Tandoori Tofu Curry

Yes, you read it right! Today’s curry is tandoori tofu curry. To make the long story short, one day I marinated some tofu to prepare tandoori tofu. That day, I was alone for dinner and grilled some of the marinated tofu for myself. The next day, I did not know what to do with the remaining tofu. So I grilled it, added it to some onion tomato masala and sautéed it with some green bell peppers and diced onions. It turned out pretty good. Ever since, I have made it a few times and served it with rice, roti and sometimes I would just eat the tofu cubes for breakfast or as a snack in the evening. It is a very easy preparation as well. Moreover, if you have the ingredients ready, it can be prepared in 30 minutes.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
Tandoori Tofu

• 1 package or 1 lb. Extra Firm Tofu
• ½ cup Yogurt
• 1-1 ½ tsp. Chili Powder (I used 1 ½ tp. but adjust to your preference)
• 1 – 1 ½ tsp. Tandoori Masala (I used 1 ½ tsp. Adjust to your taste. I used Rajah brand)
• ½ tsp. Garam Masala (Rajah Brand)
• 1 ½ tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp. Lime Juice
• ½ tbsp. Oil for grilling

For the curry

• 2 tbsp. Oil
• ¾ - 1 cup chopped Onions
• 1 ½ - 2 tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 tsp. Coriander Powder
• Turmeric
• ½ tsp. Chili Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 medium sized Tomato chopped or ¾ cup chopped Tomatoes
• 1 small Bell Pepper diced
• 1 small Onion diced (I did not use it this time)

Preparation:

• Cut the tofu into 16 rectangular pieces. I find it easy to grill long pieces than the small ones. I cut the cubes into smaller pieces after grilling it.
• Make a marinade by mixing all the ingredients listed under tandoori tofu, except oil & tofu. Add the tofu bars and mix well so that the marinade coats the tofu. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes or preferably overnight. Since I am making this curry in a hurry under 30 minutes, I did not marinate it.
• Cut all the vegetables required for the curry. We got to do some multi-tasking to get the curry done in 30 minutes. It would be better to keep all the veggies ready, before starting the cooking process.
• Take a grill pan and spread ½ tbsp. of oil on it. Heat the pan. Place all the tofu pieces on the pan and grill it for 8-10 minutes, 2 minutes on each side until each side is lightly browned.  Reserve the marinade, we can use it in the curry.   Transfer the pieces to a plate and cut each piece into 2-3 cubes.



Grilling tofu and love the smoke coming off the pan! No idea how I captured it!

• While the tofu is grilling, in a separate skillet or a frying pan, heat the oil for the curry. Add onions and cook until they turn light brown in color. This will take about 2-3 minutes and don’t forget to turn the tofu.
• Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute or two until it is lightly roasted.
• Add coriander, chili powder, salt, turmeric and mix well.
• Check the tofu and turn it if required.
• Add tomatoes and cook them for couple minutes until they become soft.
• Check the tofu and turn it if needed. Now you see why I said it is better to chop all the vegetables and keep it ready before making the curry.
• Add the marinade and continue to cook. Be careful here and stir the mixture as soon as you add the marinade. Otherwise the yogurt will curdle. Cook the mixture for a minute or two and the oil will begin to separate.
• Add the bell peppers and onion (if using) and continue to cook for another couple of minutes or until oil begins to separate.
• Add the tofu pieces and continue to cook until the masala/curry coats the tofu.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve it with rice or roti.

Note:

• Adjust spices according to your taste. I mentioned the masala brands I used because the spice level varies from brand to brand. Also, I am not promoting Rajah brand spices. I buy these spices because they come in small containers/tins with a lid. Storing them is lot easier than the spices that come in carton boxes.