This version of an Indian classic doesn’t lose any of its flavour or texture just ‘cos it’s vegan. In fact, with a couple of insider tips, it tastes as yummy as the original!

• Ingredients needed

• Equipment needed

• Everything else

01 - Gather, then braise ya greens

All the spinach in my garden ‘bolted’ (aka: it got all stressed, grew upwards and grew flowers instead of loads of leaves)

So instead, I’m using kale and adding a handful of spinach leaves and stems. You can choose to use spinach, but if like me you choose kale, you just need to cook the kale until it’s tender**.**

Roughly chop your spinach and kale. Instead of discarding the spinach stems, cook them with the chopped kale in 1/2 cup of water and 1 dessert-spoon of tamari in a deep-sided frying pan.

Cook on a medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes or until the kale is tender and wilted.

In your food processor bowl, place your fresh spinach leaves in the bottom, then add your cooked kale and spinach stems. No need to clean your pan, we can re-purpose it in our next step…

02 - Chop, sizzle, cream

Start by roughly chopping two medium onions

Doesn’t matter how: you’ll be blitzing them in the food processor soon.

Heat your frying pan, then dry-fry a dessert-spoon of cumin seeds, coriander seeds and onion seeds. If you don’t have all these seeds - just use 3 x dessert-spoons pf coriander seeds - it gives the palek sauce its distinctive flavour. Grind the toasted seeds in your pestle and mortar.

Heat a dessert-spoon of ya favourite cooking oil in your pan, and add your onions. After 2 mins, add the crushed garlic and cook until translucent. Mix in 3 x dessert-spoons of coconut yoghurt and gently simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the creamy onion mixture and toasted seeds to your food processor bowl. Set aside the pan once more…

03 - Toss, then toast ya tofu

Prep your tofu

With just a little bit of know-how, you can convert tasteless tofu into yummy curd-like, crispy ‘paneer’

To begin, cut your tofu block horizontally. Then cube your two tofu slabs.

Spoon 2 x dessert-spoons of onion powder into your food container. Add the tofu cubes, place the lid on firmly and shake to coat all the tofu in onion-power goodness.

Spread the coated tofu cubes on a tray lined with baking paper and bake at 200c for 12-15 mins or until golden.

04 - Blitz, simmer, serve

Palek ya paneer

Now the greens, creamy onion and seeds are in your food processor, it’s time to add a dessert-spoon of curry-paste, a dessert-spoon of rose water and half a cup of water.

Blitz together until smooth-ish, then return to your deep-sided fry pan and simmer for a final 10-12 mins on a moderate heat.

To serve, pop a few cubs of tofu in a bowl and bathe in palek sauce. Top with a few extra cubes. Serve with rice or flatbread and a fresh green salad. Yuuuuum!

By Sal at Sally Grows - 19th December 2024

<aside> <img src="/icons/mountains_green.svg" alt="/icons/mountains_green.svg" width="40px" /> Follow our adventures on Insta or Fb

</aside>

WIGGLY WONDERS → | Sally Grows: a paddock to plate adventure