Chickpea Tofu Curry

As promised, here is a recipe for a curry made with the chickpeas tofu I made in the earlier post. I did get a lot of great response on the tofu post and on my Instagram. Many of you really appreciated the recipe and wrote about your experience with making this. Thank you so much for that…I love such interaction!

A lot of you mentioned different uses of the tofu – serving it on top of salad, inside sandwiches and replacing meatballs with this in meatballs in sauce & pasta. Some really brilliant uses of the tofu. Here is my recipe for making a vegan Indian curry with it. Hope you like it. Please do share your thought/comments/experience.

Serving for 2 to 3 people

Ingredients

For the Spice Paste (Masala)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili power
1 tsp turmeric
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp chopped ginger
2 tsp sugar
salt

For Curry
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp masala
4 small tomatoes, pureed
1/4 cup cashews + 1 tbsp white poppy seeds, soaked in water for an hour
4 cups water
1/4 cup tomato puree
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1 cup chickpea tofu, diced
salt

Make the Spice Paste (Masala):

1. Dry roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds and mustard seeds in a pan for 3 to 4 min. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Place the roasted spices in a coffee grinder and turn into a coarse mixture. In a saucepan heat oil and add onions along with a couple pinches of salt and sugar.
3. Cook on medium low till the onions caramelize completely. Stir in the garlic and ginger.
4. Add roasted ground spices along with garam masala, chili and turmeric. Cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat. Place the mixture in a blender with a tablespoon of water and whiz to form a smooth paste. The masala is ready.

Make the Curry:

1. Add soaked cashews and poppy seeds in a blender along with a few tablespoons of water and whiz to form a smooth paste.
2. In a wok heat oil on medium heat. Add the prepared masala and cook for a minute. Add pureed tomatoes, tomato puree, salt and sugar and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Add water and cashew & poppy seed paste and stir to mix well. Bring it to a boil and add the tofu. Continue to cook covered for another 3 to 4 minutes on low.
4. Add lemon juice and turn the heat off. Transfer in a serving dish and garnish with fresh cilantro and caramelized onions.