Recipe for Vegan Palak Tofu – My spin on the classic Indian curry – palak paneer. This dish is naturally gluten free. Recipe with video.
Palak tofu is my take on the classic Indian palak paneer recipe. It’s very healthy making it perfect for everyday cooking. I like to serve palak tofu curry with rice. It can also be served with roti, chapati or any Indian bread. I have added a little cashews while making the masala paste for the curry. The little addition of cashews gives the dish a very smooth creaminess. If you want to omit the cashews, you can. Substitute with little soaked almonds or use a little coconut milk for that extra creaminess.
The recipe has green chillies and Kashmiri red chilli powder. While green chillies are spicy, the Kashmiri chilli powder is not very hot but gives the dish a very rich colour. Adjust the chillies according to your taste.
Frozen spinach can be used for making this recipe and it works perfectly well. Do not cook the spinach for long. Once it’s wilted, it’s done. Cooking for a long will make it lose its colour and will look dull green. While some people use only the leaves of the spinach, I like to use the stem along. The stem of the palak does not become stringy when ground and works perfectly well.
I used coconut oil for making the recipe today. Vegetable oil or olive oil can also be used. I like the flavour of coconut oil when combined with spinach.
Here are the things you can buy online for making this recipe
Deep Kadhai with Glass Lid https://amzn.to/3nvD5OL Wooden Chopping Board – https://amzn.to/3FvqZet Triply Saute Pan – https://amzn.to/3Kj6ghR Heavy Duty Indian Mixie https://amzn.to/3GCDIxq Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder https://amzn.to/3Kwjw2K Coconut Oil https://amzn.to/3AgtlwT
Here is the video of how to make Palak Tofu Recipe
For the Palak Masala Paste
1 tablespoon coconut oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 5 cloves garlic 1 inch piece ginger, chopped 1.5 cups onions, chopped 2 green chillies, chopped 15 cashews 1 teaspoon salt 300 grams spinach leaves
For Making the Palak Tofu
1 teaspoon coconut oil 1/4 cup onions, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder 1 teaspoon kasuri methi 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1.5 cups water 200 grams tofu, cubed
For the Palak Masala Paste
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds. Add in the garlic and the ginger and saute for a minute. Add in the onions, green chillies, cashews and the salt. Cook till the onions are light brown in colour. Add in the spinach leaves and cook for a couple of minutes till the leaves are wilted. Let the mixture cool a bit. Grind the above mixture to a fine paste. Set aside.
For Making the Palak Tofu
Heat oil in a pan and add in the onions. Saute for a minute. Add in the masala powders and saute for a few seconds. Add in the tomatoes. Add in the salt and the sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame till the tomatoes are mushy.
Add in the palak paste and the water. Mix well to combine. Add in the tofu and simmer the curry for five minutes.
Palak Tofu is ready.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 30m
For the Palak Masala Paste
1 tablespoon coconut oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 5 cloves garlic 1 inch piece ginger, chopped 1.5 cups onions, chopped 2 green chillies, chopped 15 cashews 1 teaspoon salt 300 grams spinach leaves
For Making the Palak Tofu
1 teaspoon coconut oil 1/4 cup onions, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder 1 teaspoon kasuri methi 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1.5 cups water 200 grams tofu, cubed
For the Palak Masala Paste
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds. Add in the garlic and the ginger and saute for a minute. Add in the onions, green chillies, cashews and the salt. Cook till the onions are light brown in colour. Add in the spinach leaves and cook for a couple of minutes till the leaves are wilted. Let the mixture cool a bit. Grind the above mixture to a fine paste. Set aside.
For Making the Palak Tofu
Heat oil in a pan and add in the onions. Saute for a minute. Add in the masala powders and saute for a few seconds. Add in the tomatoes. Add in the salt and the sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame till the tomatoes are mushy.
Add in the palak paste and the water. Mix well to combine. Add in the tofu and simmer the curry for five minutes.
Palak Tofu is ready.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 30m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/palak-tofu/
Idlizza – Idli Pizza – Recipe for a delicious pizza made using idli as a base and a classic tomato chutney as pizza sauce. Finished with toppings, cheese and roasted on a tawa.
This is a fun dish to make and a totally doable recipe even for a beginner using ingredients you will normally find in a Tamil / south Indian kitchen. I have used the regular processed cheese for making this recipe. You do not need any fancy cheese. Regular Amul cheese that you can get in almost all departmental stores will work perfectly well in this recipe.
I have made the recipe completely on the gas stove and made it as a tawa pizza. You do not require oven for making this recipe.
The sauce is a very south Indianish chutney that suits well for the idli as the base. Any tomato based thick chutney that we usually serve with idli and dosai will work well for this recipe. I have used a bamboo steamer for steaming the idlis – the pizza base. The same can be steamed in an idiyappam plate too. Or even a plain plate will work. Just improvise on what you can find in your kitchen.
Here are some things you can buy online for making this recipe
Small Blender https://amzn.to/33LKlyV Heavy Bottom Non Stick Pan – https://amzn.to/3fuDfBl Triply Saute Pan – https://amzn.to/3Kj6ghR Wooden Chopping Board – https://amzn.to/3FvqZet Bamboo Steamer https://amzn.to/3qJWygH Garlic Press https://amzn.to/3FOhhUG Red Chilli Flakes https://amzn.to/3fI5Y60
Here is the video of how to make Idli Pizza Print
The Base
1 cup Idli Batter
For the Chutney
3 teaspoon peanut oil (divided) 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon sugar 4 ripe tomatoes, de-seeded
Toppings
Sliced Onion Sliced Capsicum Chilli Flakes Coriander Leaves Cheese
First lets make the sauce aka tomato chutney for the pizza. Heat two teaspoon of oil in a pan and add in the minced garlic, onions and the salt. Cook till the onions are soft. Add in the turmeric powder, sugar and the red chilli powder. Saute for a few seconds. Deseed the tomatoes and make it into a fine puree. Add in the pureed tomatoes. Cook for 4-5 minutes till the chutney starts looking jammy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Pizza Base – Ladle around half a cup of thick idli batter on a steamer lined with banana leaf. Steam the idlis for 6-7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Spread the chutney and the topping on the idli base.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan and slide in the pizza onto the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for about 3-4 minutes till the bottom is well roasted and the cheese has melted.
Remove from heat and serve hot.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
