Vegan
Vegan Palak Tofu Recipe: One of my favorite Indian dishes is palak paneer (cheese cubes). I love how green it is and how prominent the spinach flavors are. Of course I love paneer but I don’t cook with it for ethical reasons so I used tofu instead because it has a similar texture to paneer minus the ethical guilt. You can definitely multitask while completing the various steps. See below for my veganized version of an Indian favorite!
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Vegan Palak Tofu Recipe: Green and Delicious
A veganized version of an Indian classic, Palak Paneer but with Tofu instead!
30
minutes30
minutesIngredients
- Tofu
1 lb extra firm tofu
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- Palak Spinach Puree
7 cups fresh spinach or ¾ of a large spinach container
1/3 cup water
2 green chilis (roughly chopped)
1 tbsp ginger (roughly chopped)
3 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion (chopped)
1 medium tomato (diced)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 bayleaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp Hungarian paprika
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp asafetida (optional)
2 tsp fenugreek
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1.5 tbsp Soy butter (earthly balance)
salt/pepper (to taste)
1 bunch cilantro (loosely chopped)
Directions
- Tofu
- Drain your tofu and marinate it in tamari and spices for at least 30 minutes in a medium bowl, the longer, the better!
- When you are ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium pan, heat your grapeseed oil on medium heat. When it’s ready, add the tofu and sauté for about 4-5 minutes on each side (it always goes faster after you flip it). You might need to add more oil so the tofu doesn’t stick in the pan.
- Then put your tofu in a single layer on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until it is somewhat brown and firm but not too crispy since it’s emulating paneer (cheese).
- Palak/Spinach Puree
- Rinse your spinach.
- Boil about 4 cups of water in a large pot with a pinch of salt and add the spinach for about 1-2 minutes.
- Get a large bowl ready with half ice cubes and half cold water to preserve the spinach.
- Take the spinach out of the water and add it to a food processor or blender.
- In a food processor or blender, blend the spinach, green chilis, ginger and garlic until you get a smooth puree. Then add about 1/3 cup of water.
- It should taste like Indian pesto!
- Sauce
- Heat up the olive oil in your pan on medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle and brown.
- Then add your bay leaf and onions. Sauté your onions until they are golden brown. Then add the garlic and cook for about 1-2minutes being sure not to burn the garlic.
- Add the tomato and mix it in with the other ingredients for about 1-2 minutes.
- Now add all of your spices and asafetida except the fenugreek and stir well for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add your spinach puree/palak mixture from the blender, fenugreek, and add about 1/3 cup of water. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce is thicker.
- Add the 1/3 cup of coconut milk and stir until it has the creaminess you desire.
- Simmer for about 5 more minutes and add some soy butter to help with the thickness.
- Add in your tofu and season to taste with salt/pepper. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve with basmati rice, roti, naan and enjoy!
Notes
- I have a better food processor than blender so I use a food processor.
- If you use frozen spinach, be sure to drain the water out a lot more.
- If you’re in a time crunch, then just fry the tofu, you don’t have to bake it.
- Inspired by https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/palak-paneer/.
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This is the closest vegan version of Palak paneer I have! Highly recommend this recipe!
So happy to hear you liked it!