Palak Tofu

One of my favourite vegetarian dishes in Indian Cuisine is "Palak Paneer" (a spinach/green-leafy-vegetable dish with paneer-cheese). Here's a gluten and nut-free vegan version. It tastes GREAT and is packed with protein!

Palak Tofu

Ingredients:

350g firm tofu (cubed - 1-1.5cm)
about 6 cups of greens - e.g. kale, spinach, rocket, etc
1 Tbsp ginger (minced)
1 Tbsp garlic (minced)
1/3 cup onion (finely diced)
1 tsp tumeric
1 Tbsp coriander
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Herbamare seasoning salt*
1 cup tomatoes (diced)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Mix the soymilk with the lemon juice and set to one site to acidulate**

2. Place the greens in a steamer and steam over boiling water until tender. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out any liquid into the water in the saucepan that was used for steaming. Retain this water. Place the steamed and squeezed greens into a food processor and process until well chopped. Set to one side.

3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute the ginger and onion until the onion is translucent, and then add the garlic and saute for another minute.

4. Add the dry spices and cook off for a minute, stirring constantly.

5. Add the tofu and coat with the spices.

6. If the spices are sticking too much, add approx. 1/4 cup of the water used to steam the greens to moisten the pan. Repeat this whenever the ingredients are sticking.

7. Add the tomatoes and greens, and 1 cup of the water used to steam the greens. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. This is not a dry curry, so if there is not enough liquid, add more by the 1/4 cup to make a sauce.

8. Just before serving, stir through the acidulated soy milk (this adds creaminess and just a little acidic bite).


* Note: if you don't have Herbamare, you can use plain salt. The Herbamare is actually salt that has been mixed/ground with herbs. Yum.

** Interesting: Just like dairy milk does, if you add lemon juice to soy milk, it curdles a little and makes a kind of yoghurt-y texture and taste. It's really cool.


Source: Booklet from "Introduction to Vegan Cuisine" at the Leichhardt Community College. Tutor: Leigh Drew

Serves: 4

Rating: 5/5