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This is a vegan version of chicken barra, a creamy chicken dish from North Indian cuisine. You can find it in some restaurants in India. You’ve got to try making this for it unique flavor and texture. It has a creamy silky sauce made with crispy onion and cashews, the protein is marinated in the sauce and roasted!
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Barra is another absolutely delicious feature in some North Indian regional restaurants. Known for its thick and creamy sauce that is made with fried onion and cream and plethora of spices and herbs, it is a delectable must make. Continuing with my series where I veganize some fantastic sauces, this has been an instant fave!
Restaurant style Chicken Barra usually has many many steps, where you fry the onions, then you blend them to make the sauce and marinade, then make this separate marinade for the protein, and then make the sauce using some of the marinade. You also cook the protein and sauce separately, and so on.
I simplified the entire process to making just this one blended sauce which you use to marinate the tofu/protein and also cook up to make the sauce for the dish. I also pan crisp the onion over high heat instead of frying them. The onions will crisp up and scorch and get similar texture and flavor more quickly this way.
There is a creamy marinade for the tofu, and then you either grill or bake the tofu or crisp it in the pan. Then, the same marinade is the base for the sauce with some additional spices.
Serve the tofu barra sauce along side the crisped tofu (kebab), or you can serve this as wraps by just putting the crisped up tofu in the wrap and using the sauce for drizzling all over along with some crunchy veggies, like lettuce, onion, and tomato. Or, you can serve it with rice, flatbread, or naan.
If you don’t want to use tofu, you can replace it with vegetables, chickpea tofu, chickpeas or other beans, or use seitan or vegan chicken substitute or sautéed soy curls.
Why You’ll Love Tofu Barra
- creamy sauce with flavors of garam masala, Kashmiri chili powder, chaat masala, and cilantro
- versatile dish! If you don’t want to use tofu, use another vegan chicken substitute or veggies or beans instead.
- simplified recipe – the marinade is also the base for the sauce!
- gluten-free with nut-free and soy-free options
More North Indian Vegan Recipes
- Butter Tofu paneer
- Amritsari Tofu curry
- Aloo Gobi – spiced potato cauliflower
- Mutter Paneer – tofu and peas in tomato curry
- Rajma – kidney bean curry
Tofu Barra (Vegan Chicken Barra) North Indian Silky Onion Curry
Ingredients
For Crispy Onions
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Blended Sauce
- all of the crisped onion from above
- 1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder, or use paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
- 1 green chili, so much as serano , or use 2 tablespoons bell pepper for less heat
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1/4 cup raw cashews, , soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, then drained. Use 1/3 cup for creamier.
- 1 cup water
For the Tofu
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 15 minutes and then torn into bite-sized organic shaped pieces
To Add Later
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, or use paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste, optional
- chopped cilantro, chopped red onion, and lime juice, for garnish.
Instructions
Cook the onion.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat, and add the tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a good pinch of salt, Mix really well, then spread it out in the skillet. Continue to cook the onion, stirring frequently after the first 2 to 3 minutes, so that the onions cook evenly and start to scorch and crisp up a little bit. This can take anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes. Also, if your onion is scorching too much, you can reduce the heat to medium high.
- Once the onion is done cooking, cool it for a few minutes, then add to a blender jar along with the yogurt, salt, all of the spices, ginger, garlic paste, cilantro, green chili, lime juice, cashews and water. Blend for a minute, then let it sit for 5 minutes, and then blend again for half a minute. Then rest it for another 2 to 3 minutes, and blend again for half a minute, and repeat this until the mixture is really smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Cook the tofu.
- Press and tear the tofu into organic pieces, if you haven't already, and add to a bowl. Add 1/3 of the blended mixture to the tofu, and toss well to coat. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add the 2 teaspoons of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, drop the tofu pieces into the skillet. You don't want to drop in any excess marinade, just drop the tofu pieces on the skillet, and keep cooking until the tofu is golden brown on most of the edges. Flip the tofu over after the first 2 to 3 minutes, and continue to cook until tofu is golden brown on most of the edges. Then, remove if from the skillet. Or bake the tofu, if you prefer. Drop the tofu pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 415° F (213° C) 20 to 25 minutes. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to brown some of the edges of the tofu.
Make the sauce.
- Add the leftover marinade into the skillet, add another 1/2 to 1 cup of water(use it to rinse out the blender and bowl), all of the spices, and the tomato paste,if using it. Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Taste and adjust salt and flavor, and once the sauce is boiling evenly, switch off the heat and add the crisped up tofu to the sauce. Don’t forget to turn off the heat!
- Serve without folding in the tofu, and garnish the tofu barra with some cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime juice or just lime wedges on the side. Serve with flatbread or rice or make wraps with the tofu and drizzle sauce and top with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
- Store: refrigerate the cooked tofu and sauce separately for upto 3 days. Reheat on the stove or microwave, lightly fold in and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- oil – To fry the onions and crisp up the tofu.
