Cabin fever has forced me to be increasingly confined in my creative space so as such, I have been incessantly tinkering with the plethora of spices Indian cuisine has to offer. Largely due to my quest to become vegetarian I have been concocting healthier Indian vegetarian dishes. Something as simple as substituting heavy cream with cashews works wonders.
In very general terms, tikka masala is a tomato and cream based sauce with magical blend of spices added. While most believe this dish is authentically Indian, some say this dish originated from Britain, with some disputing and saying it is from Glasgow, Scotland. Regarding the spices, it is totally up to you what concoction of indian spices you want to add. Below is just my personal favourite.
Note that this tikka masala sauce is most commonly paired with chicken, hence the “Chicken tikka masala” chicken name you often see in restaurants. But since I’ve been on a vegetarian – and paneer – craze, I opted to use paneer instead.
Low Fat Paneer Tikka Masala
PREP TIME: 12 min | ACTIVE TIME: 18 min | TOTAL TIME: 30 min | YIELDS: 2 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Paneer marinade:
- 200 gram paneer
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1/ 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Tikka masala sauce:
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced finely
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 cashews
- 1/4 teaspoon kashimi spice
METHOD:
- Marinade paneer in the paneer marinade mix as noted above.
- Heat saute pan on medium heat and add a dollop of oil. Once oil is sizzling, gently pan fry the paneer until it browns. Flip carefully. Turn off heat and set aside.
- In a separate pot or pan, heat a dollop of oil and add the onions. Sweat until translucent. Tip the chopped tomatoes in along with the cashews and the spices for the sauce. Add the water and cook for 8-10 minutes to let the flavours soak in.
- Transfer the sauce to a vitamix or high speed blender and blend on high until a smooth paste forms.
- Now return to the paneer cubes in the pan. Turn on the heat again to low and pour in contents from the blender. Gently stir to coat the paneer all over.
- Once mixture has simmered for another minute or two you can serve it in a bowl. Garnish with some chopped fresh coriander and cashews with a sprinkle of kashimiri spice if desired.
