Vegan Palak Paneer with Tofu
Ingredients
the tofu
- 1 14-oz. block of firm tofu
- 1.5 tbsp vegan butter *sub neutral oil
spinach gravy
- 10 cups of packed spinach (8-10 oz.)
- 1 cup water
- 10-12 mint leaves sub cilantro
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 green chilis *reduce if you want less spice!
- 1 tbsp avocado oil sub any neutral oil
- 2 tsp kasoori methi *see note
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- water
- salt to taste
cashew cream
- 10 cashews (~ ¼ cup), quick-soaked *see note about quick-soaking
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Press tofu for at least 15 minutes. Then cut into one-inch cubes.
- Blanch spinach. Set aside a saucepan with ice cold water. Heat water in a separate large saucepan. Once it is boiling, put in about 3 cups of spinach in at a time or as much as will fit. 3 minutes later, take the spinach out and put it in the saucepan with cold water. Repeat until you’ve blanched all the spinach. Set aside to cool before blending with ~ 1 cup of water. Make sure not to blend it for too long. That would result in a texture that is a little too creamy.
- Pan fry tofu. Add vegan butter to a medium saucepan and pan fry the tofu, flipping when one side has browned (~ 3-4 minutes). Continue to prop the tofu onto another side so that the whole cube browns. When the tofu is nicely browned and not too crisp yet (takes about 10 minutes total), take it out of the pan. Save the pan for making the spinach gravy.
- In a small processor, process mint leaves, tomatoes, green chilis, and ginger.
- Add oil to the pan. Fry 1 tsp kasoori methi over medium for 30 seconds. Add tomato-chili-mint paste and cook until the tomato juices have fully evaporated. Then add red chili powder, garam masala, and coriander.
- Pour spinach puree into the pan. Simmer on medium for 5 minutes. Add water according to desired consistency. I used 3/4 cup of water to clean out the contents of the blender.
- Add salt to taste, cashew cream, and 1 more tsp of kasoori methi. After stirring that together, add tofu. Cook for 2-3 minutes before taking it off the heat. Enjoy with rice, roti, or naan!
Notes
Cooking the tofu: In reality, you can cook the tofu any way you like. I've heard some people prefer steaming or baking, but I feel like the texture is too soft from steaming and too rough after baking. Pan-fried gets you closest to paneer's texture.
Butter: Cooking the tofu in vegan butter just gives it a richness that you may not get from oil, but I've pan-friend in oil too and it was still tasty. I find that just about any vegan butter works well for this.
Green chilis: I've been told I have a higher spice tolerance than most. Feel free to reduce this to 1 chili or even half a chili if that's what floats your boat.
Kasoori methi: Highly highly recommended for the full flavor profile. Kasoori methi is what makes some Indian dishes Indian! You can find it at your local Indian store or order it online. This vegan palak paneer will probably still taste good without it, but it may not be like what a truly authentic palak paneer is like.
Cashews: I find it way easier to quick-soak my cashews right before making this instead of soaking overnight, but either way works. For quick-soaking, I just soak in really hot water on the stove for 15-30 minutes. The stronger your food processor is, the easier it will be for you to make the cashew cream after a shorter soak.