Palak Tofu / Palak Tofu Masala / Fried Tofu in Green Spinach Gravy -- Healthy and Lowfat

Tofu, also called as Bean curd is one the best non-animal protein best suited for vegetarians. Tofu has larger amount of Protein, less fat and low calorie count. I use both Paneer and Tofu in my kitchen equally and try to include Tofu as much as possible. Palak Tofu is one the healthiest side dish i made for my Parathas like Palak Paneer. It has the goodness of both Spinach and Tofu in it. The main reason for making this as a separate post was due to the different preparation I adopted for making the gravy. 

Ingredients

Spinach / Palak - 1 Big Bunch
Extra Firm Tofu - 1 Medium Size Box ( 12 Oz )
Onion - 1/2 Cup ( finely shredded )
Green Chillies - 1 Medium
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Tomato cubes- 1/2 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 Pinch
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 1.5 tbsp

I did not add any cream, milk or butter in this version and its purely a low calorie side dish. If you are specifically making it for kids or for special occasions, generously add 1 tbsp of Butter, little cream on the top of the side dish just before serving. Or if you wish to have a creamy gravy, you can even add 1/2 cup of  full fat milk while making the gravy.

Method

• Wash the spinach leaves and chop them nicely. Keep the other ingredients that are required ready.
• Open the Tofu box and drain the liquid completely. Cut the Tofu into small cubes as shown in the picture and  fry them on a frying pan. Spray the oil on both sides and fry till golden brown on medium heat. Keep it ready.

• In the cooking pan, add oil first. When heated, add cumin seeds, onion, ginger garlic paste next and saute them till the raw smell completely goes off. 
• Next add the tomato and spinach leaves and saute them. You would notice the spinach leaves getting reduced in quantity after they are cooked.
• Add all the powders and mix them well. Saute them again for 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Then add 2 cups of water into the cooking vessel. Add required amount of salt at this stage.
• Using a hand masher or hand blender, directly blend the green gravy in the cooking vessel. While doing this, you could switch off the flame temporarily. Once the blending process is done, you would notice the thick green gravy nicely setting up. 
• Add the fried tofu pieces into the gravy and allow them to cook with the lid on for 2-3 minutes.
• Switch off the flame. Enjoy this healthy side dish with your hot rotis, Parathas. 

Tips / Variations 

• As mentioned above, you can add richness to the gravy by injecting butter,cream or milk. 
• If you don't have the hand blender, use the transfer the contents from the cooking vessel into the regular blender and make the gravy too. 
• In this version, I make the gravy after adding all the spices, spinach, tomato and onion. Also i adopted the direct blending method using the Hand blender which in turn fastens the preparation.