Mattar Tofu
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Published Feb 19, 2020, Updated Sep 16, 2021
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This mattar tofu is a healthy, vegan version of an Indian food classic, mattar paneer. Tofu works perfectly as a sub for the paneer cheese and makes this dish dairy-free.
Isaac and I love Indian food. Our favorite local restaurant for Indian food is Lehja so usually we just head there when we’re craving it, but lately I’ve been on a mission to make some of my favorite dishes at home.
My first experiment was Gina’s channa masala recipe. It turned out to be delicious so this week I decided to try a vegan version of mattar paneer using tofu instead of the paneer. Paneer is a soft cheese with a similar consistency to tofu so I thought it would work out well. Oh my goodness you guys… it turned out fantastic! I was so happy with the results and ended up having the mattar tofu for dinner that night as well as lunch and dinner the next day. It’s THAT good.
Using Tofu Instead of Paneer Cheese
The tofu was the perfect plant-based substitute for paneer cheese. I pan fried the tofu cubes in a little coconut oil until golden brown and then add to the sauce after cooking. The tomato based sauce pairs nicely with the tofu cubes and the peas add a nice hint of sweetness. I had forgotten how much I love peas!
I need to start planning this dinner on the weekly, it’s seriously one of our favs!
More Indian Cuisine Inspired Recipes to Try
More Tofu Recipes
- 16 Tofu Recipes That You’ll Crave
- Asian Tofu Tacos
- Tofu Scramble
- Sofritas
- Orange Tofu
- Bok Choy Stir Fry with Tofu
- Tofu Pumpkin Curry
- Tofu Stir-Fry
- Baked Peanut Tofu
- Vegan Tofu Chicken Salad
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Mattar Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz package organic extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1/2 Tablespoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 bag, 2 cups frozen baby peas, thawed slightly
- fresh chopped cilantro, for topping (optional)
- rice or cauliflower rice, for serving
Instructions
- Place onion, ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper into the container of a blender or food processor along with 1/3 cup water and blend until the mixture turns into a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Heat coconut oil in a large sauté pan. Once hot add tofu cubes in a single layer and stir-fry until golden. This shouldn’t take very long. Once golden place tofu cubes onto a plate and set aside.
- Carefully add the contents of the blender into the same sauté pan you used for the tofu. Just be very careful with this part as the paste may splatter. Cook, stirring constantly until the paste turns a light brown color (about 5-6 minutes).
- Add the garam masala, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Stir and cook for a few minutes longer. Add in vegetable broth and peas, mix well and bring mixture to a boil.
- Cover, lower heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Lift cover and add the tofu cubes. Simmer ten minutes or until tofu and peas are heated through. Top with a little cilantro and serve with brown, basmati, jasmine or cauliflower rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The recipe is delicious and pretty easy. Highly recommend! Using the food processor cut down dramatically on prep time for me. Everything was easy to understand and do, and the end result is very good!
I will say that the estimated times given for prep and cooking a bit misleading. I’d say it will take most people 45+ minutes between prepping the tofu, browning the tofu, and then cooking everything altogether.
Thank you for sharing, Megan! I appreciate your notes about the prep/cook time and the food processor. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review.
So quick and easy to make and utterly delicius!! We love Indian food so it was great to try a new recipe. 10/10!!
Yay! So glad this recipe was a hit, Francesca! Thanks so much for the review :).
This dish is so good! Another EBF recipe I keep coming back to.
Hello, Awesome Article, and Your information about the recipe is very amazing and so much useful for me. Keep it up and thank you very much.:)
I’ve tried making Indian food at home, and it always feels like it’s missing something. This recipe, however, was AMAZING. I added more salt than it called for, and added a tablespoon of butter at the end and it was incredible. My fiance doesn’t even like tofu, and he’s raving about how great this is. Thank you!!!!!!
I doubled the recipe to have leftovers, and I’d say the base recipe has more like 3-4 servings, not 2. Because now we have a LOT of leftovers 🙂
Ahh yay!! So glad you both loved this recipe, Sarah. Thanks so much again, for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. The reviews are super helpful to other readers and it means the world to me!
Made this tonight and it is absolutely delicious. One of the best dishes I have ever made!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Amanda!! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Love the Indian cuisine. I’m also struggling for a healthier me, I’ve even start running with SportMe marathon training app and I can say I’m on the right track now. Nutrition is an important part of my losing weight plan, and your blog posts are a true inspiration!
So the family loved it ! However we did a few modifications including frozen corn because the kids don’t like peas for some reason and I also added some garbanzo beans for more fiber and protein and the kids love them as long as I tell my son they are hummus beans LOL
Haha! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit with your family, Kristen!! I’m sure the corn and added beans were delicious. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
For any of you who made this did you find the recipe was good quantity for 2 or did it serve more than 2? Thanks! I’m keen to try this soon.
This looks amazing! I totally need to try this asap!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com