Vegetarian Mock Tandoori Chicken

I think -- in fact, I know this dish would satisfy vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. It's packed with protein from the soya and bursting with Indian spices and flavors. This is definitely my go-to recipe when I'm trying to feed company that are non-veg and it certainly can be considered party food as this recipe is enough to feed a crowd. If you're not trying to feed a crowd, then just half the recipe below.

I do have to give a disclaimer about the "star" of the show. The mock chicken is Worthington Chick-ettes. They are not readily available at your local grocery store. You can find them sold at Seventh Day Adventist stores in the freezer section, and for most of us that can be tricky. While I was living in Chicago, I found that Apple Valley Foods on Ogden Avenue sells them.  Here's a helpful link for them: http://www.avnf.com/

And here in Texas, I find that I have to order them all the way from Keene, Texas. After making a few phone calls, I was able to order a box of these babies to have them delivered to a local church in Austin for pick-up. They are pricy, costing about $7 a roll.  So a box of 12 rolls would cost you about $85. If you don't live in either Texas or Chicago, I would call around to find a Seventh Day Adventist Book store near you that sells it. Good luck!

And now here's the recipe ....

For marinade:
2 rolls of Worthington Chick-ettes soya protein (frozen) - to thaw, place in refrigerator the day/night before you are going to make this dish
1 small can tomato paste
5-6 cloves garlic, grated + 2 cloves, grated for veggies
1.5 inch piece of ginger, grated for soya + 0.5 inch piece of ginger, grated for veggies
2 tsp red chili (or per taste)
2 tbsp tandoori masala (or per taste)
1/2 tsp garam masala (or per taste)
Salt per taste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup oil
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup lemon juice

For veggies:
1 big ole onion, sliced lengthwise
3 multicolored bell peppers, sliced lengthwise
8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
5-6 small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in half and then sliced thin (no need to peel)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped for garnish

1. Make the marinade. I marinated for about 4 hours, but the longer the better. In a bowl, add the yogurt and tomato paste and mix together. Then add ginger, garlic, salt, lemon juice and all the powders and beat together. Roughly break the protein roll into uneven medium size pieces into the marinade and combine it all together. Let it sit to marry all of the flavors. It doesn't matter whether you place in fridge or on the countertop.

2. Cook the veggies. In a big wide pan, add 2-3 tbsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and the cinnamon sticks. When the seeds pop, add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes while you chop the mushrooms. After about five minutes of cook time, add the ginger and garlic. Once that's cooked for roughly a minute, add the mushrooms and salt.Mix together and let that cook while you chop the onions. Drop the onions in while you chop the peppers. Finally, add the peppers. I also added more red chili and tandoori in the veggies, just eyeballed it. After all the veggies are cooked, remove them into a bowl.

3. Cook the mock chicken. In the same wide pan, add 2 tbsp more oil and cook the marinated soya on med heat. It will take roughly 20 minutes, but remember to mix five minutes or so. For a charred tandoori effect, raise the heat at the end.

4. Assembly. Once the soya is cooked, add the veggies and mix together. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges as a side dish with sandwiches or with roti.

I hope you like it as much as our family does. Even my kids eat this stuff, and of course, I have to mellow down the heat for them. Enjoy!