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Palak Tofu – Spinach Tofu Curry

By Manali

4.93 from 26 votes

Sep 30, 2014, Updated Apr 15, 2019

Pan-fried tofu cooked in a spicy spinach curry.

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I am not a Tofu fan, in fact I am far from being one. I was kind of repulsed by it in the beginning but now I have warmed up enough to be sharing a recipe on my blog! When I first tasted tofu in India years back, I thought I am never going to eat this again and that’s actually very rare with me. I am the most non-picky eater you will ever find, I can eat anything and everything as long as it’s vegetarian. So me not liking something is a big surprise! But me being me, I had to give tofu another try after I moved to US and it was then that I realized that tofu is not bad. Definitely I don’t love it still but I can eat it once in a while easily. The only tofu that I like is the extra-firm variety and that’s the only one I eat.

Palak Paneer or spinach with Indian cottage cheese (paneer) is a very popular Indian recipe, one that you find on the menu card of every Indian restaurant and this Palak Tofu recipe is exactly the same, the only difference is that I have swapped the paneer with tofu.

I have made this vegan by adding coconut milk but regular milk would work just fine. Traditionally though when palak paneer is made, people add cream to it but my version with tofu is healthier and hence there’s no cream, only milk. You can definitely add cream to bring in that richness and creaminess to your curry.

To make this curry, spinach leaves are first cooked with tomatoes, garlic, ginger and spices and then grind to a fine paste. Tofu is roasted for few minutes on a pan and then added to the spinach curry. This is your healthy, wholesome dinner and you cannot go wrong with this. I had mine with brown rice and it made for a very filling meal. You can eat it with any Indian bread or with rice, quinoa etc.

Method

Wash spinach leaves thoroughly. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat and add spinach leaves to it in parts.

Cook the spinach till it’s wilted, around 1 minute.

Repeat the same process till all spinach leaves are done. Set aside.

In another pan, heat 1.5 teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Once hot, add roughly chopped ginger & garlic to it and saute till raw smell goes away.

Add cubed tomatoes next and mix.

Cook till tomatoes are soft and mushy, around 3-4 minutes.

Add the spinach leaves and also add cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt and garam masala.

Cook the spinach and tomato with the spices for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, let it cool down a bit and then transfer mixture to a blender. Add 1/4 cup of coconut milk or milk and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a pan heat 2 teaspoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add cubed tofu and sprinkle paprika, salt, pepper and red chilli flakes.

Saute for 5-6 minutes till tofu is light golden brown in color. Set aside.

Take the same pan in which you had cooked the tomato and spinach and add the spinach puree to it on medium heat. Add additional 1/4 cup of coconut milk or milk and mix.

Add the sauteed tofu to the spinach curry.

Mix well and also add water at this step [if required] to adjust the consistency of curry to preference. Add sugar/honey [if using] and mix.

Cover and let the curry simmer for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

Serve hot with Indian bread or rice! Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice (optional) before serving.

* Use coconut milk in place of milk for a vegan recipe.

* Use heavy cream in place of milk for a creamier curry.

Palak Tofu

4.93 from 26 votes

By Manali

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Pan-fried tofu cooked in a spicy spinach curry.

Ingredients 

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Tofu

• ▢ 6 oz extra-firm tofu cut into cubes
• ▢ 2 teaspoons oil
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
• ▢ salt to taste

Spinach Curry

• ▢ 1 lb baby spinach
• ▢ 2 tomatoes roughly chopped
• ▢ 3-4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garam masala to sprinkle
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• ▢ 1/2 cup coconut milk or substitute with milk or heavy cream
• ▢ 2.5 teaspoons oil
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoon sugar or honey optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice optional

Instructions 

Tofu

• In a pan heat 2 teaspoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add cubed tofu and sprinkle paprika, salt, pepper and red chilli flakes.
• Saute for 5-6 minutes till tofu is light golden brown in color. Set aside.

Spinach Curry

• Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and cook the baby spinach till it's completely wilted. Set aside.
• In another pan, heat 1.5 teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Once hot, add roughly chopped ginger & garlic to it and saute till raw smell goes away.
• Add cubed tomatoes next and cook till tomatoes are soft and mushy, around 3-4 minutes.
• Add the wilted spinach leaves and also add cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt and garam masala.
• Cook the spinach and tomato with the spices for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, let it cool down a bit and then transfer mixture to a blender.
• Add 1/4 cup of milk/coconut milk and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
• Take the same pan in which you had cooked the tomato and spinach and add the spinach puree to it on medium heat. Add additional 1/4 cup milk/coconut milk and mix.
• Add the sauteed tofu to the spinach curry.
• Mix well and also add water at this step [if required] to adjust the consistency of curry to preference.
• Add sugar/honey [if using] and mix.
• Cover and let the curry simmer for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
• Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice (optional) and serve hot with Indian bread or rice!

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 126mg, Potassium: 915mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 11215IU, Vitamin C: 41.7mg, Calcium: 144mg, Iron: 4.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

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 Tofu Spinach Curry