Indian🥣 Soups & stews

30-Minute Lentil Curry with Baked Tofu

Name: 30-Minute Lentil Curry with Baked Tofu
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 350 g extra firm tofu; salt; to taste pepper; 1½ cups basmati rice; 3 cardamom pods; water; 2 tsp chili oil; 1½ cups red lentils; 1 red onion; 2 garlic; 1 red chili pepper; 2 tbsp avocado oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 1 cup cherry tomatoes; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp turmeric; ½ cup coconut cream; 100 g fresh spinach; 1 tbsp garam masala

⏱ 30 min🍽 Serves 3

A quick curry featuring red lentils and tofu, served alongside fragrant cardamom rice. A comforting, aromatic main built on accessible ingredients that comes together in 30 minutes.

Vegan

Adapted from a video by Yeung Man Cooking

The 30min Lentil Recipe I make on Repeat!

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

extra firm tofu350 g
salta pinch plus 1 tsp
pepperto taste
basmati rice1½ cups
cardamom pods3
water1.5 cups for rice, 2.5 cups for lentils
chili oil2 tsp
red lentils1½ cups
red onion1
garliclarge cloves

Steps

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1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat dry the tofu with a paper towel and cut into bite-sized cubes. Spread them evenly on a parchment-lined baking tray, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and bake for 20–25 minutes.
2
Rinse and drain 1.5 cups basmati rice 2–3 times to remove excess starch. Crush 3 cardamom pods and add to the rice along with 1.5 cups water and 2 tsp chili oil. Heat over medium-high until the water begins to boil, stir the rice, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
3
Rinse and drain the red lentils and set aside. Finely mince the red onion, garlic, and red chili pepper. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp avocado oil, then add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp fennel seeds. Toast for 20–30 seconds until fragrant.
4
Add the minced red onion and sauté for 4–5 minutes. Halve about 1 cup cherry tomatoes. Add the garlic and red chili pepper, sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp turmeric. Add the cherry tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes, allowing their juices to deglaze the pan.
5
After the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steam for another 10 minutes.
6
Add the red lentils to the pan and stir well. Pour in 2.5 cups water (or vegetable stock) and 0.5 cup coconut cream, reserving a little for garnish. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to just under medium, cover, and simmer for 8–10 minutes.
7
Add 100g fresh spinach and fold it with a spatula until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 tbsp garam masala. Add the baked tofu cubes and give everything one final stir.
8
Once the rice is done steaming, remove any cardamom pods that float to the top and fluff the rice with a fork or rice paddle. Plate the rice, top generously with the lentil curry, and garnish with a drizzle of the reserved coconut cream.

30-Minute Lentil Curry with Baked Tofu

Ingredients

Steps

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