Vegan Tofu Curry

Curry, from Tamil kari means “sauce.” A curry dish is usually composed with a sauce or gravy seasoned with a mixture of ground spices that originated in India and has since spread to many regions of the world.

Many Indian curry dishes are made vegetarian and can easily be made vegan by swapping out any meat ingredients for vegan protein like tofu.

My go-to curry dishes involve potato or tofu. My vegan tofu recipe is simple and easy to make. Perfect for a quick dinner at home or at your summertime car camping spot.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

Curry

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice

  • 5 teaspoons of curry powder

  • 1/2 cup white onions (diced)

  • 2 teaspoons chili powder

  • 1 (13.5-ounce/400 mL) can full-fat coconut milk

  • 1 (8-ounce/227g) can of tomato sauce

  • 1 small cauliflower head, cut into small florets (450 to 500g florets)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • Black pepper to taste

  • 1 (14-ounce/400g) block of extra-firm tofu

  • 2 teaspoons sea salt

  • 3 cups (45g) baby spinach, chopped

For Serving

  • Cooked white or brown rice, or flatbread of choice

Instructions

  1. Make the curry. Heat the oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the spices and cook for 60 seconds.

  2. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the coconut milk and scraping up any browned bits with a spatula. Add the tomato sauce and sugar and bring to a rapid simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer for 3 minutes.

  3. Add the cauliflower, onion, salt, and pepper, and spoon the curry over the cauliflower. Cover the pan with a lid and adjust the heat to maintain a decent simmer. Cook for 12 to 13 minutes, opening the pan to stir occasionally, until thickened a bit and the cauliflower is fork-tender.

  4. While the cauliflower is simmering, prep the tofu.

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

    Slice tofu vertically into 4 slabs. Slice each slab in half, lengthwise, so you have 8 vertical slabs. From there, chop the tofu into ¾-inch cubes.

  5. Boil the tofu. Once the water is boiling, add 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

    Add the tofu to the boiling water. Once the water comes back to a boil, boil the tofu for 2 minutes. Scoop out the tofu using the slotted spoon and drain well.

  6. Assemble. When the cauliflower is tender, add the spinach to the curry. Stir and briefly cook until the spinach is wilted.

    Nestle the boiled tofu into the curry and toss to combine.

    Turn off the heat and season to taste with salt as needed. Serve over rice or with flatbread (but keep leftovers separate from rice, or the rice will eat up all the sauce).