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5 from 14 votes

Shahi Tofu Kofta Casserole

This Shahi Tofu Kofta curry is made in just 1 Casserole dish! The koftas are baked in the dish then sauce is baked along. Decadent and delicious. Juicy, flavorful tofu kofta in a creamy dairy-free tomato sauce. Gluten-free Soyfree Nutfree options included.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: indian kofta curry, shahi kofta, vegan kofta
Servings: 4
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Kofta balls:

  • 14 ounce extra firm or firm tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes ,remove as much moisture as possible
  • 1/4 cup almond flour or use 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1/3 cup vegan mozzarella cheese , you can omit this and add a tbsp of nutritional yeast
  • 1/3 cup breadcrumbs or a mix of breadcrumbs and all purpose flour, less or more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons chopped raisins, optional

For the sauce:

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 green cardamom pods opened slightly
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or Indian red chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, optional but recommended
  • 12 ounces of tomato purée or unseasoned tomato sauce
  • 1 cup cashew milk (1/3 cup raw cashews blended with 1 cup of water or use 1 1/4 cup of full fat coconut milk for Nutfree)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • cilantro for garnish and/or additional vegan cream such as cashew cream or coconut milk for garnish.

Instructions

  • Make the koftas: Press the tofu if you haven't already. Then crumble it up in a bowl. Crumble really well because large pieces of tofu will make the koftas fragile.
  • Add in the rest of the ingredients. Then press and mix in with a fork. Use a 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop or cookie scoop and scoop the mixture and press to pack tightly. or use hands to make a ball( adjust the mix with more breadcrumbs or flour if needed )
  • Line a large baking dish 10 x 13 inches or similar size with parchment. Scoop the tofu koftas and release on to the parchment lined baking dish. (You can also grease the baking dish and use but I find that parchment is a better option for the koftas to quickly release from the bottom.)
  • Brush the koftas with a little bit of oil then bake at 400 degrees F( 205 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prep your sauce ingredients and set aside. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Move the koftas to one side of the baking dish, remove the parchment.
  • Add oil to the other side of the baking dish. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, all the whole spices, all the ground spices and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix.
  • Even it out with a spatula. Put it back into the oven for baking for 15 minutes.
  • Check at 12-14 minutes to see if the onion is golden enough or continue to bake for another 5 or so minutes. The onion should not look raw.
  • Remove the dish from the oven and add the tomato puree, cashew milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mix into the onion mixture. Then carefully move koftas the into the sauce mixture and spread them out so that the sauce and koftas distributed well in the baking dish.
  • Use a spoon to drizzle some of that sauce over the koftas then put it back to bake. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce comes to a good boil. Then take the dish out of the oven. Garnish with cilantro and and a sprinkle of garam masala and serve.
  • You can also add a drizzle of your remaining coconut milk or cashew milk for garnish.
    Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. Make the Kofta and or sauce ahead and use within 3 days

Video

Notes

  • Soyfree, use the kofta from my Malai kofta recipe which use chickpeas and potatoes as a base.
  • Nutfree, use full fat coconut milk instead of cashew milk in the sauce ,   use bread crumbs instead of almond flour in the kofta balls.
  • Glutenfree, use Glutenfree breadcrumbs or a mix 2 tbsp rice flour, 2 tbsp tapioca starch. Use more starch if Kofta mixture needs it
  • No Onion garlic: Use peeled zucchini or fennel instead of onion, and 1/2 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi) or 1/8 teaspoon asafetida( hing) instead of garlic. 
  • Oilfree: use parchment to bake the Kofta balls. Sauté the onion and whole spices in broth in a skillet then add to the casserole with the rest of the ingredients and bake as written.
  • Stovetop Sauce: bake the koftas. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and the whole spices and cook until fragrant. Then add the onion ginger garlic and ground spices and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook until golden. Then add the rest and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and simmer for a 5 mins. Then add the Kofta balls and gently move them in the sauce and drizzle sauce over. Cover and cook for 2-3 mins and take off heat. Let sit for another few mins then serve 

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 698mg | Potassium: 484mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 481IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 4mg