Morrissey Approved Veggie Tikka Masala

Yesterday was Monday, and in the Marklinoyd household, Mondays are meatless. Lucky for us, we have found that no meat does not have to mean no fun of flavor. We are both big veggie fans anyways, so we welcome Mondays!

Last night I made a Veggie Tikka Masala. A very British curry dish that we normally eat with chicken, is easily and deliciously substituted with a variety of veggies. In my opinion any veggies you want to use are fair game
. Eggplant is perfect for something like this, but we didn't happen to have one at the house.

As in most meals I make, I look through my cookbooks and visit my favorite food websites to get an idea what the basics of that meal are. I find the necessary building blocks of the dish and then see what others may add or leave out. Then I add my ideas and mix em all up. The majority of this recipe comes from Jamie Oliver.

To make a curry, you need a curry paste. You can buy a pre-made paste at the store, or make your own from scratch.

Tikka Masala Curry Paste

This is what you need:

2 cloves of garlic

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root

4 dried red chillies

1 table spoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

3 tablespoon peanut oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 fresh red or green chilies

A palm full of fresh cilantro

For Toasting

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

4 whole cloves

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon fengreek seeds

This is what you do:

Peel the garlic and ginger (do not chop them). Add them to a dry frying pan on medium to high heat. DO NOT ADD OIL. Add all of the ingredients for toasting (the last group listed just above) to the pan. Toast them until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add toasted spices to a pestle and mortar or food processor. Grind to a very fine powder. Add the rest of the ingredients with the toasted spice powder and put them into a food processor until you have a smooth paste.


Veggie Tikka Masala

This is what you need:

2 medium onions, cut in half and thinly sliced

1 fresh red or green chili thinly sliced

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root finally chopped

a palm full of fresh cilantro

1 1/2 tablespoon of peanut of vegetable oil

1/2 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup of tikka masala paste (either homemade or store bought)

2 diced tomatoes

2 cups of cut up cauliflower

a handful of green beans (whole)

5 sliced mushrooms

1 14 ounce can of coconut milk (Trader Joe's sells it for 99 cents a can).

1 lemon

REMEMBER: You can add or leave out any veggies you want. This is just how I prepared it.


This is what you do:

Over medium heat, put the oil and butter in a large skillet.

Add the onions, ginger, chilies and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the green beans and cauliflowers. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the curry paste and a pinch salt & pepper. Make sure everything is well coated in the paste.

Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir in very well and bring to a boil.

Cover, turn heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Drop some chopped cilantro and squeeze two lemon wedges over the curry and stir one last time.


Yogurt Sauce

Serve this sauce on the side. It helps cool the curry down and really brings out the flavors.

1 cup of no fat Greek style yogurt.

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 large minced garlic clove
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A pinch of salt & pepper


The meal came out tasting really good. I served it with garlic naan, basmati rice and some left over apricot chutney (check out the recipe here).



Next up on the menu is Moroccan Lamb with Couscous. Check back tomorrow to see how it turns out!