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Saag Tofu

This saag tofu has a creamy sauce made of spinach, kale, aromatics, spices, and cashew cream, with soft cubes of tofu sitting in for the paneer that is usually used for Indian dishes like this one! Forever my favorite way to eat a lot of greens.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

tofu

  • 16 oz. block of firm tofu
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • salt
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil, another neutral oil, or vegan butter

cashew cream

  • ½ cup cashews
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • pinch of salt

saag tofu

  • 8-10 oz. spinach
  • 4 oz. lacinato kale or another leafy green of choice
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil, another neutral oil, or vegan butter
  • 1 inch ginger, grated or minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 green chilis, minced
  • salt to taste
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp kasoori methi

Instructions
 

Prepare the tofu.

  • Press tofu for about 15 minutes with a heavy object. This step might not be necessary if the tofu brand you’re using is already fairly firm! In that case, you can squeeze out excess moisture with your hands.
  • Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch thick rectangles. Season the tofu with garam masala, cumin, and salt. Use your fingers to spread the spices evenly throughout the tofu.
  • In a pan, heat oil over medium heat. Pan fry the tofu until slightly golden on both sides, so about 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside.

Make the cashew cream.

  • Soak cashews in boiling water for an hour. If you have a very strong blender, you can do 20-30 minutes. Alternatively, soak for 2+ hours in room temperature water.
  • Blend the cashews with water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until it forms a cream.

Blanch your greens.

  • Set aside a large bowl or pot with ice cold water. Heat water in a saucepan or pot. Once it is boiling, put in as much spinach as will fit. 1-2 minutes later, or when the spinach is clearly wilted, take it out with a slotted spoon and place it in the bowl of ice cold water to prevent further cooking.
  • Repeat until you’ve blanched all the spinach. Then do the same with kale, which may take a couple minutes longer to blanch.
  • Take a handful of greens out of the ice cold water and squeeze out the water until you have a ball of greens bunched up together.
  • Blend the greens with 1 cup of water, cilantro, and the tomato. Blend until it is mostly creamy, but I try not to blend for too long because I prefer mine a little less creamy.

Finish off the saag tofu.

  • Heat oil in a pan or saucepan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add ginger, garlic, and green chilis. Stir for a couple of minutes.
  • Add coriander and red chili powder. Combine well for a minute. Add the spinach gravy and simmer for a few minutes until it’s at the texture you like. Add water and salt to taste if necessary.
  • Finish with garam masala, kasoori methi, and about half of the cashew cream. Add the tofu and take the pan off the heat. Garnish with cilantro and drizzle the remaining cashew cream! Serve with rotis or rice.
Keyword Indian food, Indian recipes, tofu