Vegetable Tempeh Curry

Last year, Ryan and I started experimenting with Indian spices and flavors. Our favorite dish, which is also the most popular, is Tikka Masala. Unfortunately, this is not a very forgiving dish for the waistline. 

In true Jessica Kettler fashion, I embarked on a journey to recreate the recipe so my beloved husband and I can enjoy it and not feel so guilty!

Curry is a flavor that I am much more comfortable cooking with now after posting a few recipes on the blog:

• Curry Egg Salad
• Curry Broccoli Couscous
• Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter
• Moroccan Salad with Mango Yogurt Dressing

Searching through several recipes didn't leave me with a good sense of basic ingredients that I could easily substitute for healthier ones. I increased my search and came across a curry recipe on 101 Cookbooks that resembled the taste and texture of Tikka Masala sauce that I was looking to mimic. This was the perfect starting point since I love both Heidi's writing style and recipes. Obviously the biggest difference here is that there is no meat! I thought the tempeh was a great substitution for a veggie-friendly dish. However, chicken could easily be substituted in (see notes below).

Vegetable Tempeh Curry

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks recipe Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

4 cups of vegetables (suggestions: cauliflower, sugar snap peas, broccoli, zucchini, Brussels sprouts)
½ yellow onion
1 large shallot
1 T ghee (or butter)
1 T olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne (reduce amount for less heat)
1 15.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
¼ cup water
2 tsp red curry paste
½ tsp salt
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Portabella mushroom caps, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces tempeh, cut into ½-inch pieces

To prep ingredients, start with the vegetables. Steam the four cups of vegetables until almost to the desired doneness. 
In a small bowl, blend the cumin, curry powder, turmeric and cayenne.

In another small bowl, combine the red curry paste and water and stir until well combined. 

In a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil, add the onion and shallot. Cook over medium heat until slightly translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in the spice mixture, then after about 30 seconds, stir in the tomatoes, red curry water mixture, and ½ tsp salt. Remove from heat, stir in the yogurt and blend with a hand blender. Note: you might need to transfer it to a bowl to puree, then return it to the skillet.

Once the curry is back in the pan, add the mushroom and tempeh and bring to a low simmer. Let this cook for 5 minutes and then stir in the steamed vegetables until everything is coated in the curry sauce. Cook another 5 minutes covered on low heat.


Note: If using chicken, sauté in the large skillet with heated olive oil until mostly cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Don't wash out the skillet and then melt the butter in the olive oil and cook the onions and shallots.

This can be served over fresh spinach, quinoa, couscous, any type of rice or with a toasted piece of naan.