Dinner just got easier with this Madras Curry Tofu Casserole! A simple one-pot meal with baked tofu in a flavorful Indian gravy! Serve with rice and store leftovers for meal prep!
Madras Curry Tofu Casserole – a celebration of two of my favorite things, Tofu and Madras curry, combined into a warming, comforting one-pot dinner that basically cooks itself! Easy prep work and next to no dishes to clean. What’s not to love?
Homemade madras curry powder and a simple madras sauce that you can use with tofu, veggies or chickpeas/beans!
What is Madras Curry Powder?
You might already know that there is no such thing as “curry powder” in Indian cuisine as each curry dish has its own combination of spices that makes it unique. There’s more – every family also has their own recipes for spice mixes, so even classic Indian curries can taste vastly different from household to household.
Curry powder is a western blend which came about to approximate a general North Indianish curry. Madras curry powder came about to approximate the spicier southern Indian cuisines (chettinad, Andhra etc ). For spicier curries, Madras curry powder is a great place to start your Indian cooking journey! You can control the heat, it is earthy, and oh so fragrant.
I love making my own spice mixes, and I recommend you give my Madras Curry mix a try! There is nothing like the smell of freshly ground cumin, coriander, and cardamom wafting through your kitchen. And I guarantee it will take this Tofu Casserole to a whole new level.
MORE DELICIOUS TOFU RECIPES FROM THE BLOG:
- Crispy Breaded Tofu
- Chili Garlic Baked tofu
- Spiced Baked tofu for Butter Tofu
- Orange Tofu
- Cajun Tofu
- Peanut Butter Tofu
More Indian DISHES TO TRY
- Balti Vegetables
- Butter Tofu GF
- IP Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce , with Cauliflower. GF
- Mushroom Matar Masala GF
- Bombay Potato and Peas GF
- Veggie Curry Casseole GF
Recipe Card
Madras Curry Tofu Casserole
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Madras Curry Powder:
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds or ground fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns whole
- 3 dried red chilies use cayenne or Thai for hot or California red for moderate heat
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
For the curry:
- 3 teaspoons of oil divided
- 14 ounce (400 g) extra firm or firm tofu pressed for 15 mins and cubed
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 medium tomato chopped, small
- 8 ounces (225 g) of tomato puree canned tomato purée or unseasoned tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 15 ounce (425 g) can of coconut milk
- 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms
- Cilantro and lemon juice for garnish
Instructions
- Make your madras curry powder by grinding all the spices together. Grind only one red chili if you’re not sure about the heat and you can use the other chilies whole in the dish. Grind up in the spice grinder and set aside.
- In a casserole dish, add tofu and toss it with a teaspoon of oil. bake at 400 degrees f(205 c) for 10 minutes. Remove the dish and move the tofu to one side so there’s enough space for the onions.
- Add in the onions, 2 teaspoons of oil, garlic, curry leaves. Sprinkle the spices on the onion mixture as well as the tofu mixture. Mix the onions so the spices are coated all over. You can sprinkle water and mix so the spices and oil are evenly distributed over the onion. Put the baking dish back in the oven to bake for another 11 -14 minutes or until the onions are starting to turn translucent.
- Remove the baking dish then add in the tomato, tomato puree, coconut milk, salt and mix in. Add in the mushrooms and mix in. Then put the baking dish back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. You can cover the baking dish with parchment after the first 10 minutes so that the sauce doesn’t evaporate or burn too much.
- Check if the mushrooms are cooked and the sauce is thickened to preference. Otherwise bake for another 10 minutes or so.
- Remove the dish from the oven and carefully taste. Adjust salt and flavor.
- Serve with rice, dosas or rotis. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice.
Notes
- Stovetop: make the madras curry powder from step 1. Crisp up the tofu in a pan with 1 tsp oil over medium high heat, toss in 1 tsp of the curry powder, toast for a min and remove. Add oil, onion, garlic, curry leaves, spices to the pan and cook until golden, stirring occasionally. Then add the tomato, tomato purée and bring to a boil. Add the rest, cover and cook for 15 mins.
- Use Premade curry powder: heat varies depending on brand, so start with 1 tbsp and add more later after tasting, mix in when still hot
- soyfree: You can use other types of plant-based protein in this recipe. You can add in a can of chickpeas or 2 to 3 cups of vegetables instead of using tofu for Soyfree
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- tofu – for this recipe we need extra firm, or firm tofu, pressed for 15 -30 minutes, then cubed.
- Madras curry powder – you can use my recipe (see recipe card) or use a storebought blend
- garlic and onion – always needed when making an Indian gravy
- curry leaves – dry or fresh ones! They are incredibly aromatic, providing a fresh, citrusy flavor to our dish
- tomato = I use both puree and fresh tomatoes for the gravy
- mushrooms are my favorite veggie to add to this casserole as they pack some serious umami and go so well with the curry powder blend
- coconut milk lends some creaminess and richness to our gravy
Tips:
- You can use other types of plant-based protein in this recipe. You can add in a can of chickpeas or 2 to 3 cups of vegetables instead of using tofu for soyfree
- This dish would also be very yummy with some fresh spinach added to the mix
- If you cannot find curry leaves, leave them out or add a bit of Lime zest and 2 bay leaves .
How to make Madras Curry Tofu Casserole:
Make your madras curry powder by grinding all the spices together. Grind only one red chili if you’re not sure about the heat and you can use the other chilies whole in the dish. Grind up in the spice grinder and set aside.
