Tofu butter ‘chicken’
By Max La Manna
A fan favourite, this is one of my most popular dishes with over 4 million views on my social media channels! Pressing the tofu removes excess water, and coating it with cornflour gives it a thin, crunchy exterior when it’s baked until golden in the oven. Paired with a vibrant, creamy sauce, it’s winner winner (tofu) chicken dinner!
-
Prep:20 mins
Cook:25 mins
- Serves 4
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
-
kcal 475
-
fat 25g
-
saturates 22g
-
carbs 19g
-
sugars 0g
-
fibre 5g
-
protein 18g
-
salt 0.31g
Ingredients
- 450g firm tofu
- 2tbsp cornflour
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 2tbsp fresh ginger , grated
- 3 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- 1tbsp garam masala
- 1tsp cumin seeds , or ground cumin
- 1tsp coriander seeds , or ground coriander
- tsp ground turmeric
- tsp ground cinnamon
- tsp chilli powder
- salt and pepper
- 3tbsp tomato purée
- 3tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
- 400g tin of full-fat coconut milk
- coconut flakes
- coconut yoghurt
- coriander leaves
- basmati rice
- flatbreads
Method
Cut the tofu in half. Wrap each half in a clean tea towel. Stack something heavy on top - such as a weighted pan - and leave for 10-15 minutes to press the liquid from the tofu.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Tear the tofu into smaller pieces to resemble pieces of chicken. Place the tofu in a mixing bowl with cornflour and gently toss to coat the tofu pieces. Spread out the tofu pieces on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges start to brown, flipping halfway through.
Meanwhile, in a food processor blitz the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste. In a large frying pan over medium heat, toast the spices for 1-2 minutes until fragrant then stir in the paste, and cook for 1 minute. Add the butter, salt and pepper and stir, cooking for 3-4 minutes until the onion mixture is soft. Add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the coconut milk, stir to combine and simmer for 10 minutes.
When the tofu is brown and crispy, take the sauce off the heat and add the baked tofu. Serve with toasted coconut flakes, yoghurt, fresh coriander, fluffy rice and flatbreads.
