The News is Good! – Butter “chicken” aka Tofu

by Destini on December 4, 2012

With many months of worry, we finally have some answers. And they are good! It is crazy how much better just the simple words “you are healthy” can make you feel. For quite a long time I have always prided in the fact that I was a healthy person, never thinking that my husband wasn’t. And after a couple months of unknown, we now know that things are okay.  We are still waiting on one more test, but the Doctor feels quite good that it will come back okay too. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the past while the only real communication I have been doing constantly has been through Instagram(completely addicted BTW) and have been sharing some things that have been happening in he kitchen. Many of my lovely followers have seen one specific recipe that seems to be a want…..Vegan Butter “Chicken”. Couldn’t think of anything more perfect for Vegan Tuesdays!

Tofu

Ingredients:

  • 1 extra firm brick of tofu ( patted dry and pressed between paper towel and a plate with a pot/heavy books on top. Let it sit for 20-30min. Slice the tofu into 4 pieces.
  • 1t coriander powder
  • 1/4 t red chilli powder
  • 1/8 t turmeric
  • 1T lemon juice
  • salt to taste

Directions: Mix all ingredients together, minus the tofu. After the tofu has been pressed, dip each side into the spice mixture and let marinate for at least half an hour.

Over medium heat, add EVOO to pan and cook tofu on each side for a couple minutes till golden-brown. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cooled slice into cubes.

Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 3T of vegan butter
  • 1cup onion, diced
  • 1/2t of cinnamon
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2t of ginger powder
  • 1/2t garam masala
  • 1t ground turmeric
  • 2t red chili powder
  • 2t ground corander
  • 1/3cup sunflower seed butter
  • 28oz can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 2T tomato paste
  • 3/4cup coconut milk

Directions: Over medium heat, add butter, onions and cinnamon, when the onions start to soft, add the minced garlic. Saute for a moment, add ginger, garam masala, turmeric, chili and coriander, saute for 1 minute. This step is important as it allows the spices to release their maximum flavor. Scoop in the sunflower seed butter, tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix thoroughly. Once heated, transfer sauce to a food processor and process on low till sauce is smooth. This step if very important to allow to release all the flavors of the onions, garlic & tomatoes. Once processed, transfer back to pan, add tofu and bring to a slight boil, lower heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and heat through.  Serve over brown basmati rice. We always have a piece of nann bread on the side.

 

I apologize for the photos, with winter in full order here and daylight gone by 5pm(I get off at 5pm from work), I can’t get any decent photos with my current setup. I am researching other alternatives for lighting sources. I probably should have started this several months ago as I tend to do a lot of baking in the evening anyways.

Question: Are you excited for Christmas? I know I am!! It’s my favorite time of year 🙂

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

Autism News December 6, 2012 at 8:15 am

I just can’t get my family to eat tofu? I try hiding in lots of recipes, but haven’t tried in any of my curry recipes, will have to give a go.

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Destini December 6, 2012 at 12:34 pm

My husband doesn’t like tofu in many cases, but if you cut these to a smaller size cubes, he says he doesn’t even notice that they are tofu. Let me know how it works 🙂

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Destini December 6, 2012 at 12:36 pm

Another suggestion you can try is the Yves chicken tenders. They are also meatless and can be a substitute. I have never tried them, but this may be another suitable substitution.

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Stephanie December 6, 2012 at 5:25 pm

YUM!!! I will definitely have to try this one.

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Destini December 6, 2012 at 5:49 pm

Let me know how you like it!! My husband has been asking for it weekly as he usually can’t have this due to his lactose issue and the use of cream. hehe

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Courtney Jones December 9, 2012 at 11:16 pm

I am so glad to hear the news is A-OK 🙂 I’ve been worried! *hugs*

Also, this recipe sounds AMAZING! Yum! Jesse and I cannot wait to give it a shot. I’m still not a fan of tofu – but how can anything be bad in a butter “chicken” sauce!? 🙂

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Destini December 10, 2012 at 11:29 am

Thank you! We are quite relieved. Just in time for the holidays!

George feels the same way about tofu, but if you cut them a small enough size you don’t notice it :). Or as I suggested above, you could try those Yves chicken tenders

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Lindsey December 20, 2012 at 11:27 am

How did I miss this post?! That is such GREAT news! Hope you guys enjoy your Christmas 🙂

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Jennifer January 8, 2013 at 7:35 am

Is Vegan Tuesday Returning??? I hope soooooo!

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Anna July 2, 2013 at 7:33 pm

Just found your blog today and tried this recipe… it was absolutely amazing! My husband and I both loved it and even the kids seemed pretty happy. It will be in the regular rotation at our house I’m sure. Thanks!

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Destini July 2, 2013 at 7:59 pm

So happy that everyone liked it!!

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Patricia July 23, 2013 at 2:46 pm

OMG!!! Yesterday i made this amazing version of one of my favorite dishes before being vegan. And NOW THIS IS MY FAVORITE OF ALL TIME. Thanks for sharing this. If you have instagram (mine is patvslily) I made a nice picture of my plate 🙂

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Ylva Monsen October 28, 2013 at 7:02 am

Hei!
This recipe looks amazing, but as a vegetarian (not vegan) I was wondering what would be a good alternative to sunflower seed butter? Live in Norway and finding things like that would require too much effort to be worth it I’m fairly sure. And, can I use normal butter instead of vegan?

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Destini October 29, 2013 at 1:20 pm

Almond butter would work, even peanut butter would be just fine. It needs the stickiness. I hope you love it as much as we do 🙂

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Beatrice July 27, 2014 at 2:18 pm

LIIIES
I followed this recipe and it gave me… Drumroll please… A spaghetti sauce. NOT what I wanted. This is nowhere near any butter “chicken” I’ve ever eaten or seen. It does not match the image above in any way, and as I’ve said, it looks and tastes like a tomato sauce. Very disappointing but it’s an okay spaghetti sauce I guess. You should probably change the title of the recipe so that you don’t inadvertently deceive anyone else

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Destini August 22, 2014 at 8:38 am

I am sorry that this didn’t turn out for you. I have made it many times and it always appears as it does above. Did you blend the sauce?

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