Tandoori Seitán Curry with Cardamom & Lime Rice Recipe

Ingredients

200g seitán steaks
2 tbsp tikka spice mix
150g white basmati rice
6 cardamom pods
2 onions
A thumb of turmeric
A thumb of ginger
2 garlic cloves
250g cherry tomatoes
A handful of coriander
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 lime
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
500ml boiling water

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Method

1. Unwrap the seitán steaks and pop onto a plate. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp tikka spice mix and a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle over 1 tsp oil and rub well till covered on all sides. Set aside to marinate.

2. Tip the rice into a sieve and give it a good rinse under cold water. Tip it into a small pan and add 300ml boiling water and a pinch of salt. Swirl in the cardamom pods. Pop on a lid and bring to the boil, then turn right down and very gently simmer for 8 mins, till all the water has been absorbed. Take the rice off the heat and leave it to steam in the pan, covered, for 10 mins. It will keep warm in the pan while the curry cooks.

3. Meanwhile, peel the onions and finely slice. Peel and finely grate the turmeric, ginger and garlic cloves. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Separate the coriander stalks and leaves (save the leaves till later), and finely chop the stalks.

4. Pour 1 tbsp oil into a pan and bring to a mediumhigh heat. Slide in the sliced onions and cook for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally, till softened and slightly golden at the edges. Reduce the heat of the pan to medium and stir in the chopped garlic, ginger, turmeric and coriander stalks. Sprinkle in 1 tbsp each cumin seeds and tikka spice mix, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for a further min.

5. Tip the cherry tomatoes into the onions and pour in 200ml boiling water. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 10 mins, till the tomatoes have softened and the sauce has thickened slightly.

6. Pour 1 tbsp oil into a frying pan and warm to a medium-high heat. Add the seitán steaks and fry for 5-6 mins, turning halfway, till golden and slightly charred on the outside. While the steaks are cooking, finely grate the zest from the lime.

7. Fluff up the cooked rice with a fork. Fish out the cardamom pods. Sprinkle the lime zest into the rice. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir together.

8. Slice the seitán steaks. Pile the rice onto plates and spoon over the curry sauce. Top with the sliced steaks and a few coriander leaves to serve.

CruiseLover

Rating

I had this in one of the recipe boxes and really enjoyed it. The only thing I would change next time would be to use less tikka spice in the marinade as it was a little dry when cooked. I was quite wary of the seitan as I’ve tried it before and it was very tough. The trick is to cook it for a short time in a very hot pan.