Tofu in Spinach Curry | Dinner

This recipe takes less than 10 minutes to put together if you have a bunch of prewashed baby spinach or greens. Crisp up the tofu with spices, blend all the sauce ingredients, give it a good boil, and serve. Dress in cashew cream and serve with naan or rice.

Ingredients

TOFU:

2 teaspoons safflower or other neutral oil

14 ounces firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 3/4inch dice

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Garam Masala (here)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon Indian black salt, optional

3/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

SPINACH CURRY:

4 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped if large or 3 cups frozen (thawed and squeezed)

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup almond milk or coconut milk

1/4 cup soaked cashews, soaked for 15 minutes or 1/4 cup ground raw cashews

6 cloves garlic

1 (1 1/2-inch) knob of ginger

1 serrano or other hot green chile (remove seeds to adjust heat, if needed)

2 large tomatoes, chopped (2 cups)

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 1/2 teaspoon raw sugar or maple syrup

1 teaspoon Garam Masala (here)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons cashew cream, for garnish

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, for garnish

Instructions

1. Tofu: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cubed tofu, stir

to coat, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add salt,

cumin, garlic, garam masala, Kala namak, and cayenne, stirring to coat. Cook for

9 to 10 minutes, partially covered, to crisp some edges. Set aside.

2. Spinach Curry: Wash the spinach and add to a blender. Add all the other curry

ingredients to the blender except cashew cream and red pepper flakes. Blend into

a smooth puree. Add the puree to the skillet with the tofu. Mix well. Cook

covered over medium-low heat until the raw garlic smell is not detectable and

desired consistency is achieved 12 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and

spices, if needed. Drizzle the cashew cream on top and sprinkle with the red

pepper flakes. Serve hot.

To make this nut-free: Use full-fat coconut milk instead of almond milk and omit

the cashews.

To make this with tempeh: Steam the tempeh according to instructions here. Add

the spices for the tofu and oil to the skillet with the steamed tempeh and cook

until golden on some edges, about 5 minutes. Add the blended spinach curry and

cook for 20 to 25 minutes over medium-low heat.

To make this with vegan paneer: Skip step 1, add spices to hot oil in a large

skillet, add the blended spinach puree. Cook for 10 minutes. Add vegan paneer

cheese and cook for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

To make sarson ka saag: Omit the tofu, use 2 cups mustard leaves and 2 cups

spinach and follow the recipe. Dress with melted vegan butter or olive oil and

serve.