This delicious vegan tofu curry with peas is a nutritious, simple weeknight dinner idea. It's super easy to make and ready in just over 20 minutes.
You might also like vegan tofu bolognese!
For me curry dishes are some of the quickest and simplest to make. (I am using a 'loose' definition of a curry, one that involves using a selection of typical curry spices with vegetables and/or meat of choice). And this vegan tofu curry with peas is no exception.
You don't have to use too many spices to make a great tasting curry dish. Just use as many as is needed to complement the other ingredients in your dish. Which is what I've done in this recipe.
Easy vegan tofu curry
Using garam masala is an easy way of adding lots of flavour to a dish. It contains a great selection of aromatic spices, such as cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and several others. I combined it with a bit of turmeric and cumin (for a more intense curry flavour) and that's all the spices you will need to make this easy curry recipe.
The sauce takes under 15 minutes to cook and you can prepare the tofu (see the Instructions below) during that time. This healthy curry is really a super quick and easy dish, perfect to make on a weeknight.
How to make vegan tofu curry: step-by-step
1.Prepare the tofu by gently squeezing it in order to get rid of excess water. Pat dry using a paper towel sheet, cube and set aside. Start making the sauce by heating up the oil with the bay leaf. Add the garlic, ginger and onion, stir and cook for about a minute.
2. Add the garam masala, turmeric and cumin powders, stir and cook for another minute.
3. Pour in the tomatoes, add the seasoning, stir, cover and bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. In the meantime heat up 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a large pan and fry the cubed tofu until golden over a medium heat (about 2 minutes on each side).
5. Remove the sauce from the heat, discard the bay leaf and puree the sauce.
6. Add the coconut milk, peas and tofu and stir. Heat up quickly again if needed, add chopped cilantro and serve!
Top tips
- Tofu: Gently squeeze to remove excess water and pat dry using paper towel. Then cube and fry as per instructions.
- Peas: Use frozen petits pois or garden peas.
- Curry sauce: Puree the sauce to a desired consistency (it can still be a little lumpy).
- Coconut milk: Use full fat or reduced fat milk.
- Storing: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Tofu curry with peas or petits pois
You can use either garden peas or petits pois in this curry recipe. Petits pois are small peas which are very sweet and tender and perfect to use in a tangy tomato sauce. I recommend adding the frozen petits pois (along with the tofu and cilantro) to the sauce after it has been cooked. They don't require boiling, only heating up. They will thaw and warm through quickly inside the hot curry. That way they will retain their sweet flavour.
If you are a fan of petits pois try these easy leek and potato dumpling stew.
More easy curry recipes
You may also like curried beluga lentils with vegetables, sweet potato dhal as well as easy vegetable curry with paneer. For a non-vegetarian meal idea try butternut squash chicken lentil curry or creamy chicken pumpkin curry.
See also these other easy, delicious meal ideas!
Recipe
Vegan Tofu Curry with Peas
Ingredients
- 10.58 ounces (300 g) firm tofu
- 1 cup (130 g) petits pois or garden peas frozen
- 1x14.11oz can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1½ tablespoons fresh ginger peeled, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk regular or reduced fat
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt plus plenty of pepper
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cumin and turmeric powders each
- 4 tablespoons cilantro/fresh coriander finely chopped
- 5 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Start by preparing the tofu. Drain it well, wrap in paper towel and squeeze gently to remove any excess water. Cube the tofu, season to taste and set aside.
- In a pot heat up 3 tablespoons of oil, add the bay leaf, garlic, ginger and onion and fry on a medium heat for a minute stirring often. Add the garam masala, cumin and turmeric and continue frying for another minute or so stirring often.
- Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan and fry the tofu over a medium heat until golden brown (about 2 minutes on each side).
- Remove the sauce from the heat, discard the bay leaf and puree the sauce. Add the coconut milk, cilantro, tofu and frozen peas. Reheat the dish and adjust the seasoning if needed and serve!
Notes
- Tofu: Gently squeeze to remove excess water and pat dry using paper towel. Then cube and fry as per instructions.
- Peas: Use frozen petits pois or garden peas.
- Curry sauce: Puree the sauce to a desired consistency (it can still be a little lumpy).
- Coconut milk: Use full fat or reduced fat milk.
- Storing: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Keep in touch
If you make this tofu curry with peas I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)
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Dan says
I have enjoyed preparing and eating Indian inspired dishes for 40 years. This is one of my favorites. Thank you.
Monika says
Thank you! I am thrilled to hear this!
Constance Rex says
Three years after this recipe was published: I made this last night, and my son-in-law loved it. He can't eat tomatoes, so I substituted roasted and peeled red bell pepper, as those taste very much like tomatoes. I also added mushrooms because I had some on hand, and some red pepper flakes because we like a little more heat than black pepper can lend.
