Simple Recipe - Mattar Tofu (Peas and Tofu)

Hi everyone!!

I haven't posted a recipe lately but I have tried some out!! I've been busy learning to sew dresses and trying to improve my cooking skills. Today I have a recipe to share for those of you who may be vegan (I'm not but I still love this recipe!) which includes peas and tofu in a tomato based gravy. Let me know how it works for you!! If you are familiar with "mattar paneer" then you'll notice this is just a vegan version of it. This recipe is for those of you who want to try vegan, soy-free, or gluten free dishes. You can either make it vegan (by using tofu) OR soy-free (by using paneer) but not both at the same time.

Ingredients (not in specific increments because it varies on how you want it):

Tofu - I used one whole block

Peas - I used about 1.5 cups

Tomato - I think I could have used less but I used a very small can of tomato sauce with some chillies in it already

Green Thai Pepper (or any other pepper) - according to taste

Red chili powder - optional unless you want it a bit more spicy

Salt - according to taste

Cumin seeds

Ginger - about half inch piece, chopped

Garlic - 1 clove, minced/chopped

Butter Chicken Masala - available at Indian stores, this is optional! And don't worry, it IS vegetarian.

Garam Masala - you can use ground cumin seeds, cilantro/corainder seeds, and black pepper mixed

Cilantro/Corainder - for garnishing at the end, chopped

To make this recipe I started by grilling my tofu. You can buy firm or extra firm so it works better. This will take a while because your tofu has to be cut in cubes and grilled from all 6 sides. I did it to make the tofu harder like paneer (Indian cheese) like the original Indian recipe uses.

Next, in a pan, you want to start cooking your garlic and ginger with some cumin seeds.Try not to burn them! As soon as they were done I added in my peas and tomato sauce. Then I added some red chili powder and one thai chili pepper to the gravy. While I completed this step my tofu was hardened from all 6 sides and I added the tofu in. I had to add more water to give it more "volume" and let the dish simmer on the stove for about 10-15 minutes.

My last step was adding the garam masala, butter chicken masala (optional), and cilantro.

This is really easy and quick. If you are not vegan and like cheese then you can go ahead and buy paneer instead of tofu and it'll taste similar. I want to say it's gluten free as well because it doesn't use any wheat-related ingredient. To try soy-free, you can definitely use paneer instead of tofu.

I ended up eating it as soon as it was done so I don't have too many pictures!! Enjoy and leave comments on your thoughts about this recipe!

Thanks for your visit!! See you guys again soon!