This vegan kashmiri paneer with tofu is my plant-based riff on kashmiri paneer. It’s thick, textured, spicy, and RED. It gets most of its flavor from simple ingredients like onions, ginger, green chiles, and kashmiri lal mirch, which is a popular ingredient in Indian cuisine and easily found at an Indian grocery store or online.
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Kashmiri tofu but with some ~texture~ because I’m a little tired of the expectation that Indian food need to be smooth and creamy. ( A few days before I moved to school, my mom took me to the Indian grocery store to make sure I had my chaat masala and other essentials. One of those essentials is kashmiri lal mirch, which is a ground chili powder made with kashmiri lal mirch (red chilis). It imparts a gorgeous color and a hint of spice.
I watched my mom cook a lot over the past year and I sure did learn a thing or two. I’ll always ask for her advice of course, but this recipe felt like it was my own. It’s made with pretty simple ingredients because I currently don’t have any whole spices. So instead we relied on onions, ginger, green chiles, tomatoes, and a handful of ground spices.
(Note: I call this dish vegan kashmiri paneer because it highlights kashmiri lal mirch. This recipe does not exactly align with the cooking style of the state, Kashmir.)
What is Kashmiri Lal Mirch and Where Do I Buy It?
Every country has its own chilis and kashmiri lal mirch is one of India’s famous ones. It is primarily grown in the state of Kashmir and ground into a fine chili powder to use in recipes like this one. You can purchase it at your local Indian grocery store or online. Here are some options:
How to Make Vegan Kashmiri Paneer
Prepare the tofu.
I used to love paneer, but ever since I went vegan, tofu has been a solid substitute. You can’t say it’s exactly like paneer, but when prepared well, it’s pretty great. To prepare it, I press for 15-30 minutes. Pressing for longer isn’t ideal because the tofu should retain some of its moisture for a soft texture that is not too crisp.
Then I pan fry it in vegan butter. If you’ve ever pan-fried paneer in ghee (clarified butter), you know why butter is superior to oil for the tofu in this dish. But don’t fret if you don’t have vegan butter; oil will be just fine too. If you pan fry after a certain step of the recipe (indicated in the recipe box), this step shouldn’t add on any extra time to your cooking process.
Prepare the curry.
(Please excuse the fact that I’m calling this a curry; I just couldn’t think of a more appropriate word.)
We all know whole spices form the best flavor base of a dish like this, but I recently moved to my college city and only brought ground spices. It’s fine though! Stuff like onions and ginger can make a delicious flavor base on its own. In the past year, I can’t tell you how many times my mom told me I cooked too fast. Sometimes that’s good, but other times you really want to take the time to form the best flavor possible. So my main lesson from quarantine was cook the onions longer and don’t rush the tomatoes. It’ll all come together. Just wait a little longer.
With just onions, ginger, green chiles, and tomatoes, you’ll have a flavor base. Then use coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and kashmiri lal. Finish it off with kasoori methi if you wish.
Be mindful of your spice tolerance. I would highly recommend adding fewer green chiles or even none at all if you’re very sensitive to spicy food. As for the kashmiri lal powder, it may seem like a large quantity, but the beauty of this ingredient is that it’s less spicy than red chili powder and adds depth of color.
Serve!
You’ll drop the tofu into the curry at the end. Serve with flatbread of choice (naan, paratha, and roti all sound great) or rice.
Kashmiri Tofu
Ingredients
- 14 oz. block of firm tofu *press for 15-30 minutes
- 1 tbsp vegan butter *sub neutral oil of choice
- ¾ red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger (~ 1-inch ginger)
- 2 green chiles, deseeded and minced *use 1 if you’re not a spice fiend or even 0 if you think it will be too much for you
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 cups tomato paste *I processed 3 roma tomatoes, you can use canned tomato paste if you don’t mind it being smoother
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp kashmiri lal powder
- ½-1 tsp kasoori methi optional
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil *use any neutral oil
cashew cream (optional but recommended)
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Press tofu for 15-30 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles. Pan fry in vegan butter (or a neutral oil) for 3-4 minutes per side, until lightly browned on both sides. I recommend pan frying the tofu at the end of step 4.
- If using the cashew cream, process the ingredients in a small processor until smooth and creamy. This adds a lovely richness.
- Add 1.5 tbsp avocado oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chopped onions. Cook and stir frequently for 6-7 minutes. The longer the better! Most recipes tell you to cook onions until they turn translucent, but in my experience, cooking them for a few minutes longer is even better.
- Add the grated ginger and green chiles. Stir for 1-2 minutes before adding coriander and turmeric. Try your best to make sure the spices do not stick to the pan. If they do, add a small splash of water. After 30 seconds or so, add the tomato paste.
- Cook for a few minutes before covering. Let it cook while covered for 8-10 minutes. During this time, uncover once to stir. Now is a good time to pan fry the tofu.
- Uncover and let it continue to cook until the tomato juices have evaporated and it looks like a curry that is ready to eat (just go off your intuition).
- If the curry is currently really thick, add 1/2-3/4 cup water (optional; depends on the consistency of your tomato paste) and stir until it comes together. Add salt to taste. (For reference, I added ~ 1 tsp.)
- Add garam masala and kashmiri lal. Add the kashmiri lal 1 tsp at a time and taste in between to make sure it’s at a spice level you’re happy with. If using, stir in the cashew cream.
- Add the tofu and taste again for salt. Garnish with cilantro and serve with roti, paratha, naan, or rice!
For more plant-based takes on paneer, check out:
Vegan Shahi Paneer (Shahi Tofu)