Honestly, as someone who's never tried a recipe like this before, I was afraid to cook the onions for only two minutes at the beginning of the recipe, so I let them cook just until they began to brown.
Excluding time taken to roast and peel the red bell peppers, this recipe still took me over an hour, with chopping all the vegetablea and doing all the steps (I doubled the recipe amd so had more chopping to do).
Getting the excess water out of the tofu also took a lot longer, but I didn't count that in my total time. As advised by other sources online, I put the tofu between two cutting boards and placed something heavy over that and left it sit for about an hour before using. A ton of water came out and the tofu was still moist, so I'm not sure how that could have really been done any faster.
If someone sees this and can please explain how I could make this recipe any faster, I would love to know. I would also like to know how the dish would have turned out of I had cooked the onions for a much shorter time, as was advised by this recipe. Would the less-cooked onions have given out more heat or flavor? Thank you!
Kerry says
This recipe sounds amazing. I do not use coconut milk. Could you recommend a substitute?
Monika says
Try almond milk or soy milk, but reduce the amount as they have a runnier consistency than coconut milk.
Samara Jayen says
A delicious quick n easy recipe with Indian flavours. Served with Basmati rice and Naans a perfect meal. Thankyou for posting
Monika says
You are welcome! Thanks for the feedback:)
SueJ says
Love this recipe! Made some a few weeks ago and it was delicious! Froze half the sauce and ate that tonight, with some freshly prepared tofu. It was even more delicious! This is a complete winner.
Monika says
Really glad to hear it, thank you for letting me know:)
Monali says
This is a winner! I subbed the coconut milk with lower fat milk and it was delicious! The fresh ginger and garlic vs the premade pastes as well as the sauteed tofu makes all the difference . Great recipe!
Monika says
Thank you! I agree that using fresh rather than premade ingredients is important in cooking, makes a difference. Thanks for your feedback:)
Liz says
This was awesome. Thank you for this recipe. I made it tonight for dinner, and it is a keeper! Very good, thank you!
Monika says
So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for letting me know:)
Rosamonde Simone @ KetoBotyToneAvis says
Your recipe of 'petits-pois-tofu-vegan-curry' looks very yummy. Thank you for sharing it.
Monika says
Thank you!
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
Definitely your petits pois tofu vegan-curry is awesomeness! This is a great recipe, as you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely, in fact have made it again since. I found your post from Pinterest! I'm also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing, Monika!
MaryEllen@VNutrition says
This looks so delicious and warming! It took me a minute to figure out what "petits pois" were lol! 🙂
Monika says
Thank you! I didn't want to just call them 'peas' as I didn't actually use garden peas - petits pois are much sweeter. Thanks for stopping by:)
Jac -Tinned Tomatoes (@tinnedtoms) says
That Looks gorgeous and now I've discovered tofoo, I am more keen to eat tofu midweek (no pressing and marinating). Thanks for entering your curry into Meat Free Mondays, I featured your recipe and theroundup is now live, if you would like to see what else was featured this week or just how bonnie your dish looks. Right, now time to do a bit of promotion for this post for you!
Monika says
Thank you so much! I am going over to your blog right now to check out the other recipes and share the linky:)
Christine says
This is just gorgeous, Monika. I'm especially excited to try it because I don't cook with tofu that often. I usually just put it in smoothies!! Thanks for sharing this at Saucy Saturdays.
Monika says
Thanks Christine! I don't cook much with tofu either but I am determined to change that:)
eatsleeds says
This looks awesome 🙂 I never thought to put tofu in a curry, definitely want to give this a go now!
Monika says
Thanks! Hope you like it:)
adventuresofmummyandme says
Ooh this looks super yummy! Adding it to my list of things to try with the little man! We love tofu anyway, so always looking for new ideas on how to use it in food #Freefromfridays
Monika says
Thank you! So glad you like it! I've been making more effort to use tofu instead of meat more often, so there could be more tofu recipes on the way. Thanks for stopping by:)
adventuresofmummyandme says
The best I usually do with tofu is griddled! 😀 Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with x
Monika says
Thanks for the tip:)
Treat and Trick says
This looks absolutely delicious! I need to try it out..
Le Coin de Mel says
I love a quick recipe and a sauce that can be ready in under 15 minutes is a winner in my books! I love garam masala too and always use it in curries. Your recipe really sounds and looks delicious. If it's ok with you, I'll include it in a GF vegan round up I'm putting together for the end of the month. Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays. x
Monika says
Thank you Mel! Yes, please I'd love to be included in the roundup:)
Le Coin de Mel says
Brilliant! Already drafted in. Will let you know when it is live (a couple of weeks from now)
pinkiebag says
Hi, I do love a coconut based curry but I've never tried one with petit pois. I shall be giving this a try. Thanks for sharing, Chloe https://pinkiebag.com/ #Freefromfridays
Monika says
Great! Let me know how you liked it:)