Onions shine twice as bright as the star ingredient in this Mughlai style tofu paneer do pyaza recipe. A creamy, bold sauce with garam masala spices adds richness and complements the sweet onions, bell peppers and cubes of tofu.
What is do pyaza?
Do pyaza, also spelled "dopiaza," is a dish found in both south Asian and Iranian cuisines with some variations. "Pyaz," in Hindi, Urdu and Persian, means onion, and a Persian dopiaza is typically made with lots of onions, often two onions (do piaza).
But in India, where the dish was first popularized by Mughal colonists from central and western Asia, "do pyaza" is interpreted to mean that the onions are cooked two different ways and added to the recipe at two separate times. When you see a do pyaza offering at an Indian restaurant - and there are many, including murgh (chicken) do pyaza, mutton do pyaza, bhindi do pyaza, and paneer do pyaza - it means this is a dish cooked in the Mughlai style of Indian cuisine in a richly flavored and spiced curry sauce with lots of onions.
My recipe is based on the do pyaza dishes I remember eating at Mughlai restaurants back in India: dishes that were mildly spicy but unctuous and satisfying, with a creamy mouth feel.
For this Indian style do pyaza recipe, the onions go in both at the beginning and end of the recipe. The first batch is chopped fine and slow-cooked until it's just beginning to brown, so it simply melts into the sauce. The second batch is cut into larger petals and quickly seared for a tadka that gets poured over the dish at the end. The result is not necessarily oniony but a full-bodied, creamy gravy that soaks into the tofu and teases your tastebuds with spicy, sweet, tangy flavors.
You can add whole spices to do pyaza and blend the sauce up but for my version, which is very weeknight-friendly and pantry-friendly, I use my homemade garam masala spice mix to cut down on that extra step with no loss in flavor or texture. The dish goes from scratch to the table in about 30 minutes.
If you love creamy Indian tofu dishes with a rich sauce, you might also love these recipes for tofu makhani, tofu tikka masala and vegan butter chicken.
Recipe card
Tofu Paneer Do Pyaza
Ingredients
For cashew paste
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
Other ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 16 oz tofu (high protein tofu or extra firm tofu. If using extra firm tofu, press out the water. Cut the tofu slab into 12 slices)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (optional but great for umami)
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 heaping tsp garam masala
- 1 large bell pepper (any color, cut into a ½-inch dice)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
For tadka
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion (cut into a ½-inch dice. Separate the layers)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (deseeded and cut lengthwise into thin strips)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
Make cashew paste
- Place the cashews and water in the bowl of a blender. Blend into a smooth paste.
Make do pyaza
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan. Place the slices of tofu in the hot oil, making sure they don't overlap.
- Cook the tofu slices on both sides until browned. * Remove the tofu to a plate
- To the same pot add the cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. Wait 30 seconds for the cumin to turn slightly darker, then add the onions along with a generous pinch of salt.
- Sauté the onions until they are very soft and beginning to brown. Stir in the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds longer.
- Stir in the tomato paste and mix.
- Add the spices to the pot- ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, cayenne and garam masala. Mix them into the onions in the pot. Stir in the prepared cashew paste.
- Add a cup of water to the pot and bring the sauce to a boil. Let the sauce cook 8-10 minutes until you see specks of oil on the top. Stir in the bell peppers and mix.
- Place the reserved slices of tofu into the sauce. Cover the pot and let the do pyaza cook another five minutes. Check seasoning and add salt as needed.
Make tadka
- Heat the oil for the tadka in a small pan. Add the onions, jalapeno if using, and garam masala. Let the onions sear in the hot oil for about a minute.
- Turn off the heat and pour the hot tadka over the tofu do pyaza.
- Add cilantro and stir in. Serve hot.
Notes
- Cashew paste: I add cashew paste to my do pyaza recipe to add back the richness that paneer would have added to this dish. Tofu, although somewhat similar to paneer in texture, lacks the rich mouthfeel of paneer. The cashew paste helps bridge that flavor gap.
- Asafetida: This ingredient is often used to add umami to meatless dishes in Indian cooking. It has a strong, sharp smell out of the jar but you won't even notice it in the food when you're eating it.
- Onions: I like using red onions for my Indian dishes, because they are spicier than yellow or white onions. For this dish, I used red onions for the do pyaza sauce and yellow onions for the tadka, because they are milder. You can use just one kind of onion for both.
- Bell peppers: I prefer using green bell peppers in my Indian dishes because they are naturally more spicy and savory than yellow, orange and red peppers, which are sweeter. But this time I had only a yellow bell pepper, so that's what I used. It won't make a big difference to the final dish.
Nutrition Information
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Tofu do pyaza FAQs
You can skip the tofu and use chickpea tofu or only vegetables, including bell peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, eggplant and okra. Okra makes a delicious do piaza, in fact, which you might find in restaurants under the name "bhindi do pyaza". If using okra, pre-cook them as I do in my bhindi masala recipe before adding them to the pot.
Substitute the cashews with pumpkin seeds or melon seeds.
Do pyaza is a thick gravy so it's best served with an Indian bread like vegan naan or roti or paratha. You can also serve it with basmati rice or jeera rice.
You can, but the tofu will get more porous and chewier after freezing. If you don't mind that, you can freeze the tofu do pyaza in a freezer-safe container for up to four months. Thaw and reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan until heated through. Add a few tablespoons of water if necessary before reheating.
Recipe first posted March 24, 2015. Updated and re-published on Jan. 15, 2026.
Hasan Jaffer says
This sounds absolutely delicious and so comforting. I love how you’ve explained the “do pyaza” style and used onions in two different ways—it really makes the dish feel special and restaurant-like. The creamy cashew-based gravy with garam masala and seared tofu sounds rich without being heavy. Such a great recipe for anyone craving Mughlai flavors in a simple, home-style vegan dish
Susan says
I just discovered your website and I LOVE it! This is the first recipe I have made so far and it was delicious, also it was very easy to follow your straight forward instructions and it looked exactly like your picture. Thank you so much!
Vaishali says
Susan, so happy you liked it!
Cozinhar Sem Lactose says
It was our dinner tonight and we loved it!
The Vegan Junction says
Yumm! This looks super satisfying! I like the use of mushrooms too, reminds me a bit of a hearty stew. 😉
Maureen says
I do agree that onions are essential in cooking and there is no alternative for it. This dish looks stunning!
Minnie@thelady8home says
This looks amazing!! Very scrumptious. 😀
anu says
wow beautifully done recipe with paneer...
Cheers
Anu@RasA-svAda
kurinji says
looks delicious...
Vaishali Honawar says
Thanks!
NancyK says
MMMMMM!!!!! I will definitely be making this soon. I could not live without onions.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Nancy, agreed. 🙂 They are indispensable, aren't they?