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.

Recipes posted this month in 2010, in 2009 and in 2008

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing BM#5 along with me

Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Priya Suresh, Srivalli, Usha (that’s me)

Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid’s Special: Vardhini,

Seven Days of Indian Sweets: Harini, Suma, Veena

Seven Days of Regional Specials: Aarthi, Kalyani, Pavani, Shylaja

Summer Coolers: PJ, Vaishali

Under 15 mins Quick Breakfast: Sushma Pinjala