Name: Vegan butter chicken
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 400g chicken-style seitan; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1 tsp hot paprika; 1/2 tsp turmeric powder; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 thin slice of ginger, minced; 1 small onion, diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 slice of ginger, minced; 1 small red chilli pepper, minced; 1/8 tsp nigella seeds; 1/2 tsp fennel seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1/2 tsp garam masala; 2 cardamom pods; 1 tsp ground fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi); 1 small can of chopped tomatoes; 1 tsp tomato paste; 1/4 C raw cashews; 2/3 C water; 1 tbsp nutritional yeast; salt and black pepper to taste; oil for cooking

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I must say I never tried real butter chicken. But the popularity of this dish makes me super curious. So curious that I went through the trouble of making my own chicken-style seitan. And my own vegan butter chicken without any meat or butter.

The sauce is silky and creamy; the spices are perfectly balanced. At once, this vegan butter chicken became one of my favourite curries, and I will make different variations of it in the future. It should also go well with tofu and vegan meatballs.

Mix seitan pieces with the marinade ingredients. Add more oil if needed. Cover and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat just enough oil in a non-stick pan. Fry seitan pieces until golden. Flip and repeat. You want to see nice crispy chicken pieces. Set aside.

You can use the same pan and add more oil if needed. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent. Then throw in garlic, ginger, chilli pepper and tomato paste. Cook for a few more minutes.

Now add chopped tomatoes and simmer on low until half of the liquid evaporates.

Meanwhile, blend cashews, nutritional yeast, and water in a high-speed blender until smooth.

Finally, add the spices* and cashew mixture in a pan with tomatoes, stir and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer into a high-speed blender and process until silky smooth.

Return the sauce to a pan, slowly bring it to a boil, and season with salt and pepper. Add seitan pieces, cover them, and let them simmer for another 5 minutes.

Switch off the heat and serve.

Note: Before adding to the sauce, gently toast and grind nigella, fennel, coriander seeds, and cardamom pods.

Vegan butter chicken

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Vegan seitan chicken in creamy spicy curry sauce.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Main course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Scale

400g chicken-style seitan

For marinade:

1 tbsp neutral oil
1 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 thin slice of ginger, minced

For the sauce:

1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 slice of ginger, minced
1 small red chilli pepper, minced
1/8 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp ground fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
1 small can of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 C raw cashews
2/3 C water
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and black pepper to taste
oil for cooking

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Instructions

Mix seitan pieces with the marinade ingredients. Add more oil if needed. Cover and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat just enough oil in a non-stick pan. Fry seitan pieces until golden. Flip and repeat. You want to see nice crispy chicken pieces. Set aside.
You can use the same pan and add more oil if needed. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent. Then throw in garlic, ginger, chilli pepper and tomato paste. Cook for a few more minutes.
Now add chopped tomatoes and simmer on low until half of the liquid evaporates.
Meanwhile, blend cashews, nutritional yeast, and water in a high-speed blender until smooth.
Finally, add the spices* and cashew mixture in a pan with tomatoes, stir and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Transfer into a high-speed blender and process until silky smooth.
Return the sauce to a pan, slowly bring it to a boil, and season with salt and pepper. Add seitan pieces, cover them, and let them simmer for another 5 minutes.
Switch off the heat and serve.

Notes

Gently toast and grind nigella, fennel, coriander seeds and cardamom pods before adding to the sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 352
Sugar: 5.4g
Sodium: 255mg
Fat: 17.4g
Saturated Fat: 2.7g
Carbohydrates: 26.8g
Fiber: 6.2g
Protein: 26g
Cholesterol: 0mg

Vegan butter chicken