Vegan Tofu Korma – So much better and quicker than a Takeout!
This creamy vegan Tofu Korma Curry is a quick and easy Side dish, perfect for busy weeknight meals. Plus it is delicious with homemade naan bread , Quick Pickled onions, and onion bhajis.
CREAMY VEGAN TOFU KORMA CURRY
This mild creamy vegan korma curry is an adaptation of the popular Indian curry ” Korma”or Qorma, found in the British Curry house.
Did you know – The classic Indian curry “Korma” is not Vegan? It has a great balance of spices, heat, sweetness, and extremely flavorful.
We love a good easy Vegetable Korma at home with a quick flatbread or even Dosa. However, when I do not have the necessary vegetables, I do opt for this creamy coconut Tofu korma.
This fresh curry comes together in a jiffy. I like to simplify the recipes and make sure there are minimal steps involved in it – just like this tofu curry.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN TOFU KORMA?
To make this easy peasy vegan korma, the very first step is to prepare the Korma Sauce.
For the Korma Sauce – Place onion, cashew nuts, tomato paste, cardamom, a little water in a blender and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the oil to the pan. Add ginger-garlic paste, prepared onion paste, and saute for 8 – 10 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, spice powders, and bring the korma sauce to simmer for 10 minutes. This easy Korma Sauce forms the base for the curry.
Now add the pan fried tofu to the sauce and allow the sauce to simmer for 1 minute or so.
Transfer this quick flavorsome curry to the serving dish. Garnish with cashew nuts or toasted almond flakes and coriander leaves.
Did you know you can make Ground Cumin and Ground Coriander at home in just 10 minutes and they are much more flavorsome than the store-bought ones? Check out our recipes on homemade cumin powder and coriander powder.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best Korma Sauce?
Although there are so many brands in the market that sell Korma Sauce like Patak’s Korma Sauce, Uncle Ben’s Korma, and Seeds of Change Korma Sauce.
Honestly, Homemade Korma sauce is the best and super easy to make. Add all the ingredients to a blender jar and process to a smooth consistency and you have your homemade sauce ready!
When the sauce is this easy to make, why buy a jar of store-bought Korma Sauce?
What type of Tofu should I use?
If you live in the UK, I can highly recommend Tofoo brand Extra Firm Tofu. Tofoo brand of Tofu does not require you to squeeze out any extra water or place a weight on it. You can use it straight out of the box.
Is there Dairy in Korma?
Traditionally Korma preparation in the Indian Sub continent is made with yogurt ( diary ) for the sauce to provide a rich creamy sauce.
However we have made our Korma completely dairy-free by using coconut milk for the creamy gravy sauce.
What is the difference between Korma and Curry?
As the name suggests Korma and Curry are two different dishes. Korma is a milder curry made with mild spices and dairy or nuts to lend a subtle flavor. On the other side, Curry is a spicer dish made with an array of spices leaving us with a spiced flavored sauce.
Why is Korma Yellow in color?
Many curries just like Korma have a golden Yellow color with the addition of ground turmeric powder along with other spices to the gravy base. Turmeric not only has health benefits, but it also makes the dish really attractive.
YOU MAY ALSO LOVE THESE EASY INDIAN CURRIES
Easy Rajma Masala ( Kidney Beans curry )
VEGAN TOFU KORMA RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 Onion
- 12 Cashewnut
- 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Cardamom
- 1 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 Tin Coconut Milk
- ½-¾ Cup Water
- 250 g Extra Firm Tofu cut into 1” pieces
- Salt to taste
Garnishes
- 3 Tbsp Coriander leaves finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp Cashew nut roasted
Instructions
- Make a Onion Paste – Place onion, cashew nuts, cardamom, 1/2 cup water in a blender and blend smooth.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add the tofu, and fry until they start to turn golden and crisp. Drain them to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil to the pan. Add ginger garlic paste, onion paste and saute for 8 – 10 minutes.
- Add the 3 tbsp tomato paste, coconut milk, spice powders,salt and bring the korma sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the fried tofu and cook for another one minute.
- Transfer the korma sauce to a serving dish.
- Add the roasted cashew nuts and coriander leaves.
Gina says
Absolutely love korma dishes for their creaminess and this tofu one does NOT disappoint! So delicious!
Kechi says
Great recipe, bookmarking to make this week! I can only imagine how flavorful this dish was; I love all the tips you shared as well.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
I love korma flavours and crispy tofu so this is my idea of heaven. Thanks for the great recipe.
Dannii says
What a delicious creamy curry. Such a great idea to use tofu.
Beth says
Looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try! My hubby is going to love this!
keith says
I enjoyed that. I didn’t use enough coconut milk, so it was a bit tomatoey. I cooked off the tomato with spices to lose the tartness though. Not sure if I overcooked the tofu. It was rubbery but I liked having a bit of chew. Next time, Ill use 3x as many cashews, more coconut milk, a little less tomato purée. I might put in some nigella seeds along the way. I’d half consider putting in some peas too.
keith says
ps- Thank you for the recipe. Excellent
Dr. J says
This was really good! My wife asked for korma for her Mothers Day dinner, so I found this recipe and gave it a try ~ she loved it! Creamy, decadent, and not too difficult to make. I served it with brown basmati rice and the recommended pickled onions (also a big hit!). My only recommendation would be to clarify a couple of the amounts in the recipe: “12 cashewnut” was that 12 actual nuts, which seems way too few, or should it have been 1/2 C cashews (which is what I used). And “2 cardamom” I assumed to be two little cardamom pods; that was also a bit unclear.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
So glad your family loved our easy Tofu Korma.
Regarding the clarification – 2 cardamom in the recipe refers to 2 green cardamom pods. And for cashew nuts, the quantity mentioned is exactly what I have used.
Michelle says
Hi! I had some trouble with this recipe. I thought I would double it so it could last the week but it came out very soupy. I also noticed that tumeric isn’t listed in the ingredients and just improvised with the amount. I’m not sure where I went wrong, but thought I would ask if you could help.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Michelle, Thank you for your message. I am not sure why the gravy was soupy. Since you are using a mixture made by blending onion, and cashew nuts – it will surely thicken the gravy as it cooks. Next time, use a little more cashew nuts for blending and cook it a bit longer and the gravy will come together.
Thanks for pointing out that turmeric was missing out on the ingredients. I have included it in the recipe now.
Mil says
Hi Sandhya – just looking for some clarification. The onion paste referenced in step 3 – is this the paste which was created in step 1? Secondly, the tomato paste referenced in step 4 – is this in addition to the tomato paste used in step 1? If so, how much tomato paste should be used in each step? I see the total amount is 3 tbsp of tomato paste.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Mil, Thank you for your message.
The onion paste referenced in step 3 is the one created in step 1.
Also, add the tomato paste in step 4. Kindly leave out tomato paste in step 1. I have amended the recipe.
3 tbsp tomato paste is right. It is the one you get in tubes in most grocery stores in the UK.