Shahi Tofu- vegan, gluten free

Shahi tofu is equally good with rice or chapattis- but don't forget to add plenty of veggies/ salad for a balanced meal!

This dish has been on our "Must Make" list for months now, but  it was well worth the wait! A rich festive dish from the Mughlai tradition of North India, we gave it the YogiVeg treatment by veganising it- we used tofu instead of paneer, soy-based kefir/ yoghurt instead of dairy yoghurt, and in a futile attempt to lower the fat content, we did not fry the tofu. Despite this, however, it remains  decadently creamy thanks to a generous amount of ground cashew nuts. With festivals such as Diwali and Christmas on the horizon, can you afford not to have this easy but impressive recipe in your entertaining repertoire?

Recipe serves 5:
tofu made with 3l soya milk, pressed until firm then cubed (or about 400g firm tofu)
1/2 cup cashews, ground as finely as possible
400g fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp powdered ginger (or the equivalent in grated fresh ginger- I had run out or I would have used this)
a pinch-1/2 tsp chilli powder, according to your taste (you can always add minced fresh chillis too if you like)
2 tabs coconut oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tabs powdered coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
a pinch of compound hing
2 tsps cumin seeds
1/2 cup soya yoghurt (I used a home made one using kefir grains as the starter)
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsps seasalt (or to your taste)

• Puree the tomatoes ginger and chilli in a blender or food processor.
• Temper all the remaining spices in the oil apart from the garam masala, add the tomato mixture, the salt and bring to a simmer.
• While it is simmering, grill the tofu cubes in a minimal amount of oil, turning from time to time, until mostly golden- brown but not tough; this will help to prevent them falling to pieces when you add them to the sauce. 
• Add the ground cashews, the garam masala and the yoghurt.
• Finally, carefully add the tofu pieces, warm thoroughly, avoiding stirring if you can, and serve hot. I have seen versions of this garnished with chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, which I probably would have done had I happened to have any in the fridge.

If you like the look of this, you may also like:

http://theyogivegetarian.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/aloo-baingen-vegan.html

http://theyogivegetarian.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/recipes-revisited-2-crispy-coated-tofu.html

http://theyogivegetarian.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/no-fry-matar-paneer.html