- onion – Crispy onions are the base for the marinade and sauce.
- non-dairy yogurt – Adds creaminess. Use soy- and/or nut-free, if needed.
- spices – The sauce is spiced with Kashmiri chili powder (or paprika, if needed), garam masala, chaat masala, and black pepper. You’ll also be adding fenugreek and more Kashmiri chili powder to the sauce later for even more flavor!
- Chaat masala blend is a sour spicy Indian spice blend that uses Indian black salt, dried mango and other spices. It’s a great blend to have on hand to sprinkle on pakora fritters, fruits and everything! You can use 1/4 teaspoon kala namak(Indian sulphur black salt) as a substitute
- ginger garlic paste – Adds umami and a touch of heat.
- cilantro – Fresh cilantro gives the sauce and amazing flavor!
- green chili – For spiciness. You can use a little bit of bell pepper instead, for less spicy.
- lime juice – Adds tang to the sauce.
- cashews – Soaked cashews help make the sauce creamy. For nut-free, use more non-dairy yogurt, some silken tofu, or a mix of hemp and pumpkin seeds.
- tofu – This is your protein. You can use other vegan chicken substitutes, beans, or veggies instead, if you like.
- tomato paste – Adds umami. You can omit, if needed.
- garnishes – Finish the tofu barra with chopped fresh cilantro and red onion and a squeeze of lime juice or lime wedges.
Tips
- If the onions are looking like they’re going to burn, reduce the heat to medium-high.
- You can pan fry or bake the tofu. See the recipe for instructions for both ways!
How to Make Tofu Barra
Heat a large skillet over high heat, and add the tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a good pinch of salt and spread it out in the skillet. Mix really well, and continue to cook the onion, stirring frequently after the first 2 to 3 minutes, so that the onions cook evenly and start to scorch and crisp up a little bit.
This can take anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes. Also, if your onion is scorching too much, you can reduce the heat to medium high.
Once the onion is done cooking, cool it for a few minutes, then add to a blender jar along with the yogurt, salt, all of the spices, ginger, garlic paste, cilantro, green chili, lime juice, cashews and water.
Blend for a minute, then let it sit for 5 minutes, and then blend again for half a minute. Repeat, and then rest it for another 2 to 3 minutes, and blend again for half a minute, and repeat this until the mixture is really smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Press and tear the tofu into organic pieces, if you haven’t already, and add to a bowl. Add 1/3 of the blended mixture to the tofu, and toss well to coat.
Let it sit for a few minutes, and then heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add the 2 teaspoons of oil.
Once the oil is hot, drop the tofu pieces into the skillet. You don’t want to drop in any excess marinade, just drop the tofu pieces on the skillet, and keep cooking until the tofu is golden brown on most of the edges. Flip the tofu over after the first 2 to 3 minutes, and continue to cook until tofu is golden brown on most of the edges. Then, remove if from the skillet.
You can also bake the tofu, if you prefer. Drop the tofu pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 415° F (213° C) 20 to 25 minutes. You can also broil for 1 to 2 minutes to brown some of the edges of the tofu.
Add the leftover blended sauce into the skillet, add another 1/2 to 1 cup of water(use to rinse the blender and bowl and add), all of the spices, and the tomato paste, if you’re using it. Mix well and bring to a boil.
Taste and adjust salt and flavor, and once the sauce is boiling evenly, switch off the heat and add the crisped up tofu to the sauce. Don’t forget to turn off the heat!
Serve without folding in the tofu, and garnish the tofu barra with some cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime juice or just lime wedges on the side. Serve with flatbread or rice or make wraps with the tofu and drizzle sauce mixture and top with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
To make this soy-free, use soy-free non-dairy yogurt and a soy-free vegan chicken substitute or veggies.
To make it nut-free, omit the cashews and use a bit more non-dairy yogurt (nut-free), or you can use 1/4 cup of silken tofu or a blend of hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds instead.
A soy-free chicken substitute or chickpeas or white beans all work in place of tofu in this vegan chicken barra recipe. You can also use veggies instead of the tofu. Chop up some hearty veggies, like cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, and carrots, and use 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the veggies in the marinade, and then bake them for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are tender-crisp, then fold in with the sauce.
Made this a few days ago…..just loved it ! It will be on menu rotation for quite some time. My wife and I really appreciate your sharing of such fabulous recipes 🙏, thank you ☺️
awesome! I am so happy that you try these recipes, they turn out well and you love them!!
So delicious! I substituted coconut milk for the yogurt (didn’t have any) and a squirt of ketchup for the tomato paste (didn’t feel like opening a can because I didn’t have a use for the leftover). I used two serranos and eyeballed the cilantro, so the sauce is green rather than brown. I baked my tofu and the texture is pretty firm, which I love. Two thumbs up!
Glad you liked it!