Instant Pot saag tofu
Golden tofu in a silky, garlicky spinach curry made from frozen spinach and warm spices, a plant-based take on saag paneer that the Instant Pot makes easy.
- 55 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.12 a serving
- 720 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 packages extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 packages frozen chopped spinach
- ½ can coconut milk
- ½ lemon, juiced
From your pantry
- 2¾ cups water, divided
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Each serving has about 720 calories, 36 g protein, 73 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $3.12 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No coconut milk? Light coconut milk works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Wrap both blocks of tofu in a clean towel, side by side, and press them under something heavy for 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Meanwhile, the rice and bring it in a with 2¼ cups water and ¼ teaspoon salt over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on until you serve.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Cut the tofu into 1-inch .
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Set the Instant Pot to , add 2 tablespoons oil, and the tofu in two batches, turning, about 5 minutes a batch, until on a few sides.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: It sticks at first. Wait until a piece lets go on its own before you turn it.Move it to a plate.
Add the rest of the oil and the onion and cook, stirring, 5 minutes, until soft.
Timer: 5 min
Stir in the garlic, ginger, jalapeño, cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric for 1 minute, . Press Cancel.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 1 min
Add the frozen spinach blocks, ½ cup water and 1 teaspoon salt, and scrape the bottom of the pot well.
Dolly’s tip: No need to thaw the spinach. It melts under pressure.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure for 3 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting to let the steam out.
Timer: 3 min
Mash the spinach hard with a potato masher or to break it up, then stir in the coconut milk, lemon juice and tofu. Set to Sauté and 3 minutes, until hot.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Timer: 3 min
Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Taste for salt and spoon over the rice.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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