Butter Tofu Masala
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Tofu simmered in a richly spiced tomato-cream sauce, inspired by butter chicken. Uses fresh aromatics and bold spices with a creamy finish. Simple tofu prep technique to firm up texture. Vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free. Adaptable with coconut milk or cashew cream substitute. Cooking relies on sensory cues more than strict timers. Ideal for weeknight dinners. Serve with basmati or naan, optionally steamed greens. Tofu browned, sauce pureed and velvety, spices blooming in butter, garnished with fresh cilantro.
Prep:
25 min
Cook:
32 min
Total:
57 min
Servings:
4 to 6 servings
#Indian
#vegetarian
#tofu
#masala
#spiced sauce
#comfort food
#weeknight meal
Butter chicken was one of my first Indian food crushes. Tried tofu instead. Firm tofu can be stubborn but with right prep comes a lovely bite — not fall-apart mush. Sauce, buttery tomato cream, spices toasted carefully, simplifies all the trickier restaurant steps. You want toasted spices smelling like Christmas but not burnt. Patience pays, watch pot edges, bubbles tell you when sauce thickens. Boiling tofu first? Odd but works — firms it up, draws out excess moisture. Crisp up cubes like tiny golden nuggets. Cream splash softens the robust spices but can dull if overdone. Final bits of coriander lift the whole thing — don’t skip. I toss in peas once for green surprise, try if you like. Takes less than an hour total. This method learned over many attempts. No overcooking here — sensory cues rule.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 15 ml fresh ginger grated or minced (1 tbsp)
- 1 ml red chili flakes (1/4 tsp)
- 30 ml unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
- 8 ml sweet smoked paprika (just over 1 1/2 tsp)
- 7 ml garam masala (about 1 1/2 tsp)
- 1 ml ground mace (replace nutmeg, 1/4 tsp)
- 1 can diced tomatoes 398 ml (14 oz)
- 350 ml water (1 1/2 cups)
- 15 ml tomato paste (1 tbsp)
- 180 ml heavy cream 15% or 35% fat
Tofu
- 675 g firm tofu, large cubes (about 1 1/2 lb)
- 15 ml butter (1 tbsp)
- 10 g fresh coriander chopped (1/4 cup)
About the ingredients
On spices: swapping nutmeg for mace offers a lighter, more subtle warmth. Garam masala—buy fresh or make your own if you have it; older mixes dull tastiness. Butter here is mandatory to bring richness and carry spices properly; ghee if you have, better aroma. Cream can be standard cooking cream or full 35% heavy cream — the richer, the creamier sauce, but 15% works fine too. Tomato paste thickens tomato base and adds depth; canned diced tomatoes should be good quality with no added sugar or salt for control. Tofu — firm type, pressed to remove excess water, crucial step before boiling and crisping. Boiling removes some tofu beaniness while firming texture. Fresh coriander minced finely brightens dish. Garlic and ginger fresh, not powdered. Substitutions? Coconut cream for dairy-free, yellow mustard seeds toasted into sauce for an extra zing. If pressed for time, pan-fry tofu straight but expect softer cubes. Onions: yellow or white, chop fine for more flavor release but not mush.
Method
Sauce
- 1. Heat butter gently in wide pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chili flakes. Stir. Softens, smells fragrant, edges starting to brown milky golden. Happens about 5 minutes but trust softness over clock.
- 2. Toss in paprika, garam masala, mace — spices dust the pan. Toast 1 minute until aroma lifts, not burnt. Quick swirl; don’t leave unattended. Burnt means bitter here.
- 3. Add tomatoes with juice, water, tomato paste. Stir vigorously, scrape brown bits from bottom. Bring to rolling boil, large bubbles cracking surface. Then reduce heat to low simmer. Lid slightly askew. Let it bubble quietly 17 minutes. Sauce thickens, darkens, tomatoes break down — poke with spoon, parts should yield easily.
- 4. Off heat now. Grab potato masher or sturdy spoon. Smash sauce gently. Some texture left okay, no need for baby food smoothness. Return pan to low heat, pour cream in slow steady stream. Swirl and stir. Sauce thickens, pearls of butter float and shimmer. Check seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside warm.
Tofu
- 5. Meanwhile, boil salted water in pot. Drop tofu cubes gently. Boil 6 minutes. This step firms tofu, pulls moisture, stops crumble later. Drain well, pat dry on paper towel until surface almost dry but tofu still moist inside.
- 6. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add butter, wait til it foams then subsides. Place tofu cubes, sizzle sharp and distinct. Flip cubes halfway through, golden and lightly crusted all sides. Takes about 8 minutes total. Dry tofu surface required to brown; oil prevents sticking more than actual frying. Be patient, don’t overcrowd pan or cubes sweat.
- 7. Transfer tofu to sauce gently. Stir to coat cubes fully. Simmer 4 minutes just to warm tofu through and marry flavors. Sauce should cling thickly.
- 8. Remove from heat, sprinkle chopped coriander over top. Serve hot with steamed vegetables and basmati rice or warm naan bread, soak up every drop.
