Kasuri Malai Murg Tofu
Kasuri Malai Murg is a flavorful, creamy chicken curry. In this vegan version, we are using tofu and chickpeas for the proteins in a flavorful vegan curry sauce spiced with cardamom, ginger, and fenugreek.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the protein:
- 7 oz firm or extra-firm tofu , pressed for at least 15 minutes and then torn into organic pieces
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste or minced 1/2 inch ginger and 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy yogurt or non-dairy cream of choice
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons vegan butter or use oil
- 2 whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 black cardamom pod slightly open
- 1 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste or 1/2 inch ginger and 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree or use 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves, kasuri methi
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup cashew cream ( 3/4 cup raw cashews blended with 1 cup of water.)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more as needed
For garnish:
- pepper flakes, cilantro
Instructions
Bake the proteins.
- Press for 15 mins and tear the tofu if you haven’t already and add it to a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, lime juice, ginger garlic paste and non-dairy yogurt and mix. Combine the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle them all over and toss well to coat. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400º F (205 c) for 18-20 minutes.
Meanwhile make the sauce.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cloves, black peppercorns and black cardamom. Cook for a minute or until fragrant. Then add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden. This can take anywhere from 7-10 minutes. Add a few splashes of water in between to help the onions brown evenly.
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Then add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree or tomato paste, the spices, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix in. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the cashew cream and remaining salt and mix in.
- Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of water to thin out the cream a little bit and bring to a boil again. (Adjust water amount based on how saucy you want the dish)
- Add in the baked tofu-chickpea mixture and mix to coat well. Switch off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
- Garnish with some pepper flakes and cilantro. Serve with roti, Naan, flatbread or rice.
Video
Notes
Use vegan chicken substitutes like seitan or store bought chicken substitutes. If using soy curls, soak 2-3 oz soycurls in hot water first then drain and squeeze out the moisture. Add them to the bowl with the chickpeas and the spices. Bake for only 15 minutes and add it to your sauce.
Nutfree: , use a nut free non-dairy cream or use coconut cream. You can also make a cream from hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds or blended up silken tofu or a mix of tofu and pumpkin seeds.
Soyfree: use 2 cups cooked chickpeas or a mix of beans and roasted veggies
substitutes for spices
- black cardamom: use green cardamom instead
- Cloves- use 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves and add later with other ground spices
- black peppercorns- omit and add 1/8 tsp black pepper with ground spices
- fenugreek leaves: these are an important flavor in the dish. You can use 1/2 tsp powdered fenugreek seed. Or use 1/2 tsp ground mustard and 1 tsp maple syrup.
Nutrition
Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 615mg | Potassium: 405mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 372IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 4mg