Did you know you can make a delicious vegan Butter Chicken with soy curls? It's super rich and creamy! Serve it with fluffy Garlic Naan and basmati rice for the complete Indian-inspired feast!
Every single time the temperatures drop, I'm in the mood for curries! This time I've veganized an all-time favorite: Butter Chicken. In many vegan versions of Butter Chicken, people are using chickpeas or tofu, but I'm using soy curls.
Because I love that stuff. I always have it at home. Plus, it's high in protein. Oh, and the texture is on point!
As with all the Indian-inspired recipes I'm posting on the blog, I have to say: I'm not Indian. I don't have any Indian roots or anything. I would never say that anything I cook (especially none of the Indian dishes) is authentic. I bet it's not. I don't think coconut milk is usually used in Indian cuisine. But I'm using it in this dish. Why? Because it makes it rich and creamy.
You could use homemade cashew cream, unsweetened soy or oat cream instead if you have it at home. That would work too.
Serve this vegan Butter Chicken with
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I hope you enjoy this vegan Butter Chicken curry as much as I do!
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Cheers, Bianca
Vegan Butter Chicken with Soy Curls
Ingredients
- 2 cups soy curls
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (EarthBalance, Alsan,...)
- ¾ teaspoon salt + more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala + more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon ginger powder + more to taste
- 2 shallots - peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves - peeled and minced
- 2 cups tomato purée
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the soy curls and let them cook until soft. Then drain them, carefully press excess water out and set them aside.
- In a large non-stick pot, add the vegan butter and bring it to high heat. Add the soy curls and spices. Stir to combine. Let them get brown and crispy spots.
- Add the shallots to the soy curls, stir. Once the shallots are soft, add the minced garlic. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then turn down the heat to low.
- Add the tomato purée and coconut milk. Stir and add more spices to taste. I've added another ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of ginger and ¼ teaspoon of garam masala.
- Let the curry cook until everything is hot and bubbly. Then it's ready to serve! I've made basmati rice and garlic naan to go with it, and sprinkled everything with fresh cilantro.
Sonya says
This was DELICIOUS. I never comment on recipes I find online, but this one I had to comment on because of how much it blew me away. The balance of ingredients and flavours is incredibly satisfying. I live in Canada and was able to find the exact soy curls you reference. I have added this to my recipe book and will make this over and over again. What a fantastic vegan meal. Thank you SO much for sharing.
Bianca says
Wow! I'm so happy to hear this, Sonya!
Jay says
Sonya, I live in Ontario and cannot find soy curls. Where did you buy yours? Thank you.
VeganGuy says
This was amazing!! I like A LOT of flavor in my food and tend to amp things up. Not sure if it was the age/weakness of my garam masala as it was a bit older and not as fragrant as I'm accustomed to - so I ended up using 4 tsp of garam masala. I also added some cayenne pepper to give it a bit of heat. Thanks so much for sharing this great idea and delicious concoction. I'll be sure to share.
Judy Le says
Same! A lot more garam masala and a bit of cayenne and this was to our taste. Thanks!!
Emily says
I LOVED this recipe so much; made it twice now!!!!
I do have a heads up for other people making this recipe; however, and a brief argument on why elephantastic should adjust their serving sizes 😉
4 servings does NOT mean two cups of soy curls. We weighed two liberal cups and it's only 4 ounces (400 calories - as each ounce of soy curls has 100 calories). If you're making this for dinner it would only have about 300 calories per serving if you're also counting the rice and other ingredients. Four servings of soy curls is legit 8 ounces dry if you're serving with rice This is not remotely enough calories for any adult at dinner! We needed to double this recipe which caused some last minute scrambling for more tomatoes. (My boyfriend and i always make 4 servings for dinner and then eat leftovers for lunch at work). Please adjust your serving sizes❤️
Other than this issue though, no complaints! So so delicious and thanks so much for the recipe!!!!!
Michelle Blanche Perez says
I looked at the bag of Butler's Soy Curls when I read your suggestion and it does say that one serving = 100 calories, 10 g protein, and 5 g total carbs totalling 8 servings in a bag. I don't see any reason not to double up though.
Karen says
This was soooo good and easy. I let it simmer for awhile and the flavour was amazing. The texture of the curls was amazing!
Bianca says
So glad you like the curry! It's one of my favs as well :)
tabitha says
Is tomato puree pureed tomatoes or tomato paste? The link the in the recipe is no longer working.
Bianca says
It's pureed tomatoes. You can also use tomato sauce without herbs.
MR says
This is the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe I made online. We just happened to purchase some soy curls tonight. Returned home super hungry and I found your recipe. We made it as written, adjusting for volume and spice level. It was DELICIOUS! Thanks so much. I’ve saved this for future dinners. Comes together quickly. We served it on top of shredded cabbage for a crunchy neutral taste that paired well with the acidity of the dish. Two thumbs up!
Leah says
This was my first time having butter “chicken” as I’ve been a vegan for many years and before that vegetarian. It was so tasty! I did add more spices to taste like the recipe suggested, plus hot chili peppers because I’m addicted.
Thank you.