This Indian spiced chickpea pecan meatloaf with fragrant Indian butter chicken-inspired gravy is a hit at the holiday table! If you’re looking to shake up your vegan Thanksgiving routine, this Indian kofta meatloaf is the answer!
This flavorful spiced chickpea loaf with Indian spices and a butter sauce gravy is part of my Indianized Thanksgiving series. This month, I’m sharing a tuft of recipes for vegan Thanksgiving dishes with an Indian spin.
I decided to make an Indianized Thanksgiving spread, but instead of making the usual Indian dishes — like my tikka masala, butter tofu, or gobi musallam (whole roasted cauliflower) — and then serving with naan and rice, I wanted to alimony the trappings of the Thanksgiving meal and add Indian elements to it. So you have meatloaf and gravy, roasted veggies, cranberry sauce chutney and a side of crispy spinach pastry, but all with an Indian touch.
This whole meal is very easy to make, and you do scrutinizingly all of the cooking in the oven. You only need to simmer the butter sauce and melt some spinach on the stovetop. The whole rest of this meal is baked. That makes it much increasingly hands-free than traditional Thanksgiving meals, so you can spend increasingly time with friends and family and less time standing over the stove.
This chickpea loaf has Indian spices, and the gravy is a quick mix and swash butter chikin sauce that you’ll moreover use as the glaze for the meatloaf. The veggie side is spiced, glazed carrots, and the cranberry sauce is made into a quick dump and torch Baked cranberry chutney with garam masala and untried chili widow to it. For the Spinach pastry, we are using spinach and vegan surf cheese, but the spinach is spiced like saag or palak tofu, so it has all those flavors going and is succulent and creamy. Watch out for all these recipes coming up this week!
Why You’ll Love this Chickpea Loaf
- Thanksgiving vibes with amazing, Indian flavors.
- Easy to make in the oven.
- Quick, creamy, stovetop butter yellow sauce gravy.
- oil-free and soy-free with a gluten-free option
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- coconut milk – Full-fat coconut milk is the base for the butter sauce gravy. Use cashew milk as substitute
- tomato puree – Rather than cooking down chopped tomatoes, we’ll use canned puree for a quicker result.
- dry spices – For the gravy, you’ll need garam masala, onion powder, dried fenugreek leaves, black pepper, and cayenne. To season the loaf, we are using garam masala, salt and pepper, oregano, black cardamom, dried fenugreek leaves, smoked paprika, and dried onion flakes. You can omit the black cardamom pod, if you can’t find this ingredient.
- ginger-garlic paste – For seasoning the gravy and the loaf. Or Use minced ginger garlic
- pecans – This is party of the chickpea loaf’s meaty texture. – use walnuts or sunflower seeds as a sub
- mushrooms – Adds even more meatiness to the loaf!
- chickpeas – Use canned chickpeas or cooked, drained chickpeas to make the loaf. Use other white beans or lentils if you don’t want to use chickpeas
- ketchup – For flavoring the loaf and to add moisture. Or use tomato paste
- all-purpose flour – Acts as a binder for the loaf.
- dried cranberries – Adds a little texture and sweetness to the chickpea loaf.
- breadcrumbs – To help the dough for the loaf come together.
TIPS
- Make the butter sauce first, since this is also the glaze for the chickpea loaf.
- When you’re making the dough for the loaf, don’t use all of the chickpeas in the food processor! Leave about 1/3 of the can aside and add later, so your loaf will have some good texture.
- This loaf slices best when it’s a bit cooler. Either cool before slicing or make a day ahead and reheat on a lower heat before slicing and serving.
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