Goan Peri Peri Chicken – Tofu in Indian Chili Garlic Sauce (gluten-free, nut-free)

This is Goan(Indian) version of peri peri chicken made with hot chilis, Indian spices, and lots of ginger and garlic. Roasted Tofu chicken in a fiery chili garlic sauce, is perfect served with rice, baked veggies, or pasta!

This is a spicy and amazingly delicious recipe from Goan cuisine. Goa as a state on the western coast of India, and the cuisine has influences from Portuguese cooking and from Southern African cuisine, which came with the Portuguese. This is how the Indianized Goan peri peri sauce came into being. 

Indian peri peri sauce is a bit different from the African version, because it has Indian spices and uses Kashmiri chilis in addition to the peri peri/ pili pili chilies. If you can’t find peri peri chilies, just use hot Indian chilies. These chilies are soaked and blended up with Indian spices, ginger, and garlic to make the sauce. The sauce can then be used in various ways!

For the vegan version of Goan peri peri chicken, we use sliced tofu that is marinated and then crisped on a skillet, then placed in the sauce to serve. You can use other proteins with sauce as well. You can toss your protein in the sauce marinade and crisp it up on the skillet or in the oven, or you can just simmer the protein right in the sauce.

This sauce is often used to make peri peri chicken, prawns, or shrimp. Today, we are making a peri peri chicken version, but instead of chicken, we’re using tofu, and we’re slicing it and shaping it into a chicken breast shape. You can also just cube the tofu or tear it into organic shapes and use that instead, if you prefer. 

If you’d rather not use tofu, there are plenty of other plant-based proteins that you can use, such as tempeh or soy curls. For a soy-free version, use chickpea tofu, pumpkin seed tofu, soy-free vegan chicken substitutes, or seitan. You can also add beans or mushrooms to the sauce.

The dish can be made dry-ish, where all of the sauce kind of sticks to the tofu, or it can be made more saucy with some extra broth.

The sauce has this delicious smoky and spicy flavor from all the chilis. You can adjust the heat by reducing amount of peri peri chilis used in the recipe. Kashmiri chilis are pretty mild, but you can reduce those, as well. The sauce also has black pepper, so you can reduce that to reduce the heat, as well. 

Why You’ll Love Peri Peri Chicken

• super flavorful, smoky, spicy sauce with an adjustable heat level
• Use tofu or whatever plant-based protein you like!
• If you choose to pan fry the tofu, it’s a one pan dinner.
• gluten-free and nut-free with easy soy-free and oil-free options

Ingredients and Substitutions

• whole chilis – Goan peri peri chicken uses both Kashmiri chilis and peri peri chilis. If you can’t find peri peri chilis, you can use hot Indian chilis instead. You can also use 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne in place of the chilis, if needed. Reduce for less heat.
• aromatics – Ginger and garlic give the peri peri masala sauce so much flavor! Sautéed onion adds a ton of amazing umami to the sauce.
• whole spices – Whole cloves, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and green cardamom pods go into the sauce. You can use  1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom instead of the 2 green cardamom pods, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves instead, if you don’t have whole spices.
• Kashmiri chili powder – Adds even more flavor to the peri peri masala!
• sugar – A little sweet balances out all of that delicious heat.
• white vinegar – For tang. You can use coconut or apple cider vinegar instead, if needed.
• tofu – This is your chicken substitute. You can use soy-free vegan chicken, chickpea tofu, pumpkin seed tofu, or seitan. Other proteins that you can use are soy curls and tempeh.
• oil – To pan fry. You can broth fry the onion and bake the tofu without the oil for an oil-free version.
• tomato paste – You can use ketchup instead, if you like. This adds umami and color to the sauce.
• water or stock – This gives bulk to the peri peri sauce.
• garnishes – Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice.

How to Make Goan Peri Peri Chicken

Soak the chilies in hot water for at least 15 minutes, then drain (reserve soaking water) and add to a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients for the peri peri masala sauce, and blend for a minute, then let this mixture sit for a minute and blend again for 1/2 a minute. If your blender is struggling to blend the chilies, then add in 2 tablespoons of the chili soaking water to help it blend to make a smooth paste. 

Once everything is blended, use around 2 tablespoons of the sauce to marinate the tofu. If you’re using sliced tofu, then brush this marinade on all the of the tofu. If you’re using cubed or torn tofu, then add the tofu to a bowl along with around 2 tablespoons of the sauce, and toss well to coat for marinating. Marinate for at least 10 to 15 minutes, or you can let the tofu marinate for a few hours in the fridge for extra flavor. 

To pan fry: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add a teaspoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, place the tofu slices in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom is golden and releases from the pan.

Then, flip the tofu, and continue to cook until it’s golden on the other side, as well. Remove the tofu from the skillet, and set aside. If you’re using cubed or torn tofu, cook until golden on most edges, flipping occasionally.

To bake: Spread the tofu on parchment lined baking sheet.Drizzle a teaspoon of oil over the tofu, and bake at 400° F for 20 minutes or until crisped to preference.

Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat, and add 2 teaspoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and salt. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Add a splash of water, and continue to cook until the onion is golden brown. Add more splashes of water in between, if needed, to help the onion cook evenly. This will take anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes.

Once the onion is golden, mix in the remaining peri peri masala sauce and the tomato paste. 

Let the sauce come to a boil, then rinse out your blender with a cup of water or stock and add this to the sauce. Cover with the lid, reduce the heat to medium, and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Then, open the lid, and taste and adjust salt and flavor. If the sauce is too thick, add in more water or stock.

Then, place the cooked tofu into the sauce. Cover with the lid, and simmer for a few minutes. If you are using cubed or torn tofu, you can also just add it to the sauce and let it simmer instead of pre-cooking. You can cover the tofu with the sauce, as well, or just let the tofu sit in the sauce to serve. I usually let the sliced tofu sit in the sauce, because they look prettier that way, but you can always just put the sauce over the tofu.

Garnish with some cilantro and lemon juice, if you like, and serve with some rice, flatbread, or naan. You can also use the cooked tofu in a wrap with crunchy veggies — like cabbage, cucumber, and onion — and top it with the peri peri sauce instead of simmering in the sauce at the end. 

What to Serve with Peri Peri Chicken

Serve with some rice, flatbread, or naan. You can also use the cooked tofu in a wrap! Slice and add to wraps, with crunchy veggies — like cabbage, cucumber, and onion — and top it with the peri peri sauce !