I don’t like Tofu. Period.

I don’t like Tofu. Period.

However, it was time to relent and cook with it – with and for - my vegan daughters. And had no regrets, for everyone, including me enjoyed it. I even managed to eat a piece or two – of tofu!

Restaurant Style Tofu Matar

Ingredients

5 -6 tbsps oil – I used sunflower oil

2 large brown onions, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2-3 green chilies

½ cup whole cashews

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder  

1 tsp Kitchen King masala

1 cup frozen green peas

500 gms tofu (I used Macro Organic Tofu)

1 charcoal briquette

¼ tsp oil

Salt to taste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp garam masala

Chopped coriander to garnish

Method

Wrap the tofu brick in thick tissue paper and place it between two chopping boards weighed down for half an hour. Once it has been pressed completely, cut the brick into cubes.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and shallow fry the tofu cubes on high flame for a few minutes.

In the same pan, add three tablespoons of oil and add the sliced onion, green chillies, chopped tomatoes and cashews. Sauté the ingredients till the onions are browned and the tomatoes are cooked soft. Allow the mixture to cool and grind into a paste in a grinder.

In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and add the bay leaves and let it fry till it turns aromatic.  Add garlic – ginger paste and sauté. Next add the Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder and the Kitchen King masala and mix well. Pour the prepared onion and tomato paste and let it cook until the oil begins to separate.

Add salt and sugar and some water to the gravy and add the frozen green peas and the fried tofu cubes. Let it come to a boil and lower the heat. Simmer for about 5-6 minutes.

In the meantime, place a piece of charcoal until it burns red-hot.  

Once it is done place the hot charcoal in a small steel bowl lined with some aluminum foil. Place the steel container with the live coal on the matar paneer and pour ¼ tsp of oil on the charcoal and cover the pan to trap the smoke from the charcoal for about a minute.

Remove the steel bowl carefully.

Finish the matar paneer gravy by adding the garam masala and garnishing with chopped coriander.

Serve with a simple pulao or rotis.