Tofu Bake With Vegan Makhani Sauce

This recipe is creamy, buttery, and absolutely delicious! Here, crispy baked tofu is

cooked in a rich and creamy homemade Makhani sauce! This Tofu Bake With Vegan Makhani Sauce is the perfect dinner table centerpiece.

Tofu Bake With Vegan Makhani Sauce [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Vegan Makhani Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil or vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 2 tablespoons garlic paste
• 1/2 onion roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1-2 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 3 tomatoes roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
• salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup vegan cream

For the Tofu Makhani Bake:

• 30 ounces Extra-firm Tofu
• 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/2 onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup mushrooms sliced
• cloves for garnish optional
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
• 2-3 tablespoons cilantro
• 2-3 tablespoons grated vegan cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional

Preparation

To prep the tofu:

1. Drain the water from the tofu packet.
2. Place it inside a tofu press and press it. Refrigerate it for 1-2 hours or you can leave it overnight.
3. Once pressed, remove the tofu and pat dry. Drain out the water that's collected below and the tofu is ready for use.
4. Whenever you plan on making Tofu Makhani Bake, prep tofu this way, on the previous day.

For the Vegan Makhani Sauce:

1. Heat a pan and add oil or vegan butter. Once, it's hot enough, add and fry cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, garlic, onions, poppy seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and cashews.
2. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, tomato ketchup, sugar, salt, and dried fenugreek leaves.
3. Cook till the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy. Take it off the flame and allow it to cool down. Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.
4. Transfer all the contents to a blender and blitz to make a smooth puree. Add 1/4 cup of water if needed.
5. Alternatively, you can also use a hand blender to make a puree.
6. Pass this puree through a sieve. Do not throw away the pulp.
7. Transfer the makhani puree to the same pan and bring to a boil.
8. Add vegan cream and give it a good mix. Check the taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
9. The consistency of this Vegan Makhani sauce should be thick and creamy. Do not thin it down.
10. Transfer it to a bowl and keep it aside for now.

To make Tofu Makhani Bake:

1. Cut off the edges of the pressed tofu to give it a clean shape. This is an optional step though.
2. Lightly saute the discarded tofu along with sliced onions and mushrooms in the same pan along with the discarded pulp.
3. It just gives the veggies so much more flavor rather than adding them raw plus there is zero wastage!
4. Dip the prepared tofu in the makhani sauce and place it in a greased baking dish. Stuff all the sides with the sauteed veggies.
5. Make diagonal slits all over the tofu in opposite directions, so you get a criss-cross pattern. Stick a clove where the slits cross.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro, nutritional yeast, black sesame seeds, and vegan cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
7. Once it's golden brown, take it out, remove the cloves using kitchen tweezers.
8. Then drizzle some lemon juice, and vegan cream over it if needed, and then immediately serve this crispy baked tofu.
9. Cut and take a generous helping of this tofu Makhani Bake and pair it with naan, roti, or any other flatbread. It will also taste great with some Jeera Rice or just plain steamed rice.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/tofu-bake-with-vegan-makhani-sauce-vegan/