In a casserole dish, add tofu and toss it with a teaspoon of oil. Bake at 400 degrees f(205 c) for 10 minutes. Remove the dish and move the tofu so there’s enough space for the onions.
Add in the onions, 2 teaspoons of oil, garlic, curry leaves. Sprinkle the spices on the onion mixture as well as the tofu mixture. Mix the onions so the spices are coated all over and put the baking dish back in the oven to bake for another 11 minutes or until the onions are starting to turn translucent.
Remove the baking dish then add in the tomato, tomato puree, coconut milk, salt and mix in. Add in the mushrooms and mix in.
Then put the baking dish back in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. You can cover the baking dish with parchment after the first 10 minutes so that the sauce doesn’t evaporate or burn too much.
Check if the mushrooms are cooked and the sauce is thickened to preference. Otherwise, bake for another 10 minutes or so.
Remove the dish from the oven and carefully taste. Adjust salt and flavor if needed. Serve with rice, dosas or
rotis. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice.
REHEATING AND STORING:
Leftovers of this tofu casserole will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat your casserole leftovers, place them in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave for 2 minutes.
MAKE A BIG BATCH!
You can easily double this curry casserole recipe, just use a slightly larger casserole dish. However, you might need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Wilkinson Rob
Made this for dinner this evening. Delicious! A bit more spice added but this is personal taste. Love these Tofu dishes!
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Abby
I don’t have a spice grinder. It is possible to grind up the spices, especially with the red chiles, without one?
Richa
Yes use a blender .
Andrea
This was so good! I used regular curry with a little cayenne and dried mustard, so it was that much easier…love that part! I also added 12 oz mushrooms, 1 large poblano pepper, and spinach. Superb. It made a thinner sauce, of course, but not by much…so it was perfect over rice. This is a keeper.
Vegan Richa Support
Yum!
Priya
Hi Richa,
This recipe was good but my casserole didn’t turn darker and thicker during baking like yours did. Any tips?
Richa
The coconut milk might have been thicker or mushrooms might not have released any color. Depending on the type of mushrooms, they brown on cooking and add color to the sauce. Some brown more than others. Or maybe it just needed extra bake time
jaspreet
This is really nice recipe I will try this at home to give surprise to my dear ones.
Richa
Thanks
Bett
Richa, is there a way to sub out the coconut milk? It’s off my menu due to health considerations.
I’d also be interested in reducing or eliminating the other oil. Since it’s all baked, do you think it would be possible to do this without effecting the recipe too much?
Thanks!
Richa
Use other non dairy milks such as oat almond or soy. Dry roast the spices on a skillet before using. Add broth with the onion and spices to the casserole. Keep an eye on it so the onion or spices don’t burn. For the tofu, coat in aquafaba or cornstarch slurry and bake.
Jaime Robinson
Do you know if you could freeze this recipe? I have never used tofu in a casserole and frozen it. I am not sure how it would thaw/reheat. Any tips?
Vegan Richa Support
sure – when you reheat it, ideally on the stovetop, the excess moisture will be removed
Eileen Nolan
Soooooo good and forgiving! Instead of tofu, we had Quorn bits, plus cauliflower/spinach/ready-made curry powder. A school night dinner packed with flavour. Leftovers anticipated! Thanks!
Amey
sooooooo good! We just ate this for dinner and we both loved it! We used the option to add some spinach. So great!
Andrea
Sooo good! I added zucchini and a bell pepper I needed to use up. I think this would be good with soy curls too!
Vegan Richa Support
all of them would be good!!
Kyran C
This was delicious, easy, and a hit with my 7 year old too!
Richa
So awesome!
Nicola Aslam
Hi Richa, can I ask about tomato purée please. How I understand purée is the concentrated stuff in a tube or small jar. Is this what you mean or is more like a passage?
Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you ☺️
Richa
Yea it is slightly concentrated but not a paste. You can also purée fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes on and use it. If using fresh tomato puréed, Add to the baking dish after the onion is Golden then put it back in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes so that the purée can come to a boil and thicken, Then add the coconut milk and proceed
Nicola Aslam
Thank you…I’ve just seen what I wrote – I meant passata not passage! Lol sorry.
Richa
Yea use unseasoned passata
Sue
hi Richa! When I make this, can I sub cashew cream.for the coconut milk? I’m just not loving coconut lately. Thanks. 😊
Richa
Yes cashew milk will work just fine.
PattK
I have a commercial Madras curry powder that I love and not much room for extra spices in my kitchen. How much of a pre-made curry powder would you recommend? This recipe looks fabulous!
Richa
Brands migh differ in heat so start with 1 tbsp. Add more after tasting in the end. Mix it in when the sauce is still hot.
Rick
Any suggestions to substitute for the red chilis?
Vegan Richa Support
cayenne would be nice or black pepper if you prefer less heat
Maneesha
This looks amazing! Do you think it could be made stove top?
Richa
Yes. Crisp up the tofu in a pan and remove. Add the onion garlic curry leaves spices with oil to the pan and cook until golden,stirring occasionally. Then add the tomato purée and bring to a boil. Add the rest, cover and cook for 10-15 mins
Maneesha
Thanks Richa! Can’t wait to try it!
Maneesha
Such a beautiful recipe, Richa! So flavorful! I used chickpeas and cooked stovetop, following your above directions, and it turned out great!
Richa
Awesome!
Verena
This was absolutely delicious! I extended the bake time by about 20 minutes as the sauce was too liquid for my taste.would give 10 stars if possible 😁
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you, Verena!