Tofu Saag

This is one of my favourite recipes I've written over the years. It's from my first cookbook (still available as a PDF) and is probably one of the most straightforward saag's you can make. You cook the tofu in some spices, make the spinach curry sauce in a blender, then stir everything together over medium flame for about 10 minutes to gently cook through.

It's a comforting, a sensorily inoffensive way to eat a bowl of greens and I've been told many people whip this up when they're on their period to boost their iron intake.

Feel free to add cooked potatoes or a can of drained chickpeas to the saag sauce. It also freezes really well.

INGREDIENTS

Tofu

• 350g firm tofu, drained & squeezed of excess moisture
• drizzle of garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• pinch of chilli flakes
• pinch of salt
• light-flavoured vegetable oil, for frying

Saag

• 500g frozen spinach (defrosted or not)
• 40g (1/4 cup) raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30+ minutes & drained
• 270ml coconut milk
• 125ml (1/2 cup) water
• 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• drizzle of garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 thumb piece ginger, peeled & grated (or 1 tbsp minced ginger)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp miso (white or red)

To Serve: basmati rice or naan, natural non-dairy yoghurt, chilli crisp, coriander leaves, flaked almonds, poppadoms (all optional)

METHOD

1. Get your cashews soaking, if you haven't already (see ingredient list).
2. Either take the frozen spinach out of the freezer to defrost the night before OR tip the frozen spinach into a heat safe bowl, cover with boiling water (straight from the kettle) and leave to defrost for about 15 minutes. Whichever method you used, carefully drain the spinach through a fine sieve and press out the excess water with a spatula. Set aside.
3. Chop the tofu into bite-sized pieces and add to a large bowl. Add the remaining Tofu ingredients (sans the light-flavoured vegetable oil). Toss to coat. Heat a drizzle of light-flavoured vegetable oil in a large frypan or pot (it also has to hold the Saag sauce later on) and once hot, topple in the tofu. Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden on most sides.
4. While the tofu's cooking, make the Saag sauce by adding the drained soaked cashews, coconut milk and water to a large blender. Blend on high for approx. 1 minute, until it forms a cashew-coconut milk. Give your blender a few breaks, if necessary. Add the drained spinach, along with the rest of the Saag ingredients to the blender. Blend for another minute or so – giving your blender breaks as needed – until the mixture resembles a smooth, vibrant green, thick smoothie.
5. Pour the Saag mixture into the frypan/pot with the tofu and turn the heat on low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture darkens in colour. The mixture will spit and burp so I advised you to cover it with a lid!
6. Serve the Tofu Saag as you wish (the To Serve elements are just suggestions) and enjoy.