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Chicken Angara (North Indian Smoky Creamy Sauce with Tofu)
5 from 12 votes

Chicken Angara (North Indian Smoky Creamy Sauce with Tofu)

Chicken Angara here is made with tofu instead of chicken, coated in a spice mix featuring coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom, then pan-fried to a crisp. The creamy sauce combines browned onions, whole spices, ginger-garlic paste, tomato, Kashmiri chili powder, and non-dairy yogurt to create a smoky and rich base. The dish is finished with a smoky paprika oil technique that imparts a distinctive aroma and flavor.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4
Calories: 243 kcal
Course: Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the Angara Spice Mix
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin ground
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 tablespoons almond flour optional
For the Tofu
  • 14 ounces firm tofu pressed for 15 minutes and then torn into 3/4” organic shapes, or extra firm tofu
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons angara spice mix of the
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch or other starch
  • 1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
For the Sauce
  • 2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • 1 1/2 cup onion red, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 black cardamom opened slightly, pod
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 or 2 clove whole
  • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste or use 5 cloves garlic, minced, and 1” ginger, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves dried
  • 1/2 cup tomato chopped
  • 1/2 cup tomato puree (canned) or unseasoned tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons kashmiri chili powder
  • 1/2 cup Non-Dairy yogurt
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water or stock or use non dairy milk for creamier
To Smoke the Curry
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • 2 inch cinnamon stick
Garnishes
  • cilantro
  • lemon juice

Instructions

Make the angara spice mix and the tofu.
    Cup of Yum
  1. Add all of the spice mix ingredients in a small bowl, mix really well, and set aside. 
  2. Press the tofu, if you haven't already, and then tear into pieces. Add the tofu to a bowl along with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of the angara spice mix and the salt, Kashmiri chili powder, and cornstarch. Toss well to coat, then heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil, then once the oil is hot, add the tofu and spread evenly. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip the tofu and cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the tofu from the skillet, and set aside.
Make the sauce.
  1. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil, and once the oil is hot add the onion, salt, black cardamom pod, bay leaf and whole clove, mixing well. Continue to cook until the onion is golden brown, adding splashes the water in between to help the onion brown evenly. Stir frequently, so that the onion doesn't burn, about 5 to 8 minutes. Once the onion is golden brown, reduce the heat to medium, and mix in the remaining angara spice mix. If the onions have dried out a little bit, add a splash of water to mix in the spices. Then, add in the ginger garlic paste, fenugreek leaves and mix for 15 seconds. Then add in tomatoes, tomato puree, Kashmiri chili powder, yogurt, remaining salt, and water. Press and mix in all of the ingredients, then cover with the lid and let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once in between, so that the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. 
  2. Fold in the tofu, tossing well to coat. If the sauce has thickened too much, mix in more water or stock. Cover with the lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for 10 minutes or longer to infuse a lot of flavor into the tofu. Then, taste and adjust salt and flavor, adding more salt, if needed. You can add in more heat, if you like, by adding a little bit of cayenne or Indian chili powder. 
Smoke the curry.
  1. Reduce the heat to low, and sprinkle the smoked paprika on top of the angara chicken, and let it simmer.
  2. Nestle a heat safe ramekin that will fit your cinnamon stick into the pan where you're cooking the curry, and add the 1 teaspoon of oil to it. Then, hold the cinnamon stick with tongs over an open flame until at least 1/2 of the cinnamon stick is blackened and it catches fire. Put it into the ramekin with the oil, drizzle more oil quickly, so that the oil starts to smoke. Cover the pan with the lid. Let the smoke from the cinnamon stick infuse the sauce. Depending on how much you heated the cinnamon stick, it can smoke really quickly. If it doesn’t smoke enough the first time for your taste, you can redo the smoking step or use a small food safe charcoal instead of the cinnamon stick. If you use the cinnamon stick, you can also drizzle the smoked oil over the finished dish for an even deeper smoky flavor. If you’re using charcoal, don’t use that oil. After smoking it for 5 minutes, open the lid, switch off the heat, remove the bowl. garnish with some cilantro and lemon juice and serve with naan, flatbread, rice or quinoa or over baked potato

Notes

  • For a soy-free version, substitute tofu with chickpea tofu, pumpkin seed tofu, seitan, chickpeas, or vegetables and use soy-free non-dairy yogurt.
  • To make the recipe nut-free, omit almond flour and use nut-free non-dairy yogurt.
  • This recipe is naturally gluten-free, suitable for those avoiding gluten.

Nutrition Information

Calories 243kcal (12%) Carbohydrates 22g (7%) Protein 13g (26%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g (29%) Monounsaturated Fat 5g (25%) Sodium 534mg (22%) Potassium 420mg (9%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 1749IU (35%) Vitamin C 17mg (19%) Calcium 242mg (24%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 243

% Daily Value*

Calories 243kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 22g 7%
Protein 13g 26%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Sodium 534mg 22%
Potassium 420mg 9%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 1749IU 35%
Vitamin C 17mg 19%
Calcium 242mg 24%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.