Fresh Turmeric Vegan Palak Tofu

Palak Paneer is a delicious vegetarian meal. This is a vegan version that uses fresh turmeric, and also Tofu in place of paneer. This is a completely from-scratch recipe, but going forward the Master Indian Cuisine Blog will have plenty of recipes that use our own spice kits, mixed in with these recipes that we make on a regular basis in our homes. We hope you will try this one!

Ingredients:

For the Tofu:
- 1 block of medium-firm tofu
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1-2 tsp cayenne or Indian red Chili
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup oil

For the Sauce:

- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 Indian bay leaves
- 1 stick of cinnamon or cassia, smashed

- 1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds (optional)
- ~1/2 lb fresh spinach leaves
- 6-10 cloves fresh garlic
- a 2"-3" piece of ginger
- one yellow bell pepper
- a 1"-2" piece of fresh turmeric (or 1 heaping tbsp turmeric powder)
- 2 tomatoes
- 1-1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
- 1tsp-1 tbsp cayenne
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- Juice of 1/2 lime


Method:
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the tofu in the tamari, followed by the garam masala, cayenne, and flour. Make sure the tofu is completely coated with the flour. -
- On high heat, heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pan until very hot. Remove tofu from remaining flour and carefully add to hot oil. Fry in hot oil, turning tofu pieces until brown more or less on all sides.
- In another large pot or wok, while your tofu is browning, heat 1/4 cup water add rinsed spinach and cover to cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes to wilt the spinach.
- Once your tofu us browned and crispy, remove from pan
- In the pan you cooked your tofu in, temper your Indian bay leaves and cinnamon in 2 tbsp oil. Now add the fenugreek, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and bell pepper. Fry until soft.
- Next, add the tomatoes, diced, to the wilted spinach; also add the coconut milk. Cook tomato/spinach mix over medium heat.
- Now remove the whole spices from your frying pan and add its contents to the tomato/spinach mix.
- If you need to add more coconut milk to the sauce to thin it out, a good method is to first add the milk to the empty frying pan along with the juice of 1/2 lime. Then, with a spatula, scrape the contents of the pan into the tomato/spinach mix.
- Blend the tomato spinach mix with an immersion blender.
- Pour the sauce over rice, and sprinkle the crispy tofu over the sauce. Garnish with red chili flakes.