I don’t know what’s going to make you cry more: cutting onions or watching ME cut onions.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure about making this recipe video solely because I knew I’d have to film myself doing a horrendous job at dicing the white onion, but I thought: screw it, let’s just make the recipe because my love for curry has no time for such rubbish! Anyways, I was inspired to create my own tikka masala for several reasons: 1) my eternal love for curry, 2) my lack of time and money for Indian buffets every week, and 3) the fact that every single pre-made tikka masala curry mix is made with yogurt, milk or heavy cream. As you know, my stomach doesn’t like anything made from a cow. Maybe Greek yogurt or whey, but even then.

My version of India’s favorite curry is much lower in fat and contains no cream, no dairy, no butter, no oil, no salt and no animal products at all! With the tofu and vegetables, it’s also high in protein and antioxidants!

I served this curry with shirataki noodles as in the photo to increase the fiber content, but feel free to serve it with lettuce, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, roti, sweet potatoes, chutney or more vegetables!

RECIPE

• 1 packet of a Tikka Masala spice blend (make sure that this is solely the spices and nothing mixed with milk or cream)
• 1 TBSP curry powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper (for less spicy, omit or only add 1 tsp)
• 1 block of organic firm or extra firm tofu
• 1 white onion
• 1 TBSP crushed garlic
• 2 cups of steamed and cut broccoli
• 1/3 cup of raw snap peas; I would have used more but I didn’t have that much
• 1 medium red bell pepper, destemmed
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 1/2 can of tomato paste
• 1 cup of light coconut milk; sub for coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk for a creamier curry
• Shirataki noodles to serve (can also substitute with whole grains, salad, vegetables or roti/naan)
• Pepper to garnish
• Opt: salt and pepper to taste, chili flakes, winter squash, beans, other vegetables, sweet potato, meat if you’re not vegan

PROCEDURE

1. Heat a large nonstick pot or wok pan on low-ish medium heat. I had to coat mine with a teaspoon of coconut oil just in case the onions would stick.
2. Peel and dice the onion. Set aside.
3. Slice the red bell pepper into strips. Set aside.
4. Add the garlic and onion on the heated pan, stirring around until the onions are slightly crispy and well-cooked.
5. Open the tikka masala spice blend packet and dump all of the spices on the pan.
6. Repeat step 5 with the curry powder and cayenne.
7. Mix all the onions and garlic with the spices until fragrant.
8. If necessary, add water to the pot to make stir-frying easier.
9. Pour in the tomato paste and vegetable broth. Continue to mix thoroughly.
10. Carefully stir in the broccoli, snap peas, red bell peppers and tofu.
11. Add the coconut milk as necessary and carefully stir well.
12. Let simmer on very low heat for 10-12 minutes and serve with shirataki noodles.

Do you easily cry when cutting an onion? What do you serve with curry?