- Notes: Used mace for subtler spice, nutmeg can overpower. Cream can be swapped for coconut milk or cashew cream — coconut adds sweetness, use less chili if so. Tofu boiling followed by crisping is a trick learned after mushy disappointments. Sauce texture: not baby food, but no chunky tomato bits either — mash till almost smooth. Watch butter carefully; burnt butter kills sauce sweetness. Fresh coriander for brightness, dried just disappoints.
- Skip the boiling if pressed for time, but textures suffer. If tofu too wet, browning fails. For faster cleanup, use silicone spatula and nonstick ladle. Sauce leftover freezing works if container cooled rapidly.
- Variations include stirring in freshly grated carrot or peas at final simmer for texture contrast. Sometimes add a squeeze of lemon at end for zing; optional but nice if sauce too heavy.
Cooking tips
Open pan, smell butter melting and spices blooming, don’t rush the slow softening of onions—they want to be translucent, tinged pale gold, aroma released. Then toss in spices and hear that gentle crackle, smell the warm perfume; overcook and bitterness sneaks in. Tomatoes and tomato paste added to spiced pan forms base; stir to grab all browned bits stuck to bottom—that’s flavor. Bring up to big bubbling boil, then turn down heat to quiet simmer—small bubbles, slow movement on surface, sauce thickens with time, color deepens to rich brick red. Mash carefully; some texture is desired not a puree. Stir cream in last; it loosens and binds sauce, glossy finish you can see. Boil tofu first —helps with texture but not mandatory, patience if skipping. Remove tofu with slotted spoon, soak briefly on paper towel; this step important to brown in butter properly, dry surface crunches up better. Sizzle tofu in butter, hear that satisfying hiss, flip for even color, golden edges. Don’t overcrowd pan or cubes steam themselves. Dunk tofu into warm sauce, stir gently to not break the cubes. Simmer briefly only — you want it hot, infused, not stewing. Sprinkle fresh coriander at end; that last pop of green and fresh aroma brightens layers of flavor. Serve hot; sauce thick enough to coat rice or naan. Timing is flexible; smell, touch, and sight guide the cook more than stopwatches.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Butter melts and foams first; wait for foam to fade before adding tofu. Browning needs that dry surface — skip boiling and tofu just steams and stays pale. Toss cubes in batches or pan overcrowds, moisture traps, no crust forms. Pat tofu dry on paper towels, repeat if needed. Butter carries spices; strong aromas rise when toasted right. Mace instead of nutmeg — lighter, less punch, subtle warmth without overpowering tomato.
- 💡 On spices: toss them in once onions are soft, translucent, edges gold, not burnt or dark. Crackling sound, slight smoke sign spices blooming. Careful mid-toast swirl, quick minute tops. Burnt means bitterness — worse than no flavor. Tomato paste thickens sauce base; stir well, scrape browned bits stuck on bottom, flavor foundation. Use heavy cream if you want silkier but 15% still works. Coconut milk alternative brings sweetness, dial down chili flakes.
- 💡 Boil tofu first but don’t skip drying well afterwards. Surface must be almost dry for browning. Boiling firms texture, pulls moisture out, prevents crumble later. Soft tofu or skipping this step yields mush, no crunch on frying. Pan hot means butter foaming, not smoking. Place cubes carefully, hear sizzle, doesn’t spit oil or water. Flip when all sides golden. Technique avoids deep fry; oil soft, butter flavor. Patience critical.
- 💡 Sauce finishes in pan off heat. Mash gently, some tomato chunks okay, no baby food puree. Cream poured slowly, swirled in to bind sauce. Butter pearls shimmer on surface, glossy finish. Season last, salt and pepper to taste, check aroma and balance before serving. Coriander chopped just before sprinkle, fresh leaf bright aroma. Dried coriander? Skip, loses brightness.
- 💡 Variation ideas: peas or grated carrot stirred at final simmer for texture contrast. Lemon squeeze adds zing if sauce feels heavy. Skip boiling tofu for fast prep but browning weaker. Leftover sauce freezes well if cooled fast in air-tight container. Use silicone utensils for easy cleanup; nonstick ladle good for sauce serve. Watch butter closely, burnt butter ruins sweetness, patience pays off with aroma and flavor layering.
Common questions
Why boil tofu first?
Firms it up, pulls moisture, avoids crumble when frying. Not mandatory but helps texture. Soft tofu no crisp. Boiling changes beaniness, cooks out rawness. Skip if in hurry but expect softer cubes.
Can I use coconut milk?
Yes, swap cream for coconut milk; sauce sweeter, mellow spices. Reduce chili flakes to balance. Adds richness but flavor shifts. Cashew cream another dairy-free option, thicker, less sweet.
How to avoid bitter burnt spices?
Keep heat medium, quick toast not long. Stir constantly. Once aroma peaks, remove or add liquids fast. Burnt spices taste acrid, ruin sauce base. Use fresh garam masala; old mix dulls flavor.
How to store leftovers?
Refrigerate in sealed container, slows flavor loss. Reheat gently to avoid breaking tofu. Sauce freezes well; cool fully first. Defrost in fridge overnight. Stir before warming to rebind cream and butter.
