With tofu and green peas simmered in a luscious onion, tomato gravy with lots of garlic and kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), this delicious and creamy one-pot Indian curry is a vegan version of my Lasooni Methi Paneer curry. Jump to Recipe Print Recipe I have paired it with some soft and delicious Flax Meal-Coconut Milk Rotis (recipe shared below) for a complete meal!
Indian curries, be it with veggies, vegan options, beans, legumes or even some chicken or fish are now a favorite worldwide and my readers can now add this to their recipe repertoire! That delicious! With no dairy, butter or ghee and plant based tofu chunks soaking up the fenugreek spiced onion tomato gravy it is one curry you will love to make again and again. It came out so good, my son was returning to the kitchen for second and third servings of it! It goes perfect with any Indian bread, be it roti, chapathi, naan, parathas etc. or even a bowl of rice.
Methi Tofu Matar Masala:
Every Indian loves anything paneer and as a matter of fact, the whole world is also falling in love with this soft and tempting Indian cottage cheese. But when you are a vegan or just love its vegan substitute tofu, then you got to make my quick and easy tofu matar masala (with added green peas for texture and taste) Flavored with the heady and lovely aroma of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) it is a wonderful side with your breads or rice. I sort of followed my Lasooni Methi Paneer curry recipe but substituted tofu chunks for the paneer, avoided the yogurt and used coconut milk to add creaminess to this dish. If you love paneer, then do follow that recipe which has all the step-wise instructions and photos too.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE VEGAN TOFU MATAR MASALA:
TOFU – basically a soy bean curd and easily available in stores or online, is a good vegan substitute for paneer. Try and use firm or even extra firm tofu here as you do not want them to break up in the gravy. (If making with paneer and not vegan, then use paneer instead) GREEN PEAS– you can use fresh but cook them ahead separately or use frozen peas like I have which cook in a jiffy. KASURI/KASOORI METHI – these are dried fenugreek leaves which every Indian has in their kitchen to add as garnish or in curries or pulaos but easily available online or in Indian stores. This is one of the main flavors in this dish. But, if you cannot find it or do not like it, feel free to omit it. But trust me, those dried leaves add a wonderful flavor to any dish especially dals and north Indian curries! AROMATICS– onions, ginger and lots of garlic are the key aromatics. BESAN/CHICKPEA FLOUR– gives thickness to any curry. You will need only about 2 tablespoons. You can omit if you do not like or have. Just adjust the consistency of your curry to your liking; thick or thin. TOMATOES– just 1 or 2 SPICE POWDERS– only a few like coriander powder, cumin powder, haldi/turmeric powder, black pepper powder and garam masala powder. COCONUT MILK– this is optional but adds a wonderful sweetness and thickness to the curry. You will need only about 1/4th to 1/3rd cup or so. If using paneer, you can use cream instead. SALT to taste, oil and some SWEETENER of your choice like jaggery, sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup etc. Garnish – freshly chopped CORIANDER LEAVES/CILANTRO.
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE VEGAN TOFU MATAR MASALA:
The whole process involves very simple steps:
Soak 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves in ¼ cup water. Remove excess moisture from tofu. (This helps while frying/sautéing it in oil; one of the first steps). Just remove tofu from package, rinse and place on a colander over an empty bowl to catch the excess moisture in the tofu block. You can place a heavy object like a can of veggies or heavy pestle (from a mortar and pestle) to aid in speeding of removing moisture. Dab with paper towel and cut into chunks. Sauté the chunks in oil to crisp them up a bit; this step is optional but adds to the texture of tofu.
TO PREPARE THE GRAVY OF ONION-TOMATO-METHI/DRIED FENUGREEK LEAVES:
Sauté garlic pieces in oil until light brown, add onions, ginger and tomatoes along with spices and fry. Add the soaked dry fenugreek leaves and cook again until all moisture is gone and almost dry. Stir in 2 tbsp besan/chickpea flour and mix well. Cool the mixture and blend to a smooth puree.
TO MAKE THE GRAVY AND FINAL FINISH:
In some oil, add ½ tsp haldi, dash of black pepper powder and ½ tsp garam masala powder; sauté few seconds and add the puree along with 1 to 1 ½ cups hot water along with salt to taste. Adjust consistency and taste. Add some jaggery/brown sugar/sugar/maple syrup to make for a balanced flavor. Adding some sweetener offsets the slight bitterness of dried fenugreek leaves. Tip in the fried tofu chunks along with frozen peas, mix gently and simmer in that mouthwatering, creamy and silky gravy for a few minutes. At this stage, you can add some coconut milk to thicken the gravy and add a lovely sweet note to it. This is optional but recommended. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and enjoy with your favorite bread or rice.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
This delicious, creamy, silky curry goes well with any flat bread like roti, chapattis, naan, parathas, pooris etc. or even plain rice! We enjoyed ours with some flaxseed-coconut milk rotis/chapattis (RECIPE BELOW). Just make a soft, smooth and pliable dough with whole wheat flour, flax seed powder (about 2 tbsp in 2 cups of flour), a few spoons of crushed kasoori methi (optional), salt to taste with coconut milk (I just used up about ½ cup and rest of the liquid was water or use only coconut milk). Rest the dough at least 30 minutes. Pinch large balls of it and roll into discs using more flour. Dry roast on hot griddle until cooked on both sides, pressing with ladle as you cook. If rolled perfectly, it will puff up beautifully. No oil or ghee needed on this while roasting!
Remove and if preferred, smear with some ghee all over (stays soft for a while) or if enjoying immediately, you can avoid the ghee.
Tempted to make these aren’t you? Well, I am already dreaming about making this combo again soon. Do make it foodie friends. I am sure your family will love it too as did mine. Happy Cooking/Eating!
If you love making and enjoying Indian curries or gravies, you must check these out too:
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Just make a soft, smooth and pliable dough with whole wheat flour, flax seed powder (about 2 tbsp in 2 cups of flour), a few spoons of crushed kasoori methi (optional), salt to taste with coconut milk (I just used up about ½ cup and rest of the liquid was water or use only coconut milk). Rest the dough at least 30 minutes. Pinch large balls of it and roll into discs using more flour. Dry roast on hot griddle until cooked on both sides, pressing with ladle as you cook. If rolled perfectly, it will puff up beautifully. No oil or ghee needed on this while roasting! Remove and if preferred, smear with some ghee all over (stays soft for a while) or if enjoying immediately, you can avoid the ghee. For more such easy and delicious recipes, follow me on: Facebook @ curryandvanilla Pinterest @ curryandvanilla Instagram @ curryandvanilla16 Twitter @ curryandvanilla Google Plus @ Vanitha Bhat Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!!
