This masala baked Indian tofu is made with baked up cubes of tofu in spicy curried tomato sauce. Serve over turmeric infused basmati rice and sprinkle with crunchy cashews for a healthy and spicy warm-up meal.
I’ve never actually seen tofu offered on an Indian restaurant menu, so as far as I can tell, Indian tofu isn’t really a thing. Or rather, it’s a thing I made up, but I’m really glad I did, because this is probably one of my favorite recipes of the 2015. Let’s end things with a bang!
In fact, I enjoyed this one so much that I totally screwed up the photos from the first batch, just so I could make it a second time. Okay that’s a lie, but last weekend when I stared editing the first batch of photos and saw how bad I they were I didn’t spend the usual amount of time grousing over it. I got back into the kitchen and started cooking some more tofu for dinner. (Photographing food in December, with the lack of daylight, is brutal, by the way.)
I guess what I’m saying is, I loved this stuff and highly recommend you cooking up a batch for yourself.
The other thing about food blogging in December – it’s crazy busy! Seriously, every other thing I’ve done professionally or semi professionally has gone dead in December. Not this. It’s prime food season, and with that said, I’ll end the post and get myself back in the kitchen.
Masala Baked Indian Tofu with Turmeric Rice
Ingredients
For the Masala Baked Indian Tofu
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. agave or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tsp. vegetable oil, omit for oil free
- 1 1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
For the Turmeric Basmati Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds, optional, but really nice
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, omit for oil free
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric
- salt to taste
For Serving
- about 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup roasted cashews
- 2 scallions, chopped
Instructions
Make the Masala Baked Indian Tofu
- Preheat oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir soy sauce or tamari, lemon juice, agave or maple syrup, tomato paste, oil, fresh ginger, garlic, garam masala and pepper together in a medium bowl. Add tofu cubes and gently toss to coat.
- Arrange tofu cubes in an even layer on baking sheet. Bake until sauce thickens and browns in spots, about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and stir in cilantro.
Make the Turmeric Rice
- While tofu bakes, place rice, water, mustard seeds, oil and turmeric into a small saucepan. Bring water to a boil. Stir a few times, lower heat to a low simmer, cover and allow to cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for five minutes. Uncover and season with salt to taste.
Serve
- Divide rice and spinach onto plates. Top with tofu and sprinkle with cashews and scallions. Serve.
kim says
December 12, 2015 at 5:41 PMTried this tonight and loved it! quite tasty.
Alissa Saenz says
December 13, 2015 at 8:35 PMAwesome! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Allysia says
December 14, 2015 at 11:28 AMI hear you on the lighting thing! The sun is in the sky from 9-5, and the useable lighting is more like 11-3. But I like to tell myself that all the darkness is magical and cozy (sometimes it works!). I like the idea of entrée-style tofu in an Indian dish – usually we only use tofu as a paneer replacement in Indian cooking. Your photos look amazing as always!
bob says
January 30, 2016 at 1:51 PMWhere does the cilantro go?
Alissa Saenz says
February 3, 2016 at 9:32 PMOops! It gets mixed in with the tofu after baking. I just updated the recipe. Thank you!
Ree says
February 6, 2018 at 4:05 PMWhat fruit would you suggest to serve with this?
Alissa Saenz says
February 8, 2018 at 4:07 PMI think this would be great with some mango!
Clare says
February 11, 2018 at 1:59 AMHi, just saw this recipe now and looks delish! One question I am trying to cut down on my sugar intake so could I omit the agave or would it ruin the dish?
Alissa Saenz says
February 13, 2018 at 10:25 PMI think you’d be fine to leave it out! Enjoy!
Snigdha Agarwal says
December 17, 2018 at 2:39 AMWouldn’t the dish be very dry? Can we add some gravy to tofu or perhaps a drink on the side?
Alissa Saenz says
December 20, 2018 at 4:03 PMThe tofu is pretty saucy, but you could certainly include an additional sauce on the side if you like!
Jamie says
January 19, 2019 at 10:50 AMI tried the tofu this week and it was amazing! I’ve been trying different baked tofu recipes and this was perfect – thanks!
Alissa Saenz says
January 20, 2019 at 3:10 PMYay! I’m glad you like it!
Farzana says
March 12, 2019 at 1:43 PMIt’s yummy 😋
Alissa Saenz says
March 17, 2019 at 5:19 PMThank you!!
Nour says
June 10, 2019 at 9:40 AMTried the tofu, they were BOMB! So good and will definitely make these again.
Alissa Saenz says
June 16, 2019 at 2:26 PMYay!! I’m so glad you like it!
Brenda says
June 12, 2019 at 1:49 PMI make the tofu with turmeric & green pea cauliflower rice along with either a spinach salad or sauteed red bells & broccoli. So, so tasty! Thank you 😋
Alissa Saenz says
June 16, 2019 at 2:19 PMSounds like a delicious meal! Glad you enjoyed it!