Original recipe by Richa from at veganricha.com. Extensively altered by Dr John

Richa Hingle

This wonderful Curry takes less than 45 minutes.
It is versatile, and may be customized for specific preferences noted below.

On the Stove in Dr John’s kitchen

Saag Spicy Curry – Tofu Curry with Greens & Tofu

This Sagg Tofu Curry has fabulous and subtle Indian flavors. Whether you prepare it for a formal gathering or a cozy quiet home meal it is impressive. It may be made soy free.
Prep and Cook Time: 45 mins
Keyword: saag with tofu, vegan palak (or saag) and tofu  
Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

Tofu 14 to 16 Oz– diced [See note on dicing tofu in the Instructions below]:

• 1 ½ Tbsp corn starch
• 2 sprays of low sodium soy sauce 
• ¼ cup water- to be used for sauteing tofu
• 14 to oz (396.9 to 450 g) firm tofu block,
• 1.5 cups cubed tofu, pressed [see note below on dicing tofu]

Saag Curry Ingredients:

• 4 cups (120 g) packed collard, beet, spinach, kale, turnip, and/ or mustard greens- chopped
• ½ red bell pepper sliced in  
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• 1½  cup (113 ml) almond milk or light coconut milk (or a mixture coconut and almond)
• 5 Tablespoons cashews- soaked (Cover cashews in water, microwave 40 to 60 seconds or quickly boil them and let stand for 15 minutes or more. Discard water
• 5 cloves of garlic – minced (or 2 ½  tsp pre-minced garlic)
• 2 inch ginger- minced (or 2 to 3 Tbsp minced or grated frozen ginger)
• 2 Serano red chili pepper – (sliced wide and long to allow easy removal if desired)
• 2 medium tomatos chopped
• 1 to 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or ½ to ¾ tsp  Morton’s Light Salt
• 2 teaspoon maple syrup or molasses
• 1 teaspoon garam masala spice mix (or use 1 tsp curry powder with 1/3 tsp cinnamon added).

Saag Curry Ingredients:

• ¾ cup filtered
• 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce or 1 tsp Morton’s Light Salt
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garum masala seasoning mix (or use 1 tsp curry powder plus ½ tsp cinnamon powder)       
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast (It imparts a “cheesy” flavor
• ½ tsp cayenne or chipotle powder

Garnish Suggestions:  unsalted pistachios, broken mixed nuts, cilantro, or sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Dicing Tofu:
   • Place Tofu in a Tofu Press (Dr John uses The Tofu Bud TOFU PRESS [A tofu press is pictured in the Client Picture Gallery (Paper and cloth towel pressing is just fine; and other mechanical presses are available😊.]
   • *Press, and periodically dispose of the water, for 20 minutes or moree.
   • *Place Tofu on the long side and slice it in half.
   • *Dice your Tofu in approximately ¾ inch (2 cm) cubes. *Place tofu in a large zip bag, sprinkle with 1 ½ Tbsp of corn starch and a couple of sprays of low- sodium soy sauce (see note below on spraying soy sauce). Mix or shake to cover all the diced tofu.
2. Chop your greens (collards, kale, spinach, beet, and/or turnip greens).
3. Place the greens and all of the ingredients listed for the Saag Curry Sauce into your food processor except the red bell pepper. Process somewhat smooth. A little granularity is fine.
4. There are two alternative ways to do step 4. Eighter do 4a. or43b.
   1. Preheat a large cooking pot or Wok on medium high heat and place 1/3 cup of water in the pan. When the water begins to boil place diced tofu in the pan and cook stirring regularly for 2 to 3 minutes or until the tofu is firming and getting slightly brown. If necessary, you may add 1 to 2 Tbsp water to keep tofu from sticking
   2. Preheat an air fryer to 400F⁰ and place tofu side by side on a butcher paper covered baking sheet or shelf. Bake or Air fry for about 20 minutes, turning the tofu every 5 minutes. The tofu should get a little firm and begin to brown. Then they are done. If using a regular oven setting  it may take 5 or more minutes longer for tofu to get crisp then when using an air fryer.
5. Following 4a, add all of the processed greens and sauce ingredients to the tofu pot with the tofu above; and mix with the tofu to cover.                                                                                   If using the 4b method preheat a large cooking pot or wok over medium high heat with ¼ cup pater. When the water begins to boil add the oven roasted tofu and stir for 1 minute to heat. 
6. Add the processed greens and seasoning sauce, and nutritional yeast (from the processor).  Mix to combine. Bring to a mild simmer and reduce heat to medium.                                                
7. Continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes minutes. Cook until the Saag is steaming hot and most of the water has evaporated leaving a thick but very moist consistency.
8. Add in  red bell peppers about 5 minutes before cooking is completed. Taste and adjust spices.
9. Serve over a Whole Intact grain ( like farro, wheatberries, quinoa, brown or black rice prepared in your pressure cooker. A good choice is Farro (an ancient wheat grain) [1 cup of Farrow to 2 1/3 cups water for cooked for 11 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally decompress over 10 to 15 minutes. Leave on the warm setting until you are ready to eat😊. Dr John

The image above is a tofu press.

Garnish Suggestions: Any of these would be great as a topper- chopped unsalted pistachios, broken mixed nuts, chopped cilantro, or plain sesame seeds

Cooks Notes:

Gluten: The recipe, as written, is gluten free. Gluten is one of the most consumed and health engendering protein sources in the world. The 1% who are severely gluten sensitive ( like Celiac disease) should avoid gluten, of course. Gluten is found only in wheat grains, rye, barley, and as an occasional contaminant in oats.

Nut-free, use coconut milk or oat milk instead of almond milk. m.

Soy-free : Use 1 2/3 cup (one 15oz can) of cooked chickpeas, kidney beans, or other favorite cooked legume instead of tofu. (However, Soy beans are one of the healthiest of all the legumes. Dr John)

   Tempe: You may also use Tempeh (a fermented soy bean product) to make this saag instead of tofu. Sautee tempeh in boiling water 3 to 4 minutes and discard water. Add ¼ cup fresh filtered water to preheated pot or wok. Add your processed greens and seasonings, and cook at a medium heat 15-20 minutes, or until most liquid is absorbed..  Note: Add in your sliced  red pepper for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

     Spraying low- salt Soy Sauce: Dr john places low-sodium soy sauce in a small glass spray bottle and keeps it in the cupboard. He uses this to spray a little on veggies and other recipes to control the amount placed into the food😊.Note on Richa:  Richa is a recipe creator and cookbook author of Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen & Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen. If you love flavor, easy, and creative food, please take a look. More about  VeganRicha.com: Richttps://photos.fife.usercontent.google.com/pw/AP1GczPMcCEQMoMG2zcrKC2o_T-ZfUb1ZfTjtkR2FQtIYYMqjhKbXy5L-C615A=w915-h973-s-no-gm?authuser=0ha »

On Dr John’s table