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Pot of Vegetable Vindaloo with wooden spoon.
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Vegetable Vindaloo

This fiery vegetable vindaloo is packed with veggies, kicky spices, and protein, thanks to (surprise) tofu! Serve it with rice and fresh cilantro for a delicious knock-your-socks-off vegan Indian-inspired meal.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American, Indian-Inspired
Servings: 4
Calories: 335kcal
Author: Alissa Saenz

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Vindaloo Paste

  • 1 small onion, quartered
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger
  • 1 serrano pepper, seeded
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek seed
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

For the Curry

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super-firm tofu, cut into approximately ¾-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ pounds yellow potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 ½ cups green beans, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce/227 gram) can tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
  • Salt, to taste
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste (Note 2)

For Serving

  • Cooked rice
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place all of the paste ingredients into a mini food processor fitted with an S-blade (Note 1). Blend until relatively smooth, stopping to scrape down the inside of the bowl as needed.
  • Coat the bottom of a large pot with 1 tablespoon of the oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the tofu cubes in a single layer. Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping the pieces once or twice, until golden brown. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot, then add the cumin and mustard seeds. Cook the seeds for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Add the paste to the pot and cook it with the seeds for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it thickens and darkens slightly.
  • Stir in the water, potatoes, green beans, and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot, and let the mixture cook for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Uncover the pot and stir the mixture every 5 to 10 minutes while it cooks. Replace the lid after stirring.
  • Uncover the pot and stir in the tomato sauce and tofu. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes longer, until the sauce thickens slightly.
  • Remove the pot from heat and stir in the vinegar and brown sugar. Season the mixture with salt to taste, then add cayenne pepper to taste.
  • Serve with rice and top each portion with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

Notes

  1. You can use a full-size food processor, but you'll need to stop the machine quite a bit to scrape down the inside of the bowl, and you may have trouble blending it smoothly. I recommend doubling the batch to make blending easier, then freezing half for later.
  2. Start with a little and add to taste. I use about ¾ teaspoon, which makes it pretty hot.
  3. Nutrition information does not include rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 430mg | Potassium: 1401mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1691IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 5mg