This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Kasuri Malai Murg is a flavorful, creamy Indian chicken curry with a fenugreek cream sauce. In this vegan version, we use tofu and chickpeas for the proteins in a flavorful vegan curry sauce spiced with cardamom, ginger, and fenugreek.
Table of Contents
The sauce for this aromatic, Mughal curry is seriously bursting with flavor! The subtle earthy notes of black cardamom and clove, spice from ginger and black pepper, bitter sweet flavor from fenugreek(kasuri/kasoori methi) all in a creamy sauce to envelop whatever protein or veggies that you like. This Mughlai Indian sauce is perfect witb crisped up pieces of tofu and toothsome chickpeas that nestle in that rich, spiced gravy.
It’s perfect served with naan or over rice for an easy, weeknight meal, but it’s special enough to serve on special occasions.
Why You’ll Love Vegan Kasuri Malai Murg
- It’s rich, creamy, flavorful sauce with tender chunks of tofu and toothsome chickpeas.
- Naturally gluten-free.
- Soy-free and nut-free options.
- Easy, vegan weeknight dinner.
- Amazing Indian flavor
More Vegan Chicken Recipes
Kasuri Malai Murg Tofu
Ingredients
For the protein:
- 7 oz firm or extra-firm tofu, , pressed for at least 15 minutes and then torn into organic pieces
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, or minced 1/2 inch ginger and 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, or use paprika
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy yogurt , or non-dairy cream of choice
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons vegan butter, or use oil
- 2 whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 black cardamom pod, slightly open
- 1 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, or 1/2 inch ginger and 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree, or use 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves, , kasuri methi
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, or use paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup cashew cream, ( 3/4 cup raw cashews blended with 1 cup of water.)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more as needed
For garnish:
- pepper flakes, cilantro
Instructions
Bake the proteins.
- Press for 15 mins and tear the tofu if you haven’t already and add it to a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, lime juice, ginger garlic paste and non-dairy yogurt and mix. Combine the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle them all over and toss well to coat. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400º F (205 c) for 18-20 minutes.
Meanwhile make the sauce.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cloves, black peppercorns and black cardamom. Cook for a minute or until fragrant. Then add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden. This can take anywhere from 7-10 minutes. Add a few splashes of water in between to help the onions brown evenly.
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Then add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree or tomato paste, the spices, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix in. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the cashew cream and remaining salt and mix in.
- Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of water to thin out the cream a little bit and bring to a boil again. (Adjust water amount based on how saucy you want the dish)
- Add in the baked tofu-chickpea mixture and mix to coat well. Switch off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
- Garnish with some pepper flakes and cilantro. Serve with roti, Naan, flatbread or rice.
Video
Notes
- black cardamom: use green cardamom instead
- Cloves- use 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves and add later with other ground spices
- black peppercorns- omit and add 1/8 tsp black pepper with ground spices
- fenugreek leaves: these are an important flavor in the dish. You can use 1/2 tsp powdered fenugreek seed. Or use 1/2 tsp ground mustard and 1 tsp maple syrup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- tofu – Packed with protein, tofu torn into rustic pieces and baked gives it a tender, chicken-like texture. You can use more chickpeas or other vegan chicken subs, if you prefer.
- chickpeas – Chickpeas bring even more protein and texture to this dish! Their firm texture is a wonderful contrast to the rich, creamy sauce.
- non-dairy yogurt – You use this in the coating for the chickpeas and tofu . You can use your favorite thick, non-dairy cream of choice instead as long as it’s as thick or thicker than yogurt.
- cashew cream – to add creaminess to the sauce. To make the cashew cream, blend 3/4 cup raw cashews with a cup of water until smooth and creamy. For nut-free, use pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds instead of cashews.
- spices – This vegan curry is all about the spices! Garam masala, cardamom, black peppercorns, fenugreek, and more bring a mouthwatering flavor to this dish. If you can’t find the Kashmiri chili powder, use paprika instead.
- tomato puree/tomato paste – A little tomato brings some color and an umami flavor to the sauce.
