Indian style scrambled tofu curry | Scrambled tofu matar masala( Vegan)

This quick, easy, nutritious and delicious Indian style tofu curry is a perfect dish for tofu haters🙂. Scrambled tofu cooked with a creamy cashew and poppy seed sauce with an onion and tomato base along with green peas gives a delicious flavor to the usually tasteless tofu.

Tofu, also known as bean curd, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness. It can be silken, soft, firm, or extra firm. It's very similar to making dairy cheese but in this case with soy milk.

Many people including me don't like lots of tofu dishes because of it's really flat taste profile. But that really tasteless spongy texture of tofu can be used to our advantage as it can absorb flavors well with some tips and tricks. Marination and cooking with scrambled tofu are two best methods for tofu to absorb all the flavors of the dish.

Today we are using the scrambling method of tofu to make it absorb all the creaminess and mouth watering flavors of this dish. Chopping tofu into such a fine scramble ensures the flavors get into each and every bite of the dish.

If you are a tofu hater, then for a second, leave all your usual judgement about tofu aside and try making this tofu bhurji (tofu scramble). I am confident that you will add a new favorite to your weekly rotation of dishes !!

Do u know?

Tofu is often used as a healthy meat substitute for vegetarians or vegans because it is

• very low in calories
• high in protein
• high in iron, calcium or magnesium (depending on the coagulant used)

This Indian style tofu masala will be a wonderful addition to your weekly menu as this is

• Healthy and wonderfully delicious at the same time
• Vegan and gluten free
• quick and easy, can be made in 30 mins
• perfect for busy week nights, meatless days or as a potluck dish.

Step by step pics

Here are some helpful pics to guide you along the way

Spice levels

This dish is medium spiced as it is. If you want to

• increase the spice : increase the green chilies to 2 or 3 and increase the coriander powder and red chilli powder according to your tolerance levels.
• decrease the spice : skip the chilli powder and garam masala at the end.

Tips to handle tofu

• Use extra firm tofu
• Place tofu on a flat surface between two clean paper towels under something heavy to squeeze the water out. Since we are not frying tofu or cutting it into big pieces in this recipe, 5 to 10 mins is enough to squeeze the extra water out.
• Chop tofu into really fine scramble like kheema ( ground meat). It really helps in absorbing all the flavors and spices of this dish.

What can I serve this with?

This Indian style scrambled tofu pairs perfectly with any kind of flat bread like roti, naan, paratha, rumali roti etc with sliced red onions on the side. It also goes well with rice, quinoa, cracked wheat or any grain of your choice.

Scaling

This can be easily scaled up ( you can use the 1x, 2x, or 3x buttons in the recipe card) or scaled down to cook for more or fewer people. Adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Making in advance and storage instructions

It can definitely be made in advance. Just make sure to store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. It can stay up to 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator.

Recipe

Indian style scrambled tofu masala curry ( vegan )

Yamini

Quick, easy, nutritious and delicious Indian style scrambled tofu masala curry is a perfect dish for tofu haters. Scrambled tofu cooked with a creamy cashew and poppy seed sauce with an onion and tomato base along with green peas gives a delicious flavor to the usually tasteless tofu.

4.50 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 to 2 tbsp oil
• 2 medium-size tomatoes
• 1 big onion diced small
• 1 green chilli slit serrano pepper or jalapeno or Thai chilli will work based on your spice level
• ½ cup green peas fresh or frozen
• curry leaves optional
• 16 oz extra firm tofu
• cilantro for garnishing

Whole spices

• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2- inch cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves

Ground Spices 

• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• salt to taste

For masala paste

• ¼ cup cashews
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 2 garlic cloves

Instructions

 

Prep

• Remove the tofu from the package and place it on a flat surface in between clean paper towels with heavy weight on top like a cast iron skillet for 5 to 10 mins until most of the water is squeezed out of the tofu with the help of the weight.
• Dice the onions and tomatoes into small pieces and slit the green chilli
• Blend ¼ cup cashews, 2 tbsp poppy seeds and 2 big garlic cloves into a smooth paste with some water (If you have time, soak the cashews and poppy seeds in hot water for 5 to 10 mins, this ensures a smooth paste especially if you have a low powered blender). You can do this step while the onions and tomatoes are cooking to save time.
• Now take the tofu and chop it into a really fine scramble kind of crumbles(added a picture above for reference). It should look like  kheema (ground meat ). 

Cook

•  Heat 1 to 2 tbsp of oil in the pan and then add the whole spices (cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves) to the hot oil along with curry leaves and turmeric powder and fry for few seconds
• Now add diced onions and slit green chilli along with little salt( helps onions cook faster) and saute them well uncovered until the onions are translucent. 
• Now add ginger garlic paste and mix well. After a min add coriander powder and cumin powder, mix well and cook for a min.
• Next add tomatoes along with little salt , mix well and cook until the tomatoes are well softened ( they don't have to be cooked until they are mashed up).
• Now add the ground cashew, poppy seed and garlic cream and mix really well. Add little water to the blender to get out any left over sauce and that water to the pan. Cook for around 3 to 4 mins until the sauce is well cooked and raw flavor is gone.
• Now add the scrambled tofu along with salt and mix well until well combined. Cook for around 5 mins, add little water if required. We are looking for a thick consistency, so don't add too much water.
• Now add frozen green peas, stir and cook for 5 to 6 mins. Check the taste for salt and to see if it is cooked well. If you have kids or anyone who eats very less spice then at this stage you can garnish with cilantro, take it off the heat serve. This will be very mildly spiced at this stage.
• If you eat little more spice then now add red chilli powder and garam masala and stir well.
• Now add cilantro to garnish and serve hot with roti or naan or paratha with sliced onions on the side and enjoy !!

Notes

• Chop the tofu into really fine scramble as this helps tofu absorb all the delicious flavors.
• Do not add too much water with the cashew cream as we are looking for a thick consistency at the end. Only add enough to cook.
• To save time, first put tofu under weights, then chop veggies, start cooking and then chop the tofu and blend the cashew cream while onions and tomatoes are cooking. 

Keyword curry tofu scramble, Indian style tofu curry, scrambled tofu, spicy Indian tofu recipes, Tofu bhurji, Tofu curry, Tofu Indian curry, Tofu masala

Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know how did you like this dish. Want to check out other vegan recipes, check this Instant pot creamy tomato cashew pasta or this super easy 4 ingredient creamy Instant pot banana Steel cut oats

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