Rara hen curry, a North Indian Smoky Onion Fennel Pepper Cardamom curry, that’s completely bursting with wonderful 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 this moment, we’re making vegan hen rara. The pronunciation of this has a D or an H within the second R, however you’ll be able to 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 collection!

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

Once 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 once we’re utilizing plant-based protein — like tofu, beans, or chickpeas — they don’t want that a lot time within the sauce. Should you’re utilizing different vegan proteins, like seitan or soy curls, you’ll be able to 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 fashion tofu crumble. Substitute these to choice.

Rara hen makes use of a number of umami-packed onion caramelized with complete spices, and then you definately add in a rara masala mix. The black cardamom, clove, and fennel seeds give a completely totally different taste to the dish, and likewise there’s fairly a little bit of Kashmiri chili powder so as to add a vibrant, purple shade and much more wonderful taste. Should you don’t use Kashmiri chili powder and use paprika, the colour payoff might be rather less. Totally different manufacturers of Kashmiri chili powder can have totally different shade payoffs and warmth as properly.

There are clearly many spices on this dish, however if you happen to don’t have a spice or two, that’s effective. It’ll nonetheless end up completely scrumptious, so positively strive 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 will be important that you simply 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 may make all the pieces style a bit too earthy in the event that they’re not toasted. 

Rara hen curry is a really thick-sauced dish. Should you favor 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 major 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). Once you’re paying that a lot for a dish in a restaurant, you need one thing decadent and creamy with a posh 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 may also add roasted veggies to the sauce as a substitute for a extremely flavor-packed veggie facet.

Why You’ll Love Rara Rooster Curry

• simplified, plant-based model of a North Indian traditional curry
• roasted complete spices give the tofu and sauce wonderful 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 if you happen to’re lacking a number of of the spices.
• gluten-free and nut-free with simple soy-free choice

Substances and Substitutions

• complete 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 slightly 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 additional 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 widespread in rara curry. For soy-free, use beans or seitan. You may also use soy curls as a substitute of tofu, if you happen to favor. You may also use lentils, chopped walnuts, or veggie grounds for the mince portion.
• cornstarch – Helps the spices follow the tofu and helps the tofu crisp up within the pan.
• oil – To sauté.
• onion – Caramelized onion is the bottom for the curry sauce.
• scorching 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 a substitute, if you happen to 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 recent cilantro and lime juice so as to add a recent taste component.

The right way to Make Rara Curry

Make the rara masala mix. 

Add the entire complete spices to a small skillet over medium warmth, and prepare dinner them till the fennel seeds begin to change shade. In case your bay leaf is just too massive, you’ll be able to 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 wish to powder the bay leaves totally, in any other case they are going to be annoying (or could cause cuts) in your mouth. 

Make the tofu.

Press the tofu, if you happen to 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 scorching, add the tofu to the skillet. Unfold it evenly, prepare dinner for two to three minutes, then flip the tofu and prepare dinner for one more 2 to three minutes.

Now, toss the skillet a few occasions, so the tofu is usually golden on the perimeters. Take away the tofu from the skillet, and set it apart.
To bake the tofu as a substitute: 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 scorching, add the cumin seeds and look forward to them to alter shade considerably and darken and get aromatic. This will take anyplace from 1 to three minutes. Combine within the black cardamom and cinnamon stick for a number 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, cut 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. Should 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 one more 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’ll be able to add in additional inventory or non pretty milk or cream and convey to a boil.

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

What to Serve with Rara Rooster

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