Someone you love eats plant-based, and you want to make them something warming, something comforting. A tikka masala, the creamy, fragrant Indian sauce, in a plant-based version. I’ve given the recipe my own twist: a touch of coconut cream for sweetness, peanuts for crunch.
Two recipes in one
Good news: you learn two things at once. A homemade masala sauce you can bring back with tofu, chickpeas or other vegetables: make it once, serve it ten times. And a pan of peppers with peanuts that’s great on its own too. Here we bring them together, but nothing stops you from keeping them apart another time.
The secret: toast the spices
This is the step not to skip. Before adding the tomato, fry the spices dry with the onion for 30 seconds. It wakes up the aromas, warms the garam masala, and the whole sauce reaches another level. Thirty seconds that make the difference between a decent sauce and one you won’t forget.
The sweetness of coconut
Classic tikka masala is finished with yogurt and cream. Here, plant-based yogurt and coconut cream do the same job: they soften the acidity of the tomato and round out the spices. Coconut also brings a slightly sweet note that goes well with the heat of the ginger. Always add them off the heat, so the yogurt doesn’t split.
Plant-based tikka masala with bell peppers, coconut and peanuts
Ingredients
The masala sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 cm fresh ginger grated
- 3 tbsp garam masala or curry powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 800 g tomato passata
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar or stevia
- 400 g plant-based yogurt
- 200 ml coconut cream
The pepper pan
- 4 bell peppers red, yellow, green…
- 4 onions
- 1 bunch scallions white and green parts separated
- 60 g peanuts
- 3 tbsp chopped ginger
- 2 tbsp olive oil
To finish
- ½ lemon juice only
- fresh cilantro
- basmati rice to serve
Prep
- The sauce: brown the onions for 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, 1 minute. Stir in the spices and toast for 30 seconds. Pour in the passata, salt and sugar, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the yogurt and coconut cream.
- The pepper pan: meanwhile, sauté the peppers, onions, scallion whites, peanuts and ginger until the peppers are tender.
- Bring it together: pour the sauce over the peppers and warm through gently. Lemon, cilantro, scallion greens.
- Serve over basmati rice.
- The trick: toast the spices dry for 30 seconds before adding the tomato, that’s what releases all the aromas. And keep some sauce aside: it’s also delicious with tofu or chickpeas.
A generous, fragrant, indulgent dish! Exactly what you want to serve someone discovering plant-based food. If you try it, tell me about it.
You’ll find me on Instagram: @le_labo_vegan_de_fred.
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