Dishoom is an Indian restaurant in London with a famous Chicken Ruby Curry and a very popular cookbook. Last year, the Guardian printed the recipe for the Chicken Ruby Curry in their food section along with a few more of their more popular dishes.
I’ve never been to the restaurant and never had the original recipe, but it looks incredible, so I veganized and simplified it a bit, and I’ve gotta say, while rather involved, it’s SO. DANG. GOOD.
This sauce is truly special. Don’t rush the reduction process. There is about 45 minutes to an hour of reducing the sauce by about 2/3 – don’t skip this part! The sauce is so rich and flavorful and just the right balance of acid and sweetness. We could not stop eating it! Leftovers of this won’t last – trust me.
If you wanted to make it a bit healthier, instead of making the marinated, crispy tofu, you could just sauté some veggies and stir them into the sauce, or do both!
This curry is amazing, definitely, definitely worth the effort. MAKE THIS NOW.
In other news, we got a pupper! We got her from a shelter so we aren’t entirely sure what breed she is but the person who dropped her off said she is half Australian Shepherd, half husky. But everyone seems to think she looks like a German Shepherd so who knows. Her name is Mila, and she is 11 weeks old and she is the cutest thing on earth. That is all.
A veganized, simplified take on Dishoom's Chicken Ruby Curry! Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list, it's mostly duplicate spices and the effort is worth it, it's so DANG GOOD.
Ingredients
- For the crispy marinated tofu:
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
- 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/3 cup vegan coconut yogurt
- 1 14-oz block firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes and blotted dry
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 7-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger (about 2 inches)
- 1 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil (I make my own vegan butter using Miyoko's recipe)
- 1/2 cup cashew cream*
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- For serving:
- Steamed rice
Instructions
- 1. Process all of the marinade ingredients - ginger, garlic, salt, spices, lime juice and yogurt - in a food processor until smooth. Toss with cubed tofu and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
- 2. Warm a large pot over medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the bay leaves, cardamom pods, and the cinnamon stick. Let them crackle for one minute, stirring frequently, then turn down the heat to medium low and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until just golden brown.
- 3. Add the tomatoes, salt, chili powder, garam masala, cumin and vegan butter to the pan. Bring to a simmer on medium and cook until reduced by 2/3, stirring regularly so it doesn’t burn on the bottom – this should take 45 minutes to an hour.
- 4. While the sauce reduces, cook the tofu. Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high and add 2 Tbsp neutral oil. Add the marinated tofu to the pan and let sit for 3-4 minutes until golden brown on one side. Then use a thin metal turner to scrape the cubes free and turn them to another side. Let sit until golden brown on that side. Repeat until tofu is cooked on most sides.
- 5. When sauce is reduced, remove the whole spices if desired and add cashew cream, brown sugar and cooked tofu. Let simmer 5 minutes. Serve with steamed rice and watch it disappear.
Notes
* To make cashew cream, simply blend cashews and water in equal parts until completely smooth. I do 1 cup cashews and 1 cup of water. This will make more than you need. If you don't have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you will need to soak the cashews for 6-8 hours to get a smooth cream.
Based on the recipe printed in the Guardian
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