Serves a Crowd

Tofu Tikka Masala

by:
February 13, 2015
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

This is probably a weeknight recipe, but I like to make a double-batch on Sunday nights and have a very happy work lunch on Monday. Serve it over rice and/or naan. Lightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated. —Rachel Christensen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Tofu
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cake extra-firm tofu, drained
  • Masala Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
  • 1.25 cups onion, diced
  • 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 fresh serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (though I like to keep a few seeds for added heat!)
  • 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2/3 cup half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Directions
  1. Tofu
  2. Combine salt, cayenne, coriander, cumin and in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of tofu with spice mixture. Place tofu on plate, cover, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
  3. In large bowl, whisk together ginger, garlic, oil, and yogurt; set aside.
  1. Masala Sauce
  2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Add ginger, garlic, tomato paste, chile, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add salt, sugar, and crushed tomatoes; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.
  6. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip tofu into yogurt mixture (tofu should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil tofu 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
  7. Let tofu rest 5 mins, then cut into 1/2 or 1 inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer tofu in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.
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    Joy Huang | The Cooking of Joy
  • Rachel Christensen
    Rachel Christensen
  • nattyblonde
    nattyblonde
Rachel Christensen
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4 Reviews

nattyblonde
nattyblonde June 6, 2020
My entire family loves this and it's a regular in our rotation. I liked Joy H.'s suggestion so cubed the tofu and gently tossed it in the spice mix and let it sit before gently stirring it into the Greek yogurt and baking. I also added 3 cardamom pods to the masala per Jamie Oliver - but remember to fish them out or someone will get a surprise when they bite into it!
 
Joy H.
Joy H. May 28, 2015
I've missed chicken tikka masala every since I gave up meat, so I'm super excited to try this! Question: is there a reason you cut up the tofu after it's cooked? I'm used to cubing my tofu before baking it, and I think with the extra surface area there would be a lot more flavor....
 
Rachel C.
Rachel C. May 28, 2015
No reason, really! I've never actually tried cubing it first... if you do, please let me know how it goes!
 
Joy H.
Joy H. June 6, 2015
It added a little more time to the process since it's not very easy to dip all those tofu cubes and make sure they're thoroughly coated in the yogurt. Next time I'd probably cut the tofu into slabs instead of cubes to make it a little easier.

I'll probably also use cream (as indicated in the original CI recipe) instead of half and half since I like my sauce creamier. Thanks for sharing this!