Eat Your Veggies with This Super-Tasty Tikka Masala
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I’m not vegan, but I am a big fan of vegan recipes. I’m always looking for ways to eat more vegetables, and I feel like plant-based recipes do a great job of keeping the vegetables front and center. During the winter, I spend a lot of time looking for plant-based, vegetable-heavy recipes that are hearty and warming enough to be appealing and comforting even when there’s an ice blizzard outside. This plant-based take on vegetable tikka masala fits the bill perfectly.
You start by blitzing onion, garlic, ginger, and cilantro in a food processor with a bit of olive oil until you have a simple sauce that’s going to add a ton of flavor. To make the tikka masala, add that sauce to a pan with onions sautéed with cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and paprika. Then mix in canned tomatoes and coconut milk and coconut yogurt to give it that characteristic tangy flavor and creamy texture. (If you don’t avoid animal products, you could use dairy yogurt here.)
That sauce can be used with any protein or vegetables that strike your fancy, but the goal of this recipe is to make a vegan dish that really highlights the vegetables, so the author adds a generous array of cauliflower and carrots and lets them simmer in the sauce for about 20 minutes, or until they’re tender and delicious. Once the dish is just about done, you’ll add frozen peas and chickpeas and let them cook until they’re heated through.
The author also says this dish makes amazing leftovers, and says this vegetable tikka masala might even be better on the second day than it is when you make it, so try making a big pot and get your meal planning done early this week.
Get the recipe: Loaded Veggie Tikka Masala from Food with Feeling