With

Basmati rice
Naan
Cucumber salad
Mango chutney