It takes all of five, maybe 10 minutes, to put together the sauce for this easy tofu curry, but it has so much flavor, you could pretend you've been slogging at the stove all day and let them do the dishes. 😉
Not that there are that many dishes, or pots, to clean. This is essentially a one-pot curry (you need the blender too, of course). All you need to do to make it is toss ingredients into the blender, pour the sauce into a hot pan, cook it down, add the tofu, and you're done.
It's quite foolproof.
The resulting sauce has rich, buttery notes like a makhani, and you'll be getting compliments like crazy.
There's not much to give you by way of instructions, because all you need to do is chop the ingredients roughly, then toss them into the blender. Tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, a few spices like coriander powder, paprika and/or cayenne, and garam masala, a handful of cashew nuts and a bit of kasoori methi all go in, get blitzed into smoothness, then poured into a hot pan with a little oil.
The only time you'll need to exercise some patience is when your sauce is cooking down. You need to do this because the ingredients were all raw when you added them to the blender, remember? Now you need to let them cook down and lose almost all of that moisture, so the flavors you get are rich and deep. For this, make sure you cook the paste to the point where it's quite sticky looking, and has a shimmer, indicating the oil is separating.
I like using baked tofu in this recipe just because it adds that chewy texture to the curry, but you can simply use cubed super firm tofu and it'll be quite delicious too--softer and creamier.
Add water or vegetable stock for the sauce, vegetable stock is preferable, because it builds more depth.
Garnish with cilantro.
Any Indian rice of flatbread are great to soak up this flavorful sauce with. A Jeera Rice would be particularly awesome, and it's quick too. You could also serve it with this Carrot Rice or with a Vegan Garlic Naan.
-Onions. Red onions or shallots are always best with Indian food, but any onion is fine.
-Tomatoes. Use tomatoes that are very ripe for best color and flavor.
-Ginger
-Garlic
-Raw cashews (sub with pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version)
-Coriander powder
-Paprika and/or cayenne. Use the cayenne only if you want more heat. Paprika adds the color.
-Garam masala
-Kasoori methi
-Baked tofu (or you can use extra-firm tofu directly, for a softer-textured tofu in the curry. If you want to make this soy-free, you can use a veggie, like zucchini or bell peppers. If using veggies, roast them first. Here are my recipes for air fryer tofu, and for baked tofu.)
-Sugar. A little bit, to balance out the flavors.
-Salt
-Vegan butter
Vegan Butter Chicken
Tofu Makhani
Methi Malai Paneer Tofu
Vegan Palak Paneer with Tofu
Vegan Paneer Butter Masala
Featured comment:
I made this tonight for dinner. Excellent flavour! So quick and easy! I didnt realize that the gravy I've been eating at indian buffets all of these years was so quick to make!
-Camille
Easy Tofu Curry
Easy Tofu Curry
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion (roughly chopped)
- 3 medium tomatoes (rougly chopped)
- 1 inch knob ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 2 tablespoon raw cashews (use pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 14 oz cubes extra firm tofu (baked or air fried. You can also just use tofu without baking but try and use super firm tofu in that case. If you want to make this soy-free, sub tofu with roasted veggies)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients, except the vegetable oil, tofu, butter, cilantro and salt, into a blender and blitz into a very smooth paste.
- Heat the oil in a wide saucepan or wok. Add the tomato-onion paste and cook it, covered, over a medium-high flame, stirring frequently, until the moisture is mostly gone, the paste looks darker, and shimmers with oil droplets. The paste should look quite sticky at this point and should not taste raw. This step should take you anywhere from 10-15 minutes.
- Add 2-3 cups of water or vegetable stock, depending on the thickness you want for your curry, along with the tofu cubes. Add salt, stir to mix everything, bring back to a boil and cover and cook another five minutes. Stir in the vegan butter.
- Serve hot or warm, garnished with cilantro.
Kathryn Borden
THIS IS AMAZING. Seriously the best curry I’ve ever tasted, including in a restaurant. I added a touch more cashews because I knew it would thicken the sauce. And my sauce/paste did not reduce that much (the tomatoes were hefty!) so I didn’t bother adding any liquid at the end. I baked the tofu, and roasted cauliflower before adding to the sauce. My 20 and 23 year olds are home for break and they LOVED this. I’m going to have to make it one more time before they leave. Thank you so much!!
Vaishali
Hi Kathryn, that's so awesome to hear. So happy your family loved the tofu curry. Thanks for letting me know!
Kathryn
And as promised, I’m making a double batch right now before one of my kids goes back on Sunday! Thank you!!
Nellie
This is seriously delicious. Easy and so yummy. It would be good with chick peas or cauliflower or whatever.
Anna Maria Manalo
really great with 8 oz tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes.
Vaishali
Great, thanks for sharing!
Bill Whitehead
Hi Vaishali
Really liked the sound of your easy Tofu Curry, but sadly was very disappointed with the recipe. The sauce was far too thin and watery when I added the minimum 2 cups of water towards the end of the recipe, I think maybe 1 - 1 1/2 cups would be better for a thicker sauce but this would not be enough to feed 4. However problem could be solved with addition of cornflour to thicken it. Then I followed your recipe for the baked tofu, again marinade very very watery, I'm not sure what you meant by a 1/4th of cup but assumed 1/4 cup? I think maybe I miss-understood. Then when I put in the oven at 400 deg F after 20 minutes the marinade going black & burnt on the tray (recipe said for 40 - 50 mins) had to take out after 30 minutes too smokey.
