palak tofu recipe is the vegan version of classic indian dish, palak paneer. It is made by cooking extra firm tofu cubes in a spinach gravy. This is great for people who cannot consume paneer or Indian cottage cheese due to health reasons or diet preference. That is the beauty of Indian cuisine. Most vegetarian recipes can be made as a vegan dish or gluten-free by tweaking certain ingredients. However, the taste is just as great.
Spinach recipes are always easy to cook whether its aloo palak or palak tofu. You can make a spinach pilaf or paratha like a methi thepla. Use it as a base to make undhiyu , sata bhajiyun or make a lentil Sai bhaji with it. You can make a simple spinach soup , palak shorba or blueberry spinach smoothie. Saag can also be cooked with Rajasthani mangodi.You can also make Indian spinach rice or palak tofu pulao with left over curry. If you do not have kale, you can cook spinach mushroom stir fry for a healthy Iron-Vit D combo. hariyali pulao is a great option too. You also charm your kids into eating the absolute necessary greens. Spinach and tofu curry makes everyone happy.Voila! you have the magic wand!
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Ingredients
- Spinach leaves , wash and blend with 1 cup water.
- Onions,diced
- Tomatoes diced
- extra-firm tofu cubes (1-inch cubes)
- oil
Tempering:
- cumin seeds
- Ginger ,garlic,green chillies
- red chilli powder increase if you like it extra spicy
- Curry powder or a mix of turmeric powder , coriander powder , garam masala
- salt as per taste
refer to recipe card for details.
palak tofu curry recipe | spinach tofu curry recipe
Equipment
- Sieve
- Blender
- kadai/frying pan
Ingredients
- 300 grams extra firm tofu
- 3-4 tablespoon oil or ghee if vegetarian
- 2 large bunch 1 bunch is 250 gm of Spinach leaves
- 1 cup water for blending spinach puree
- 1 medum onion
- 2 tablespoon ginger paste peel and crush a piece of ginger
- 3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 small green chilli as per taste,avoid if you do not like it spicy
- 2-3 tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder increase if you like it extra spicy
- salt as per taste
- 1-½ tablespoon curry powder you can adjust as per your level of spice.
Use Curry powder or below mix of spices.
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder adjust as per taste
Instructions
For the tofu cubes
- Cut the tofu into small cubes of 1 inch.
- Heat oil in a pan. Sauté cubed tofu until light brown. Keep this tofu aside.This is an optional step, you can directly add fresh tofu pieces if you like.
For the spinach sauce:
- Blend the spinach with water,keep it aside
For curry
- Heat oil and add a teaspoon cumin seed to it. Let it splutter. Add chopped onions, ginger,garlic & chillies. Cook over medium heat, until the onions are pink.
- Now, add chopped tomatoes along with some salt. Let it cook until they soften.
- Add spices and mix well. Let it cook. Cook until the oil oozes out.
- Add the spinach puree to the masala paste.
- Let it come to boil. Add fried tofu pieces and cook until the gravy thickens.Adjust water as per your choice. The curry is ready once it has turned dark green, once its starts to boil, simmer it on low heat for 10-12 minutes.
- Serve hot with steamed rice or any Indian flat bread
Nutrition
Related recipes
How to make vegan version of palak paneer?
- Heat oil in a pan or a large skillet. Sauté cubed tofu until golden brown. Keep this crispy tofu aside.This is an optional step, you can directly add fresh tofu pieces if you like.
2. In the same pan,add more oil(if required) and add a teaspoon cumin seed to it. Let it splutter. Add chopped onions, ginger,garlic & chillies. Cook over medium heat, until the onions are pink.
3. Now, add chopped tomatoes along with some salt. Let it cook until they soften.
4. Add spices and mix well. Let it cook. Cook until the oil oozes out.
5. Now, add the fresh spinach puree to the masala paste.
6. Let it come to boil. Add fried tofu pieces and cook until the gravy thickens.Adjust water as per your choice. The curry is ready once it has turned dark green, once its starts to boil, simmer it on low heat for 10-12 minutes.
7. Serve palak tofu sabji hot with any Indian flatbread like vegan naan or basmati rice.
Substitutions
- If you do not have tofu at home, you can also use halloumi or paneer for vegetarian option instead.
- You can also use Amaranth leaves/chaulai/rajgira/lal saag along with regular spinach or baby spinach if you have it handy.
- You can use baby spinach or frozen spinach leaves, too to make this recipe.
Variations
- Heat coconut oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, pureed tomatoes before proceeding with spinach puree if you want no onion no garlic recipe.
- Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, pureed tomatoes before proceeding with spinach puree. You can also use 2 bunches of spinach instead of Amaranth leaves if they are not available easily.
- You may skip the different spices and use curry powder instead,add garam masala if you like it spicy.
Top tip
- In order to have good iron absorption, add a dash of lemon juice to the bowl, while serving with roti or rice.
FAQ
Palak tofu curry is made with blanched spinach or palak while saag is a mixture of greens. We use leafy greens like amaranth, fenugreek, other local mustard greens to make this Indian recipe. You can blanch them in a similar fashion like good old spinach. However the taste may be little bitter. saag paneer vs palak paneer is a similar comparison too as the use of greens is different.
Greens ensure no hemoglobin deficiency, anemia and color blindness.
It is good for hair too because it is rich in iron, Vitamin A, K, zinc, manganese, omega acids, Vitamin B1,B2,B6 and E.
Pregnant women and those who need immunity to fight all the ailments can enjoy.
Spinach is also great for digestion. Tofu is good for protein and low in calories too. This easy recipe is ready in minutes if you keep spinach puree or Indian curry sauce frozen. Handy and convenient.
Palak or spinach is good for iron and paneer is good for calcium but they extra calcium will inhibit the absorption of iron. Hence, as per Ayurveda, it is better to avoid eating them together.
Storage
You can keep it for 2-3 days in refrigerator. Always reheat the left overs before you consume.
Conclusion: Spinach tofu curry is a vegan palak paneer recipe which makes you go wow. It is perfect fusion of Indian cuisine with Asian tofu. Serve it with brown rice / jeera rice or roti as per your choice.
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