Chickpea Tikka Masala
We love this vegan dish inspired by the nation's favourite dish. Ready in just 15 minutes, it's a brilliant plant-based midweek meal with plenty of flavour.
From the book
The Happy Pear: Recipes for Happiness
Inspiring ideas for vegan and vegetarian cooks
Simple family favourite recipes
Classic dishes with a vegan twist
Introduction
Chicken tikka masala has been called the UK’s national dish, originating when a chef added tomato soup to a curry to make it less spicy! Our version, based on chickpeas and mushrooms, is rich, creamy, and lovely and ‘meaty’!
Ingredients
| For the paste: | |
| 1 tbsp | cumin seeds |
| 1 tbsp | coriander seeds |
| 2 | cloves of garlic |
| a thumb-size piece of fresh ginger | |
| ½ | a fresh red chilli |
| a bunch of fresh coriander | |
| 1 heaped tsp | garam masala |
| ½ tsp | smoked paprika |
| 1½ tsp | sea salt |
| ½ tsp | freshly ground black pepper |
| 1 tbsp | tomato purée |
| 1 x 400g | tin of chopped tomatoes |
| For the curry: | |
| 3 | scallions |
| 300g | mushrooms (we love oyster, but any mushrooms will do) |
| 1½ tbsp | oil |
| 2 x 400g | tins of chickpeas |
| 1 x 400ml | tin of coconut milk |
| juice of ½ a lime | |
| chilli flakes (optional) |
Essential kit
You will need: a blender.
Method
1. In a dry frying pan, fry the cumin and coriander seeds for 3–5 minutes on a high heat until the cumin seeds start to pop, stirring regularly. Peel the garlic and ginger.
2. To make your paste, whiz together the garlic, ginger, chilli, the stalks from the fresh coriander (setting the leaves aside for later), the garam masala, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes and the toasted cumin and coriander seeds in a blender until smooth.
3. Chop the scallions into small slices and cut the mushrooms into small bite-size pieces. Put the oil into a large frying pan over a high heat, and once the pan and oil are hot, add the mushrooms and fry for 3–4 minutes. If the mushrooms start to stick, add a few tablespoons of the paste.
4. Drain the chickpeas, rinse thoroughly and add to the pan together with the chopped scallions, the rest of the paste and the coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for a further 2 minutes.
5. Squeeze in the lime juice, taste, and season with more salt, pepper and maybe some chilli flakes if you think it needs it. Chop the reserved coriander leaves roughly and sprinkle over each serving as a garnish.
6. Lovely served with soya yoghurt and toasted almond flakes on top.
