Made with no oil, these Cauliflower Tempeh Masala Tacos are packed wall to wall with flavor and healthfulness. The cauliflower tempeh masala is spicy, tangy and delicious. Serve it on a wholegrain taco with leafy greens, avocados, onions and a green coriander chutney for even more yumminess. This 30-minute recipe is vegan and nut-free and the cauliflower tempeh masala is gluten-free.
Tacos are a popular food in our home, and why not? It’s easy to create all sorts of deliciousness by layering veggies and a protein source like beans or tempeh, my nine-year-old will eat anything so long as it’s folded inside a taco, and I can serve them up for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
These Cauliflower Tempeh Masala Tacos are one of my favorites. Not only are they incredibly tasty, but they come together in under 30 minutes, and require just a handful of ingredients.
This is also an incredibly versatile recipe, as you will find many recipes I post are. You can, for instance, switch out the cauliflower for broccoli or brussels sprouts, or even potatoes or sweet potatoes. If you prefer less heat, swap the chili peppers with roasted red peppers, which will add even more nutrition.
I love layering these with some mixed greens and avocados for more creaminess, and drizzling them with some leafy green coriander chutney before I serve.
- 2 tbsp + 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 1 8-oz package tempeh, cut into 1-cm cubes
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 medium head cauliflower, separated into florets
- 1 large roasted red pepper or 2 guajillo peppers or 6 Kashmiri peppers
- 4 cloves garlic
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Coriander for garnish
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup coriander and/or mint leaves
- 5-6 curry leaves
- 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, deseeded
- Salt to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 12 wholegrain tacos
- Greens like spinach, arugula, or a spring mix
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 1 small onion, cut into half-moons
- Coriander chutney (see recipe notes for link)
Crush the garlic cloves, skin on, and roast on a hot skillet, turning over once or twice, until fragrant, about two minutes. Remove the skins and place the garlic in a blender along with the roasted red pepper or chili peppers and 1/2 cup of stock. Blend and reserve.
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of stock in a wok or large skillet. Add the turmeric and then the cauliflower. Season with some salt and pepper, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the cauliflower is bite-tender. Add the tempeh cubes and stir to mix.
Add the red-pepper-garlic paste to the wok and stir-fry another 5-8 minutes over high heat or until the vegetables and tempeh are well-coated and there is no liquid left in the wok. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir in coriander, if using. Turn off the heat.
If making the chutney, place all ingredients for the chutney in a blender and blend until smooth.
To serve, place some greens in each taco shell. Add the cauliflower tempeh masala, layer on some avocado and onions, and drizzle coriander chutney.
- This Cauliflower Tempeh Masala is a great accompaniment to dosas or even as a side with dal and rice.
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More taco-wrapped deliciousness from the archives:
Curry-glazed Carrot Tofu Tacos
This sounds wonderful. Cauliflower and tempeh should be a satisfying combo. Love the idea of brussel sprouts and potatoes, like those small blue potatoes. Lately I’ve been finding a lot of recipes for green cilantro/mint chutney to be kind of watery; will try yours.
Wondering if you have a recipe for onion chutney. We’ve only had it in a few Indian restaurants; most don’t have it. We were going to one restaurant solely because of this onion chutney, but that’s kind of crazy—it wasn’t that great a place overall and they weren’t fully running the AC, which is not fun in Atlanta in the summer. I know you have a red tomato chutney—the onion chutney we love is red, but it is onion and not tomato. Not sure what makes it red….
Oh Yum! Two of my favorites: cauliflower and tempeh! Must try this weekend.
Ok! So I made it!
A suggestion: the red pepper garlic sauce was really bland and didn’t flavor the tempeh well. I added a tablespoon of red curry paste into the sauce and that helped out a lot.
I will say that the tempeh got really lost in the mix; you could completely omit it and it would taste the same.
Overall the flavor combo was very satisfying: the fresh cilantro (aka coriander leaves) paired with the cauliflower, with the cooling chutney–the avocado was what took it over the edge! So good!
Make sure to add lots of lime or ume plum vinegar to the cauliflower/tempeh so that the flavor pops. The amount it says to add in the recipe is not enough.
We also used hard taco shells and cabbage and that was super delicious!