Tofu Paneer Do Pyaza
This Mughlai restaurant-style tofu paneer do pyaza is made with creamy tofu, Indian spices and lots of onions that melt into a silky and delicious sauce.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 271kcal
Equipment
- Skillet or Dutch oven
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
*I used a steel pan and the tofu stuck a bit, which is not a problem - I just scraped up the bits when sauteing the onions. But to ensure the tofu doesn't stick use a non-stick pot.
Ingredient 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
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Potassium: 473mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1807IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 4mg