Eat Well Live Free - Seitan Tikka Masala

By Jillena Hernandez
Eat Well, Live Free
A Vegetarian Adventure and Food Blog

Tikka Masala is the most vibrant and mouth watering dish found in Indian restaurants in America. A little known fact in our society is that tikka masala originated in London. A curry typically made with a creamy tomato base with tandoori chicken, this dish requires only a handful of ingredients and is prepared in under fifteen minutes. No joke.

I’ve made this clearly mouth watering dish about 5 times since adapting the mother recipe in my Curry Bible by Mridula Baljekar I have substituted the chicken with seitan, garbanzo beans, lentils and vegetables. It is the perfect hot summer dish when you are craving fire or full spice but don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Having a vegan version of this dish makes my heart sing.

Adjust the heat, but don’t fear the spice!

The wine I served was produced by von Hovel, the 2007 Oberemmeler Hutle (the farm that grew the grapes), SAAR, a Reisling Spatlese (level of sweetness) had a complicated label that was explained to me by the well educated man working the wine, beer and cheese department at the Sacramento Co-Op.

The subtly dry, sweet hints of tart apple juice combined with a slight citrus of a grapefruit take over the palate. Yet it is not very aromatic. The burst of a starburst plays along side the tart tomato, inexplicably balancing each other.

Seitan tikka masala recipe here.