Make your own homemade tikka masala paste and take your favourite curry to the next level. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
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When I first wanted to make my own tikka paste I had a look through some recipes online. And they were all really different!
Not sure where to start I then had a look at the ingredients on a jar of ready made tikka masala paste on a supermarket website.
This recipe is what I came up with.
It’s fairly flexible and if you’re struggling to get any of the ingredients - for example the tamarind paste* - you can leave it out.
Add more cayenne for a spicier paste or omit it altogether for a milder result.
What is tikka paste?
Tikka paste is a blend of spices, tomato purée and oil that's usually used to marinate ingredients before cooking.
In the Indian subcontinent a tikka is usually made from chicken or paneer, which has been marinated in spices, and then cooked in a tandoor.
A tikka paste is often red in colour.
I have included fresh coriander in my paste. This tastes great but can reduce the red colour of your tikka paste.
Simply leave out the fresh coriander if you want a really red paste.
Is that the same thing as tikka masala?
Not quite. A traditional tikka dish is drier whereas a tikka masala is in a sauce.
The origins of tikka masala are unclear but it’s likely that it’s a British Indian creation, with the tikka chicken (or other ingredients) added to a sauce. Some attribute its origins to an Indian restaurant in Glasgow.
Either way it’s one of Britain’s favourite Indian dishes.
It’s pretty easy to buy a jar of ready made curry paste in the supermarket if you want to make your own tikka masala curry. But it always tastes way better to make your own.
What to serve with this curry paste
My favourite vegan tikka masala recipe is cauliflower tikka masala.
To keep it really simple all you need to do is:
- Preheat the oven
- Break your cauliflower into florets and place in a roasting dish
- Add 2 tbsp tikka paste and mix well.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, stir and roast for a further 30 minutes.
If you want to make it into more of a masala dish you can add some tomato sauce and dairy free cream or yoghurt to make it more saucy.
Other delicious vegan tikka masala dishes can be made from:
Do you need any special equipment for this recipe?
You will need a food processor* or high powered blender* to make this. I find it works best in my blender. If you're going to use a food processor one with a small jug will work best.
If you only have a hand held blender* you can use that but your purée won't be so smooth.
Ingredients
For full recipe including ingredients list, quantities and method please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
To make homemade tikka masala paste you will need:
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 inch chunk ginger, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more for spicier paste, less for milder)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds or ground fenugreek
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- Small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)
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How to make homemade tikka paste
For full recipe including ingredients list, quantities and method please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
1. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds on a dry frying pan for a minute or so until starting to smell fragrant.
2. Transfer to a blender and pulse (with the fenugreek seeds if using) until broken down.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. You may need to stop to scrape the sides down a few times.
4. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze in portions for use at a later date.
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Please do not reproduce this recipe without permission.
Homemade tikka paste
Equipment
- Small kilner jar for storage
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds toasted
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds toasted
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 inch piece ginger crushed
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or less if preferred
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds or ground fenugreek
- 1 tablespoon tamarind puree
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- Small bunch coriander (cilantro)* roughly chopped, optional
Instructions
- First toast your cumin and coriander seeds. Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and toast the seeds until starting to smell fragrant. Stir occasionally to stop them from burning.
- Place the toasted seeds (and fenugreek seeds if using) into the blender and pulse until you have a coarse powder.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and process until smooth.
- You will probably need to stop and scrape the sides down at least once.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks or freeze in small portions to use at a later date.
Notes
- *If you use the fresh coriander your paste will look browner - but taste amazing. Leave it out or reduce the amount if you want a redder paste.
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.
- Suitable for freezing.
Nutrition
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Pete king
I added lime rind and lime juice, I blended a good handful of celantro and substituted the oil for butter ghee, I also added some cardamon seeds and bay leaves which I toasted in first steps.
After all paste was grinded up, I added a white onion that had been pureed and fried off the whole mixture until all water from onion had gone, keep in air tight container for upto 3 months in refrigerator.
Cook Veggielicious
Sounds delicious Pete
Robert Coe
Used the paste to make roasted chicken tikka. Marinated the chicken with the paste, plain yoghurt and lemon juice. Added roasted red onion and red pepper to the chicken, all on a garlic naan with sliced red chilli on top. Was delicious. Recommended.