Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using your hands, crumble the tempeh into small chunks and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt; toss to mix. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
3. While the tempeh bakes, prepare the curry. Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the onion and sauté until translucent. Next, add the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
4. Sprinkle in the coconut sugar, kosher salt, curry powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and cardamom. Cook the spices for 30-60 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
5. Next, add in the coconut milk and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the pot with a lid. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. It’s important to keep the lid partially over the pot, so the water from the coconut milk can evaporate. Finally, add in the baked tempeh and chickpeas, and stir well. Continue to simmer the curry for an additional 10 minutes or until thickened and creamy.
6. Serve the vegan butter chikʼn with a squeeze of lemon and cilantro for garnish, along with rice, flatbread, pita or even sourdough bread. Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
