Restaurant-Style Butter Chicken Vegan (1 pan!)

Press and tear the tofu, if you haven’t already, and add to a bowl. (To press the tofu, use a tofu press or wrap in kitchen towel, and place some books or cutting board on it and let sit for 15 minutes. Then tear into bite size pieces). Add in the non-dairy yogurt and ginger and garlic paste and toss well to coat the tofu. Then, in a small bowl, mix all the spices, salt, and cornstarch really well, and sprinkle it all over the tofu. Toss well to coat. Now, you can pan fry, bake, or air fry the tofu.

To pan fry, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, spread the oil on the skillet and then transfer the coated tofu onto the skillet, and spread into a single layer. Let this tofu sit undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, so that the bottoms can crisp, and it can release from the pan. Once the tofu is releasing from the pan, flip the tofu and continue to cook the other side, and repeat 2 to 3 times, until the tofu is golden and crisp on most of the edges. This can take anywhere from 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside for now.

To bake, sprinkle the oil over the tofu, then spread that onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° F (206° C) for 20 to 30 minutes, until some of the edges are crisp. 

To air fry, drizzle the oil over the tofu, and place onto a piece of parchment paper inside your air fryer. Air fry at 370° F (188° C) for 8 minutes, then move it around, and then air fry for another 2 to 4 minutes, until some of the edges are crisp.

Reduce the heat to medium, and add the oil to the same pan you used for the tofu. Once oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds and mix, and let the cumin seeds start to change color significantly and get fragrant. This will take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your pan. 

Add in the chopped onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook until the onions are starting to turn translucent. Add a splash of water in between to help the onions cook evenly. (We don’t want the onions to reduce too much, because we’re also using the onions as some of the volume of the sauce). Once the onion is translucent, add a splash of water and the ginger garlic paste. Mix well, then add in all of the ground spices and remaining salt. Mix and cook this for 30 seconds if you’re using ginger garlic paste, and cook this for up to 1 minute for minced ginger and garlic. Add a splash of water or oil to help the minced garlic cook. Then, stir in the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Then, mix in the cashews and coconut milk. Bring that to a boil, then let this simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, then switch off the heat and let the sauce cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the cooled sauce to a blender with a cup of water, and blend until smooth. I usually blend it for a minute, and then let it sit for 4 or 5 minutes, then blend again for half a minute. If this doesn’t make it smooth enough, then I blend it again for half a minute. 

Make the spiced oil: Then, in the same skillet, heat the vegan butter or oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon stick, crushed fenugreek leaves, and mix in. If your sauce is not red enough for you, add in some more Kashmiri chilli powder here, and then carefully add your blended sauce back to the skillet and mix well. Bring the sauce to a boil for about 2 minutes, then taste the flavor of the sauce and adjust the salt, heat, and flavor. You can add in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, if you want the sauce slightly sweeter. Also adjust the consistency at this time, adding more water or non-dairy milk, if you want a thinner sauce. Continue to simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes, then fold in your crispy tofu. Just lightly toss, because you don’t want the coating to come off of the tofu. Let it simmer another 1 to 2 minutes, then switch off the heat and garnish with cilantro, lemon juice, green chili and pepper flakes. Crush the fenugreek leaves with your fingers, and sprinkle them all over the dish, as well. Serve with Naan or rice or quinoa.