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Vegan Butter Chicken

Cooked for the week ahead, with no marinating step. Makes 4 portions. Everything but the garnish is done in one session and packed cold.

Ingredients

Seitan

• 720g seitan (or chicken-style vegan pieces), cut into chunks
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp garam masala

Sauce

• 2 tbsp vegan butter, for the pan
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 1½ tsp curry powder
• 1½ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1½ tsp fine salt
• 120ml tomato paste
• 600ml full-fat coconut milk (1½ cans)
• 2 tbsp vegan butter, to finish
• ¾ tsp white sugar
• 1½ tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

To pack

• Cooked white rice, about 300g uncooked
• 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• Flaky salt
• Naan or parathas, kept separate

Method

1. Season and sear the seitan. Toss the 720g seitan chunks with 1 tsp fine salt and 2 tsp garam masala. Brown them in a hot, lightly oiled pan in two batches until the edges catch, about 3 minutes a side. Don't cook them through — they finish in the sauce, and seitan turns rubbery if it goes too far. (Oven: 220°C on a lined tray, 12 minutes, works but dries the edges more.)
2. Sauté the onions. In a large pan, melt 2 tbsp vegan butter and sauté 2 large diced yellow onions until soft and golden.
3. Bloom the aromatics and spices. Add 1 tbsp grated ginger, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp garam masala, 1½ tsp curry powder, 1½ tsp ground coriander, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and 1½ tsp fine salt. Stir constantly for about a minute until fragrant — don't let the spices catch.
4. Build and finish the sauce. Stir in 120ml tomato paste and cook it out for a minute, then pour in 600ml coconut milk. Simmer gently until slightly thickened, then stir in 2 tbsp vegan butter, ¾ tsp white sugar, and 1½ tsp kasoori methi (crushed between your palms). Taste and adjust — salt last, in small pinches, and keep it a touch under: it concentrates in the fridge.
5. Combine. Add the seared seitan and any juices from the pan. Simmer gently until heated through and the sauce clings. Stop while the sauce is looser than you would serve it fresh — it thickens as it cools and again on reheating.
6. Cool and pack. Spread the curry in a wide dish to cool to room temperature within an hour, then divide between 4 containers with the cooked rice alongside rather than stirred through. Keep the 3 tbsp chopped cilantro, flaky salt, and bread separate.
7. Reheat. Microwave a portion 2–3 minutes, stirring halfway, or warm in a pan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Garnish then.

Notes

• Searing seasoned seitan rather than marinating it costs some depth, but the sauce carries the dish. For more, toss the seitan with 75g unsweetened plant yogurt along with the salt and garam masala and leave it 30 minutes before searing.
• The sauce takes 1½ tsp salt, which is less than it looks like it needs — the seitan is seasoned separately and the whole thing concentrates in the fridge. Taste at the end of step 4 and adjust up if needed.
• Keeps: 4 days in the fridge, 3 months frozen. Freeze without the rice; coconut milk splits a little on thawing but comes back together with a stir over heat.
• Seitan vs. the alternatives: seitan has the chewiest, closest texture and holds up best over four days. Soy curls or frozen chicken-style pieces work and need no searing — fold them in at step 5 — but soften more in storage.