This Punjabi-style tomato-based curry is very easy to make, requires basic ingredients, can be made ahead of time, and is healthy. Although I enjoy eating Punjabi food out at restaurants, I always shy away because I know how unhealthy some of the dishes are due to the addition of heavy cream. I won’t claim that this curry takes the place of any particular dish found in Punjabi restaurants, but I WILL say that it satisfies my craving of wanting to eat at those restaurants!
This recipe was inspired by my mom and makes use of the combination of yogurt and cashews to give it that “creamy” flavor. On a recent visit, she brought me a small sample of a tomato-based curry she had made at home. That very same day, I decided to saute some mushrooms, add the curry my mom made, and toast a piece of garlic Naan from Trader Joe’s. It took me all of 10 minutes to do everything and I found myself having an amazing meal with bold flavors. She told me the basics of how she made the curry and immediately I was excited to create a version of it in my own kitchen for my family.
The following week we had 5 heirloom tomatoes in our garden ready to be eaten. We usually find ourselves enjoying these tomatoes sliced with some salt and pepper because they are absolutely delicious, but this time my moms curry came into mind and by the end of the day, I had a large container full of radiant, delicious, fresh curry. The next day, I decided to add some sauteed tofu and mushrooms to the curry. My 3 1/2 year old son and 15 month old daughter loved this dish with some brown rice and a side of yogurt while my husband and I enjoyed it with some garlic Naan from Trader Joe’s (I had to mash up the tofu for my 15 month old). For my husband, this dish probably would not replace Punjabi restaurant food, but he said it came pretty close and devoured the leftovers for lunch the next day!
There are many variations of this dish. If you’re not a huge fan of tofu or mushrooms, you can add any other favorite vegetable or protein. Next time around I plan on trying this dish with some potatoes instead of the tofu and mushrooms. I also used Heirloom tomatoes mainly because I had them readily available fresh from my garden. But on any other day, I typically use vine-ripe tomatoes. When you read the recipe, you’ll notice that I have garam masala as an optional ingredient. I’ve made it with and without the garam masala and to tell you truth, it tastes great either way in case you don’t have it readily available.
Serves makes ~4-5 servings
Save RecipeIngredients:
- 5 large tomatoes (vine-ripe or heirloom if possible), chopped into large sections
- 1 medium white onion, diced into large sections
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teasp. fresh ginger, minced
- 1/3 cup yogurt
- 10-13 cashews
- 1/2 teasp. turmeric
- vegetable oil
- chilli powder (optional, to taste)
- 1/4 teasp. garam masala (optional)
- salt
- 8 oz. white button mushrooms
- 19 oz. firm tofu
- paneer
- potato
- peas
- corn
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- bell peppers
- carrots
Directions:
- In a large non-stick pot, heat 1-2 Tbsp. on medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and ginger and fry for a few seconds until fragrant (be sure not to let the garlic start browning or burning).
- Add the diced white onion. Saute until the onions start to become translucent (a few minutes).
- Add the diced tomatoes. Add some salt. Cook until the tomatoes start to stew and the flavors start to combine, mixing frequently. For the next step, either use a vitamix or blender. Follow the recipe accordingly.
- If Using a Vitamix: Add everything from the pot into the vitamix. Add the yogurt and cashews. Puree until completely smooth, making sure the cashews are completely blended into the sauce. Pour the sauce back into the pot.
- If Using a Regular Blender: If you are using a regular blender, you will want to make sure the cashews are completely pureed into the sauce. In other words, there should be no cashew pieces remaining. If the blender you are using is powerful enough to do this, then go ahead and follow the directions stated above using a vitamix. If your blender is not powerful enough, then continue with this step. Using a small blender such as a bullet, puree the cashews and yogurt until completely smooth. Using a larger blender, puree the cashew/yogurt paste with everything in the pot until completely smooth. Pour the contents of the blender back into the pot.
- Heat the sauce in the pot on low-medium heat. Add turmeric and chili powder to taste (depending on how much spice you want). Add garam masala if you prefer.
- Once the sauce starts to simmer, turn the heat on low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes in order to reduce and thicken the sauce. In the meantime, prepare the mushrooms and tofu (or any other veggie/protein you are planning on using)
- To Prepare Tofu: Place tofu block in a clean paper towel and squeeze to remove excess storage liquid. Cut the tofu block in half if you have a 1 large block you are working with to avoid breaking up the tofu before removing excess water. Cut the tofu into 1/2 to 1 in. cubes and pan fry on medium-high heat with 1-2 T vegetable oil, mixing and turning frequently until all the water is burned off and the tofu is lightly golden brown on most sides (be sure not to burn the tofu). Sprinkle some salt over the tofu. If the tofu is sticking to the pan, add some more oil. Set aside.
- To Prepare the Mushrooms: Cut the mushrooms in quarters (or halves if the mushrooms are small). In the same pan, heat some vegetable oil on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until all the water is released and the mushrooms just begin to brown/roast. Sprinkle some salt and set aside.
- Add the cooked mushrooms and tofu to the sauce and combine. Cook on low for another 5-10 minutes, being careful not to dry the sauce out. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve hot and enjoy with some Naan, roti, or rice!
Notes:
Make sure the yogurt you use is thick and NOT sour (in other words, it should be pretty fresh). Depending on how acidic and sweet your tomatoes are, you may need to add more cashews. After adding the amount recommended above, taste the sauce and if it tastes acidic, add a few more cashews. As with most curries, the more you let it sit together in the fridge, the more intense the flavor is! So feel free to make this curry the day before!
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