Did follow instructions meticulously so not sure what went wrong?
Vaishali
Hi Bill, sorry the recipe didn't work for you. With no liquid other than the 2 cups of water and the onions, tomatoes and cashews all acting as thickeners, it is surprising that the gravy was watery. Did you add water at an earlier stage, like when you blended the onions, tomatoes, etc? Do not add any water at that time, the juice from the tomatoes is more than enough.
As for the baked tofu, be sure to turn it over halfway. If you find that it has baked enough in 30 minutes just remove it from the oven. Oven temperatures can vary drastically with different ovens.
Anonymous
Hi Vaishali
Thanks for your prompt reply and suggestions, the tofu was actually quite tasty when eaten, but the baking tray was a nightmare to clean with the black burnt on marinade, will maybe make some alterations next time if I try this dish again and line the tray with foil as suggested in your recipe.
Jason LaViola
Made this with a couple of subs. Fantastic!
Vaishali
Awesome, happy to hear.
Ansuiya
Thanks for this recipe. I tried it with sriracha tofu from Trader Joe’s (baked it for a few minutes) and it was fantastic! Also made a chicken curry with the same base and that turned out great too.
Vaishali
So happy you made it! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂 I love the TJ sriracha tofu.
Gee
I made this tonight. This is sooo good!
Vaishali
So happy you enjoyed it! ❤️
Bruce
Really easy and very tasty. I added a little coconut oil. I used home made cashew nut butter in place of raw cashews and added cubed zucchini. I think you could do this recipe with many different vegetables.
Vaishali
Bruce, so happy to hear! And agreed it would be great with different veggies.
Camille
I made this tonight for dinner. Excellent flavour! So quick and easy! I didnt realize that the gravy I've been eating at indian buffets all of these years was so quick to make! I had to add green onions from my garden since I was out of yellow onions and it worked fine!
Will make this again and again.
Maria elena
Wonderful taste. But it says for 6 servings and I ate all ?? as it was sooo yummy!
Vaishali
So awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
kathleenoh670@gmail
Jo
Dee
This is sooo tasty and really straightforward to make seeing as you just blend everything. I find blending really gives curries a different flavour and thought this tasted restaurant style yet authentic! I used firm tofu, red and green bell peppers, and a knorr vegetable stock pot for the stock. This is now bookmarked for future - thanks for the recipe!
Vaishali
Awesome choices, and so happy you enjoyed it, Dee!
Bilal
I'm yet to make this Vaishali but thank you in advance. What do you think it would turn out like if I put in some khatta aam pieces with the tofu ? I made a mango curry with sweet ripe mangoes which was beautiful but sweet. I'm wondering how a somewhat sour mango will do in there with the tofu ??
Vaishali
Hi Bilal, you could try, I think it would add a different and interesting dimension.
Joe Marc
Would this serve a family of 4? About 3 adults and a preteen.
Vaishali
Yes, absolutely!
Nonnie
Hooooly cow this came out good. I'm eating it right now and loving it. Used almond flour instead of cashews, I improvised the exact ratios a bit, and I also added in some fried onions and pepper mix. Stirred in a spoonful of almond yogurt. And added some mustard seeds. So some modifications were made, but I like to think that's a testament to how flexible this recipe is. I was worried at first that my tofu came out too dry, but after letting it soak in the sauce it was both crispy and moist. Will make again.
Lee
just found out that I dont have the fenugreek leaves on hand, only the seeds and powder, if I can use them what would be the amount? I considered the maple syrup route......I know this is going to be altered in taste when I substitute. Thank you for your help.
Vaishali
Just skip the fenugreek leaves in that case. The seeds are much stronger, and would make everything bitter. If you do decide to use, prob no more than an eighth of a teaspoon.
Beth
I made this last night. My kids loved it. My one daughter kept hugging and saying it was so good. I had to make a couple substitutes due to what I had on hand. I did use the better than bouillon vegetable seasoning for the broth. we didn't put in any cayenne. I didn't have cashew nuts or pumpkin seeds so I used sesame seeds. I also didn't have kasoori methi and didn't know what that tasted like. I looked up substitutes and it mentioned celery leaves or watercress. The only thing similar to that was some peppery arugula in my garden so I used that.
Thank you for a great recipe. I hope to try it again when I have all the ingredients but it was a wonderful supper.
Vaishali
Hi Beth, those sound like wonderful substitutions and will be helpful for other readers as well. Thanks for the feedback, and so happy you and your kids loved it.
Doreen Fish
I made the tofu curry for dinner last nite....loved it!! Thank you for another great recipe!!
Vaishali
So happy to hear Doreen!
Doreen Fish
Making it tonite...tks for another great recipe
Sangita
Ooh thanks Vaishali! This is what I’m cooking the coming week. This sounds so delicious and easy!
Suganya
Awesome looking bowl of curry. YUM!