Indian Butter Chicken

 I've made this with tofu and with soy curls and both times it's been amazing! You could use pretty much any protein you want and it would be delicious though. It only takes 1 pot which is nice too. 

I adapted/simplified the original recipe from the Vegan Richa website and she has some really great recipes up there. Definitely recommend checking her out. 

For the Tofu

• 14 oz Super Firm Tofu, cubed (you can get extra firm tofu too but you have to press it for like 15 mins to get the extra water out of there first)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tea garam masala
• 2 tea Kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot 

For the Sauce 

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 tea salt
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tea turmeric
• 2 tea Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tbsp coriander 
• 1 1/2 tea garam masala
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can full fat coconut milk 

1. In a small bowl mix together the spices, salt and cornstarch. Put the tofu in a big ziploc bag and toss in the garlic ginger paste and oil and make sure all of the pieces get coated with it before adding in the spice mixture and tossing again to coat all the tofu as evenly as possible. I have found this is the cleanest and easiest way to do this but you could do it on a cutting board or a plate or whatever. 
2.  Heat some oil in a large deep sauté pan over med-high and once it's hot put in the tofu and make sure it's a single layer so you may need to do batches depending on the size of the pan. Let it sit (DO NOT TOUCH IT) for about 2-4 min so the bottoms crisp up and the tofu releases from the pan. Then flip the tofu over and do the same for the other side. Just be patient and don't fuss with it because it sucks when it sticks to the pan and its so much better with the tofu being crispy. Once it's done, set it aside
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add some more oil to cook the onions and stuff in. Once the oil is heated up, cook the onions until tender and feel free to add a little bit of water to help them cook evenly. You don't want them cooking down too much because they are going to add to the bulk/thickness of the sauce at the end. 
4. Once the onions are done, add a little more water and the ginger garlic paste, cook for about 30 seconds and then add another splash of water and the rest of the spices and cook for a minute or so. 
5. Add in the tomato sauce, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it starts to turn a little orange and is less bright red. Add in the coconut milk and bring it to a boil. reduce the heat again and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes to cool down. 
6. Add the cooled sauce to a blender with a cup of water and blend it until it's totally smooth. It seems like it works best for me to do half the water, blend for 1-2 minutes and then let it sit for a couple of minutes before adding the rest of the water and blending again. The smooth creamy sauce is the best.