Tofu Amritsari Masala. This Amritsari Sauce uses toasted cayenne and spices to make a smoky spicy creamy tomato sauce. Add chickpeas, veggies or veggie meats for variation. Vegan Glutenfree Recipe. Can be Soyfree, Nutfree. Jump to Recipe

Amritsar is a town in the state of Punjab and the cuisine from this city has certain twists to the usual sauces and dishes. This Amritsari sauce which is often served with chikin is a fabulous base for veggies, tofu or chickpeas. The sauce is a creamy onion tomato sauce like the makhani sauce. The spicing is a bit different.

Cayenne and paprika (or kashmiri chili) is roasted/fried well in the beginning(there might be sneezing!), then cumin and coriander and mixed and roasted. The temperature of the pan and oil matter here so that the spices dont burn, but do roast well. Then the onion, garlic and ginger is added and cooked to golden with the smoked spices. A Blended tomato cashew sauce is then added and simmered to make a creamy smoky spicy sauce! Add the baked tofu or some chickpeas or roasted veggies and simmer for a few mins.

This sauce can easily get pretty hot. So use less heat (cayenne, smoked paprika and sub the hot green chile with mild or bell pepper) to preference. If you fry the cayenne in hotter oil, it will also burn out some of the heat. For a quicker recipe, pan fry pressed and cubed tofu and use. Lets get sneezing!

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The spices fried in hot oil is what gives the dish its distinctive flavor. If omitting oil, you want to carefully toast the spices on a dry hot skillet and then add some broth and onion and continue to cook.

Tofu gets marinated in ginger garlic cayenne lemon cornstarch marinade and then baked. Use the same marinade for veggies if using. Or cook the chickpeas or chickpea tofu with it before adding to the sauce.

You can also add the marinade ingredients minus cornstarch to the onion mixture and cook for a minute before adding the tomato puree. Then add veggies or chickpeas with cashew milk and simmer until tender.