Tandoori Tofu with Raita
I love Indian spices. I normally make something similar to this with chicken, but decided to change it up this time. I have made this both with regular Greek yogurt and with vegan yogurt. If you are making this vegan I highly recommend Kite hill brand plain unsweetened almond milk yogurt (NOT their Greek version). You can find this at Whole Foods. I also use premixed Tandoori Masala spice which I also found at Whole Foods. It is important to press the tofu to get rid of the excess moisture, so I am going to link the tofu press I use below, otherwise you can press it out with a towel and a heavy pan or book on top. I think the real MVP of this dish is the Raita. I recommend pairing this dish with my rice pilaf and some garlic naan bread!
Tofu Ingredients (Serves 4-5):
2 14 oz. packages of Extra-Firm tofu, pressed for ~15 minutes each and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Tbs avocado oil
2 Tbs Tandoori Masala spice mix
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or plain vegan yogurt)
1 lemon juiced, ~2 Tbs
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs fresh ginger, grated or minced
1 tsp salt
Raita Ingredients:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or plain vegan yogurt)
1/2 cup grated cucumber (~1/2 cucumber)
1 Tbs chopped cilantro
1 Tbs chopped green onion
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 lemon juiced, ~2 Tbs
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
Start by pressing tofu to remove moisture. Once pressed, cut in 1 inch cubes or longer strips.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add tofu spices (tandoori masala, turmeric, cayenne). Toast for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a small bowl wisk together the remainder of the tofu ingredients (yogurt, lemon, garlic, ginger, salt). Add toasted spices to this mixture.
Add the tofu to a large ziplock bag. Coat with marinade mixture. Put in the fridge. Let marinade for at least 1 hour, up to 6 hours.
Once marinated, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare baking sheet with a cooling rack on top to allow air to get under the tofu while cooking.
Cook tofu for 30 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to crisp it up.
While tofu is cooking, prepare raita by combining the yogurt, grated cucumber, cilantro, green onion, coriander, cumin, lemon and salt.
Serve tofu with raita on top or a generous serving on the side.
Pair with rice pilaf and naan bread!
Tools I love and recommend for this recipe (Affiliate links):
I am so excited for you to try this recipe! If you post a picture, please tag me @RachelMasterKitchen and Hashtag #Rachel.Master.Kitchen on instagram!
