‘Butter’ Chick(peas)
Vegan and gluten-free curry.
I’ve been trying to recreate Butter Chicken in a veganised form for so long, I started to wonder whether I couldn’t get it right because I’d actually forgotten what it tasted like. But here it is: finally something close enough that I’ve found some motivation to keep striving for that dream. This is just the right side of creamy, tomatoey, tangy and spicy.
Disclaimer: As much as I hate it when other people do this (making it more difficult to replicate their recipes), I don’t always use precise measurements. So feel free to add a little more or less of various ingredients in this based on how you feel. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Dairy-free butter and vegetable oil
- 4 chillies (green or red)
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 stick of cinnamon
- 1 cardamom pod
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 4 dried curry leaves
- 3 tsp oat flour (or oats ground as fine as you can manage)
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 tbsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 200ml coconut milk + 100ml oat milk
- 1 tin of chickpeas
- Handful of chopped fresh coriander
Method
Heat some oil and dairy-free butter in a pan. Add the chopped chilli, minced garlic and ginger paste. Fry for 1–2 minutes, be careful not to burn the garlic.
Next add the curry leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin, cardamom, mustard seeds and oat flour. Fry until fragrant, but again watch that any fresh ingredients aren’t burning.
Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, stir and cover. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
Then pull out the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pod. Blend the sauce with a hand/immersion blender. I like to blend the curry leaves into the sauce but you can take them out too if you like.
Return the sauce to the pan with a little more butter or oil and simmer. Add the garam masala, smoked paprika, turmeric and fenugreek seeds. Stir and cook with the lid on for a further 5 minutes.
Add the coconut and oat milk, along with the ketchup (you can use a little less of this depending on your taste). Stir and cook with the lid on for another 7 minutes or so.
Add the drained chickpeas to the pan, stir them in and allow the curry to cook for 10–15 minutes. Begin with the lid on, but take it off whenever you like to get the curry as dry or wet as you’d like it. Stir the coriander and an extra pinch of garam masala in just before serving.
Note: SALT. I don’t believe in not adding salt to dishes. I also don’t believe in salting at the end, or letting people decide when they’re served. You really should be adding a little salt at each stage of cooking. It makes sure each level of flavour is amplified by the salt at the right time. It seems to make a difference to me, anyway, but ultimately, you do you!
When serving myself, I added an extra pinch of chilli flakes to the curry. This recipe is by no means bland, it probably has quite a kick, but I need quite a lot more than the average person. You can put more fresh chilli in at the beginning if you like it spicy or use a little less, totally up to you!
The important thing to remember with recipes like this is that you can tweak it however you like to get the flavour you prefer! If you need it a little sweeter, you can add some sugar. If you need more acid, squeeze a little lemon juice in. If you prefer it creamier you could use coconut, cashew or oat cream. This will also 100% taste better the next day (as most curries do). Enjoy!
