As life gets busier (between quarantine ending and closing on a house), my BIGGEST cooking goal these days is to come up with super simple recipes that are both healthy and easy to make in bulk. And my latest favorite creation that fits the bill is this super simple tofu & pea curry!
It has all the creamy, comforting goodness of the authentic Indian version (called Matar or Mutter Paneer), but without any of the cheese, cream or oil. The only source of fat in this recipe, in fact, are cashews! (And if you want to get fat free with it, you could omit the cashew cream. But then… it wouldn’t be creamy anymore. 😉 )
And bonus, this version is high in protein!
This recipe is super simple, because the ONLY chopping required is cubing the tofu–everything else is just chucked into the blender.
I also cook this in bulk by doubling the recipe below (cooking times are the same)–it takes me about 30 mins of prep time for 8 meals’ worth of food!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 – 16oz block super firm tofu, cubed
- 1.5 cups frozen peas
- 1 white or yellow onion
- 1″ ginger
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 green chili pepper (can also use ~1 tbsp canned)
- 3/8 cup water
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (or sub powder)
- Half a 15oz can tomato sauce (or pureed fresh tomato)
- 1 + 1/4 tsp coriander
- Heaping 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt, more to taste
- 1 tsp cayenne powder, or to taste*
Cashew cream:
- 2/3 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1/2 cup water
*This will depend on the chili you use. When I use my spicier homegrown chilis, I omit the cayenne. If you use canned mild chilis, you’ll probably want to keep the cayenne in.
Directions:
- Add the onion, ginger, garlic, chili pepper, and 3/8c water to your blender, and blend until smooth. Let sit for a minute or two before opening it, as the chili will be airborne for a moment!
- Meanwhile, saute the cumin seeds with a splash of water until they start to turn brown, 1-2 minutes. Add the pureed onion mixture, and boil for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, coriander, turmeric, and salt, and boil for another ~5 minutes.
- Add the cubed tofu and peas and stir them in gently, just as much as needed to combine everything, so as not to break the tofu.
- Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 2 mins, and let it release naturally for 10-15 minutes. (For stovetop version: simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the peas are tender but not mushy. Stir it occasionally.)
- While the curry is cooking, blend the cashew cream ingredients, and set aside. Once the curry is done cooking, gently stir in the cashew cream.
- Serve with rice, paratha, or naan, and enjoy!
Miche, Ph.D. 