Rogan Josh Curry

This is a recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver’s version, but we’ve veganized it and put our own spin on it (we also drastically shortened the cook time).

Serves 4, prep time 90 minutes

Ingredients:

 4 inch piece fresh ginger (peeled and grated) 

10 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 tablespoons turmeric

  1 tablespoon paprika

 1 tablespoon cumin

 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

 4-8 Bay leaves

 16 Oz firm, or extra firm tofu (drained)

 4 portabella mushrooms (any mushroom works)  (sliced)

 5 medium sized red onions (half chopped, half cut in halves)

 5 medium sized tomatoes (half chopped, half sliced in half)

 3 cups raw lentils

 3-5 tablespoons Rogan Josh paste (store bought, or make your own)

 4 cups water

Directions: 

1) Drain tofu for a half hour.  (Cut tofu into large strips and place between cloth under a plate and heavy object.

2) Mix together the chopped garlic, ginger and onions and cook in a large pan on medium heat.  Cook for a few minutes until golden brown.

3) Cut the tofu into 1” or ½” cubes depending on how you like it.  In a separate pan, grill the tofu, rotating the pieces until brown on all sides (approximately 5 minutes).

4) Add the lentils and 4 cups of water to the pan and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat slightly below the boiling point, cover the pan, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until lentils are just starting to get soft and crack.

5) Add the sliced mushrooms and tofu to the mixture, along with the bay leaves, turmeric, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, tomatoes, and Rogan Josh paste.  Once all the ingredients have been added and the new mixture begins to boil, cover the pan, turn down to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes.  Continually stir the mixture to ensure a good distribution of spices.  If at any point all the water boils off, add another cup or two.  You don’t want it to dry out and stick to the pan. 

6) Start tasting the curry to see how the flavor profile is coming together.  If you want more spice, you can start by adding more turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper.  If it needs a lot more, feel free to put more of the Rogan Josh paste in.  If it’s too spicy, you can add a plant based yogurt to bring the spicyness down. 

7) If the curry has not coagulated and still shows a significant amount of liquid, turn it up to high heat and boil off the liquid, continually stirring until you reach your desired consistency. 

8) Once you’ve reached the texture and taste you’re looking for, serve with your favorite grain, like brown rice or quinoa, and top with Cilantro, coconut shavings, extra chilis or peppers and naan.  Enjoy!    

Total prep/cook time: 90 minutes

Serves 4