Rara Hen Curry (gluten-free, nut-free with soy-free possibility)

Rara hen curry, a North Indian Smoky Onion Fennel Pepper Cardamom curry, that’s completely bursting with superb advanced flavors! Put together it as-is with tofu or use your protein of option to make it your individual! It’s scrumptious served with flatbread, naan, or rice.

Right now, we’re making vegan hen rara. The pronunciation of this has a D or an H within the second R, however you may pronounce it nevertheless you want.

I’ve been exploring meat-heavy and regional Indian dishes, and growing simpler and vegan variations of these. And this rara hen is my most up-to-date adaptation on this sequence!

The origins of rara hen curry are disputed. It both comes from the Punjabi or Himachal area(north indian states), or it might come from Lucknowi delicacies(mid jap state delicacies). There are completely different tales about it, however both approach, it’s a completely scrumptious North Indian curry! 

If you make these recipes with meat, it requires much more steps in addition to cooking the meat within the sauce for a for much longer time. However after we’re utilizing plant-based protein — like tofu, beans, or chickpeas — they don’t want that a lot time within the sauce. In the event you’re utilizing different vegan proteins, like seitan or soy curls, you may prepare dinner these within the sauce for a for much longer time for a extremely good taste infusion. This curry has each meaty tofu items and mince meat type tofu crumble. Substitute these to choice.

Rara hen makes use of a number of umami-packed onion caramelized with entire spices, and then you definately add in a rara masala mix. The black cardamom, clove, and fennel seeds give a completely completely different taste to the dish, and likewise there’s fairly a little bit of Kashmiri chili powder so as to add a vibrant, crimson colour and much more superb taste. In the event you don’t use Kashmiri chili powder and use paprika, the colour payoff will likely be rather less. Completely different manufacturers of Kashmiri chili powder may have completely different colour payoffs and warmth as properly.

There are clearly many spices on this dish, however should you don’t have a spice or two, that’s nice. It’ll nonetheless end up completely scrumptious, so undoubtedly attempt it. 

We toast the spices for the rara masala mix earlier than grinding them, as a result of it is usually used as a ending spice. It can be crucial that you just roast the ending spice beforehand to present the ultimate mix a melded taste profile. In any other case, among the spices, like fennel, will present up much more strongly within the spice mix, and among the spices would possibly make every thing style a bit too earthy in the event that they’re not toasted. 

Rara hen curry is a really thick-sauced dish. In the event you choose extra sauce, add in additional water, inventory, or non-dairy milk. The sauce is simmered for fairly a little bit of time to get all that taste payoff out of the spices.

One of many primary causes I’m making vegan variations of those meaty dishes is that they have a tendency to have much more spices, and decadent sauces in comparison with the vegetarian variations. That is both as a result of the meat wants extra seasoning, or as a result of meat dishes are extra expensive (in India). If you’re paying that a lot for a dish in a restaurant, you need one thing decadent and creamy with a fancy taste profile. 

However all of that taste is definitely within the sauce, so we’re utilizing that very same sauce and all of these spices with plant-based protein. You too can add roasted veggies to the sauce as an alternative for a extremely flavor-packed veggie aspect.

Why You’ll Love Rara Hen Curry

• simplified, plant-based model of a North Indian traditional curry
• roasted entire spices give the tofu and sauce superb flavors from cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, and extra
• one-pan meal
• versatile! Bake or fry the tofu, or use protein of your selection. It’s even OK should you’re lacking a couple of of the spices.
• gluten-free and nut-free with straightforward soy-free possibility