- onions – Cooking the onions until they are golden ups the flavor profile and adds a hint of caramelized sweetness. Such a nice complement to the spices in the sauce!
Tips:
- To make this recipe nut-free, use a nut-free non-dairy cream or use coconut cream. You can also make a cream from hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds or blended up silken tofu or a mix of tofu and pumpkin seeds. So many options!
- To make this soy-free, omit the tofu and use two cups of cooked chickpeas instead.
- You can also use cauliflower. Bake it until the cauliflower is cooked through and add it to the sauce.
- You can use vegan chicken substitutes like seitan or store bought chicken substitutes.
- Kasuri Malai Murg also works with soy curls! Soak them in hot water first then drain and squeeze out the moisture. Add them to the bowl with the chickpeas and the spices. Bake for only 15 minutes and add it to your sauce.
How to Make Vegan Kasuri Malai Murg Chicken
Press and tear the tofu into rustic pieces, and add it to a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, lime juice, ginger garlic paste and non-dairy yogurt.
Combine the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle them all over and toss well to coat.
Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400º F (205c)for 18-20 minutes.
While the proteins bake, make your sauce.
Heat vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cloves, black peppercorns, and black cardamom, and cook for a couple minutes until fragrant.
Then, add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden, around 7 to 10 minutes. Add a few splashes of water in between to help the onions brown evenly. Continue to cook. stirring occasionally, until golden.
Now, mix in the ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree or tomato paste, the spices, and a quarter teaspoon of salt.
Cook for just two minutes, then add the non-dairy cream and remaining salt and mix in.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then add a cup of water to thin out the cream a little bit and bring to a boil again. If you like more sauce, then you can add more water before adding the tofu.
By now, your proteins should be done baking. Add them to the sauce, and mix to coat well. Switch off the heat.
Taste and adjust the salt and flavor.
Garnish with some pepper flakes and cilantro. You can serve it with roti, flatbread or rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this recipe nut-free, use a nut-free non-dairy cream or use coconut cream. You can also make a cream from hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds or blended up silken tofu or a mix of tofu and pumpkin seeds.
To make this without soy, omit the tofu and use 2 cups of cooked chickpeas instead. You can also use cauliflower. Marinate with the chickpeas and Bake it until the cauliflower is cooked through and add it to the sauce.
For the homemade ginger garlic paste, you have different amounts shown. In the protein section you say 1/2 inch of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic while in the sauce section you state 1/2 of ginger and 4 cloves of garlic. Are they intended to be different?
It should be 4. But that’s quite a bit of garlic so I changed it to 3 for both
Loved making this and was delicious. Tasty, fairly healthy and with a bit of a kick.
Yay!
I made this 2 weeks ago for a dinner party and it was a huge hit. Thanks
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing.
Dear Richa, thanks for all the amazing vegan recipes!!
A question about this recipe: can I use ground fenugreek instead of the leaves? If yes, how much? Thank you for your help!!
Use 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek powder instead.
Wow – this is soo good! What a decadent delicious, yet easy dish! I ate it with some frozen paratha I had on hand.
🙂 yay!
Fantastic as always and it’s definitely a different flavor profile to my usual Indian curries I rotate. I’ve been a bit protein deprived, so I opted to use two full blocks of tofu and removed the chickpeas. Since it was two blocks, I did double the first part of the recipe. I added some nooch to the tofu as well and baked for longer than described. Everything turned out incredible and even with the extra tofu, my husband and I ate almost the whole thing (with naan and aloo gobi). Fenugreek leaves is a must for me, I’ve been using them pretty often since I purchased from Amazon and you can certainly tell the difference.
Thank you again!
this is awesome! so glad you enjoyed
So easy to make and delicious! Another great recipe. Thank you❤
🙂 <3
This was delicious! The first night was better than left-overs because the tofu was crispier. It was still good though. I did make some necessary substitutions. I didn’t have black cardamom so used regular ground cardamom. The store didn’t have fresh ginger when I was shopping so I used 1 drop of ginger essential oil to the tofu mixture & 1 drop to the sauce. I may have used a bit less salt. I served it with cauliflower rice.
glad you enjoyed!