Tikka masala rice bake with crispy tofu is a super quick, one-pan meal using a simple tikka masala sauce for an easy dinner that’s full of flavor. Even the rice cooks right in the one baking dish!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: dinner, Main, Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the Aromatics

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 hot green chili (such as Serrano, finely chopped or use Indian or Thai chilies, or jalapeño)
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped bell pepper (I use a mix of red and green)

For the Spices

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder (or use paprika)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves (that's kasuri methi)

For the Tofu

  • 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 10 minutes then torn into bite-sized pieces)

For the Rest of the Bake

  • 8 ounces tomato puree (or passata or unseasoned tomato sauce, not paste)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or use [adjustable]1/2”[/adjustable] ginger, minced, and [adjustable]4 cloves [/adjustable] of garlic, minced)
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup Indian long grain white basmati rice, (washed)
  • 1 1/2 cups water or stock (or use a mix of coconut milk and stock)
  • 1 cup frozen vegetables (or other chopped vegetables of choice)
  • cilantro, lime juice, and pepper flakes (for garnish)

Method

  1. Chop all the veggies, and press the tofu and tear it into pieces, if you haven't already. Use 1/2 teaspoon of the oil to grease a 9x11” or similar-sized baking dish, and preheat your oven to 400° F (205° C). Add the chopped onion, green chili, and bell pepper to one side of the baking dish. Add the torn tofu to the other side of the baking dish, then drizzle the remaining oil on the onion and tofu. In a small bowl, mix all of the spices together, then sprinkle half of them on the onion side, and half on the tofu. Toss the spices into the onion and tofu, making sure not to mix the onion and tofu together. Keep them on their same sides of the baking dish.
  2. Bake for about 14 to 18 minutes, or until the tofu is a little crisp, and the onion is starting to turn golden. You can stir the tofu or the onions, if needed in between, if they're scorching on any one side.
  3. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and transfer the tofu out of the baking dish into a bowl. Add the tomato puree, ginger garlic paste, non-dairy yogurt, and salt, and mix really well. Then, mix in the water, and then mix in the rice and the veggies. Even everything out with a spatula. At this point, you can add some of the tofu back on top, or you can leave the tofu out to add to the baked rice later, depending on the texture that you like. The tofu will soften a little bit if you put it back in, because of the water boiling underneath. If you want to keep it crispier, add it on top just before serving. If it's not crisped up to preference, you can just put the oven safe bowl of tofu back into the oven to crisp up more on its own while the rice is baking. Lightly cover the baking dish with a piece of parchment paper, and bake for 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked to preference. It might take an extra 5 minutes for the rice to completely cook,, depending on your pan and your oven.
  4. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and let it sit for a minute or two, then use a large fork or spatula to fluff the rice really well, top it with the crisped up tofu, and garish with cilantro, lime juice, and pepper flakes. You can also drizzle on some non-dairy yogurt, if you like. Serve with raita dip(see recipe notes for recipe), pickled onion or mango chutney.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.