Components and Substitutions

• entire spices – For the rara masala mix, you’ll want black peppercorns, cloves, black and inexperienced cardamom pods, a bay leaf, and fennel seeds. For the rara curry sauce, you’ll want cumin seeds, a black cardamom pod, and a cinnamon stick.
• floor spices – The rara masala additionally makes use of a little bit little bit of floor nutmeg. To coat the tofu, use garlic powder and Kashmiri chili powder. For the sauce, use floor coriander and Kashmiri chili powder.
• tofu – Select agency or further agency tofu for this recipe. We’re going to tear some up for the large items of meat and crumble some for the minced meat that’s additionally frequent in rara curry. For soy-free, use beans or seitan. You too can use soy curls as an alternative of tofu, should you choose. You too can use lentils, chopped walnuts, or veggie grounds for the mince portion.
• cornstarch – Helps the spices stick with the tofu and helps the tofu crisp up within the pan.
• oil – To sauté.
• onion – Caramelized onion is the bottom for the curry sauce.
• sizzling inexperienced chili – Half a chili provides some good warmth to this dish. Use Serrano or comparable, and chop it finely.
• ginger garlic paste – You need to use an equal quantity of minced ginger and garlic as an alternative, should you don’t have the paste.
• tomato puree – With the onion, that is the remainder of the sauce base.
• water or inventory – Provides moisture to the sauce.
• garnishes – Garnish this with contemporary cilantro and lime juice so as to add a contemporary taste ingredient.

Make Rara Curry

Make the rara masala mix. 

Add all the entire spices to a small skillet over medium warmth, and prepare dinner them till the fennel seeds begin to change colour. In case your bay leaf is simply too giant, you may tear it into a few items, in order that it toasts up simply, 3 to 4 minutes.

Then, switch the roasted spices to a spice grinder or espresso grinder, add the nutmeg, and grind them up right into a powder. The bay leaves will take longer to interrupt down, however you need to powder the bay leaves fully, in any other case they are going to be annoying (or could cause cuts) in your mouth. 

Make the tofu.

Press the tofu, should you haven’t already, then tear about 12 ounces of it into 3/4” natural shapes. Crumble the remaining 2 ounces right into a separate bowl, and put aside.

Add the garlic powder, Kashmirhi chili powder, salt, half of the rara spice mix, and the cornstarch to a small bowl, and blend very well. Then, sprinkle it over the torn tofu, tossing properly to coat. 

Warmth a big skillet over medium excessive warmth, and add 1 teaspoon oil. As soon as the oil is sizzling, add the tofu to the skillet. Unfold it evenly, prepare dinner for two to three minutes, then flip the tofu and prepare dinner for an additional 2 to three minutes.

Now, toss the skillet a few instances, so the tofu is usually golden on the sides. Take away the tofu from the skillet, and set it apart.
To bake the tofu as an alternative: unfold the coated tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle the teaspoon of oil over the items, after which bake at 400° F (205° C) for 20 minutes, or till golden. 

Make the sauce. 

To the identical skillet, add a teaspoon of oil over medium-high warmth. As soon as the oil is sizzling, add the cumin seeds and anticipate them to alter colour considerably and darken and get aromatic. This will take wherever from 1 to three minutes. Combine within the black cardamom and cinnamon stick for a couple of seconds, then add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.

Combine properly, and prepare dinner the onion for six to 9 minutes, or till evenly golden. After about 5 minutes of cooking the onion, scale back the warmth to medium. Add splashes of water in between to assist the onion brown onions brown evenly. 

As soon as they’re browned, add in one other splash of water and add the floor spices, inexperienced chili, and ginger garlic paste.

Combine in and prepare dinner for a minute. In the event you’re utilizing minced ginger and garlic, prepare dinner for an additional minute, in order that the garlic cooks properly. Then, combine within the tomato puree, water, and the crumbled up tofu. Cowl with the lid, and let the tomato puree prepare dinner down for six to eight minutes. 

Open the lid, and blend in one other 1/2 to 1 cup of water or inventory. Fold in your crisped up tofu, then cowl with the lid once more and prepare dinner for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. As soon as the sauce is fairly thick and coating the tofu, swap off the warmth. For a saucier rara hen curry, you may add in additional inventory or non pretty milk or cream and produce to a boil.

Garnish with cilantro and lime juice, and serve with naan, flatbread, or rice.

What to Serve with Rara Hen

Serve with naan, flatbread, or rice and veggie sides of your selection, reminiscent of Diwani Handi greens or saag aloo.