Tempeh Tandoori Tikka/Kebab Bowl with Cilantro Mint Chutney. 25 gm of Protein! Tempeh marinated in Delicious and Flavorful Tandoori Marinade, then baked and served over greens, onions. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe. Use Veggies or vegan meat subs for soy-free
Indian Tandoori tikka (Indian kebab, marinated and roasted meat or veggie dish) are very flavorful and a comfort food hitting all the taste points. The burst of flavor, the lime, chutneys, spices, onion (always some raw red onion!) and everything that makes up a traditional tandoori tikka dish. For the version today, I use Tempeh as the protein, marinated in this ginger, garlic, non dairy yogurt marinade with the special spice blend (tandoori masala blend), that you can make from scratch or use premade. The marinated tempeh is baked until the marinade thickens. Try not to eat it all right out of the oven! Its So Good.
Make a batch of my Mint cilantro chutney to serve as a dip with the tikka or use as a dressing on a Tikka bowl with greens, crunchy veggies. You can also use the tandoori marinate to coat veggies and bake them, or use Tofu, other meat subs, or use soy-free Tempeh made with split peas or black eyed peas for Soyfree option. With Tempeh this bowl packs 25 gm of Protein!
More Amazing Bowls from the blog
- Cajun Roasted Veggie Bowl with Garlic Sauce. GF
- Peanut Butter Roasted Cauliflower Bowl. GF
- Curried Kidney Bean Bowl with quinoa, zucchini, mango salsa GF
- Shawarma Chickpeas, Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl GF
- Quinoa Cauliflower Bowl with almond Sriracha sauce GF
- Chili Garlic Tofu Bowl with Vermicelli. GF
Recipe Card
Tandoori Tempek Tikka (kebab) Bowl with Cilantro Mint Chutney
Ingredients
- 8 oz Tempeh , check the beans/grains used to ensure gluten-free if needed, There are some varieties or soyfree Tempeh now available as well made with other beans for soy-free option
Marinade:
- 3/4 cup (183.75 ml) non dairy yogurt ( or use thin cashew cream)
- 2 tbsp or more water
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch ginger , use a good rounded inch knob
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) onion powder
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp or more lime juice
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour or other flour
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) sugar
- 1/2 (0.5) hot green chile or 1 tbsp green bell pepper
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) sage optional
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cayenne
- 1.5 to 2 tbsp tandoori masala , store bought or recipe below, use whichever spices you have, missing a spice is ok
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
Tandoori Masala Blend:
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) fennel seeds
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cumin seeds
- 2 cloves , or use 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) dried fenugreek leaves or 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) smoked paprika
Bowl:
- sliced onions, spinach/greens, lime juice as needed
- 1 Recipe Cilantro Mint Chutney
Instructions
- Steam the tempeh for 11 to 13 minutes (in a steamer, instant pot or however). Cube/slice and place in a bowl. Thin and smaller slices will do better to absorb flavors from the marinade.
- Grind all the spices under tandoori masala using a spice/coffee grinder or a blender with a 2 blade attachment.
- Then add all the ingredients under marinade (including the ground tandoori masala) and blend until well combined. Pour over the tempeh. Toss to combine. Use a tbsp of water to rinse the blender and pour into the bowl. Chill for a few hours or overnight for best results.
- Line a sheet with parchment. Fish out the tempeh pieces from the marinade and place on the sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. You can pour some of the remaining the marinade over the pieces half way through. Or use the remaining marinade to coat veggies like cauliflower, bell peppers, broccoli etc, Add 1 tbsp flour to the marinade to thicken if needed before adding veggies. Place on the baking sheet with the tempeh and bake for the 25-30 mins.
- Serve the baked tempeh tikka in a bowl with crunchy greens and sliced onion. Dress with lime juice and cilantro mint chutney. Sprinkle some garam masala or chaat masala and cayenne for additional oomph. Serve as a bowl, as appetizer with just Tikka and chutney dip, or make Wraps!
Notes
Nutrition
ClLaire Panella
Just made your mint coriander and coconut chutneys from your book are they suppose to be quite liquid?
Vegan Richa Support
well, yes, a similar texture to a blended tomatoe salsa for example not like the traditional more thick and sticky chutneys…
Shannon Dhanani
Do you have instructions for steaming the tempeh in an instant pot? Thanks, can’t wait to try!
Vegan Richa Support
here’s a great link: https://fullofplants.com/how-to-make-tempeh-instant-pot
Jen
This looks good and I’m sure it’s great, Richa! I have not made it yet, and wanted to ask if you could recommend a brand of tempeh. I have tried a few, and though I love plant-based eating and tofu, I have just never liked the taste of tempeh and I’m wondering if I’ve not gotten the right brand? It has had an odd bitter taste to me. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Some people are a bit more sensitive to the taste of tempeh, I find that lightly steaming it first before using it in a recipe helps with that.
Naomi
So good! I was sad when I finished my last bite.
Vegan Richa Support
5 stars! thank you. so glad that you loved it – you’ll just have to make it again!
Coleen
I missed the “put the marinade in the blender” part, and I used a whole serrano chile. Soooooo delicious!
Richa
glad it still came out well!
Cassie Thuvan Tran
Looks absolutely delicious! I have always loved tandoori tikka, especially chicken, shrimp, and paneer before adopting a plant-based diet. Tandoori tempeh and tofu sound like an AMAZING main protein dish for any salad. I want to add caramelized onions and cilantro to this recipe when I create it!
Richa
caramelized onion will be amazing with it!
Emily
Amazing! I made these with Tofu and cauliflower and they were perfect snack food.
Richa
awesome!