
Vegan Methi Malai Paneer Tofu
Methi Malai Paneer made vegan with Tofu and Cashews. Tofu and Greens in Creamy Sauce. Easy Weeknight Restaurant style Indian entree. Serve over Naan or rice.
Methi Malai Matar (Greens and peas in creamy white sauce), Methi malai paneer are some Mughlai dishes you might find in some Indian restaurants. The dishes use malai or dairy cream and cheese or other dairy ingredients. Its like a spiced up Spinach dip, with lots of complex flavor!
But this version is free of all that, tastes amazing, and comes together quickly as well. Fresh greenback leaves are a favorite to use in the dish when in season. If you find some then definitely use them fresh, else use dried greenback with greens of choice. Serve with hot garlic Naan or rice/grains or make a bowl with roasted veggies, add to wraps or on a pizza!.
Dried fenugreek (kasuri methi) is available in Indian stores and online on amazon. Definitely get some, as I use it in many recipes, so it will not just get stored and expire :). Fenugreek has an amazing flavor profile, bitter but pleasing. You can use ground mustard + celery seed as a substitute when used in small quantities.
Use Chickpea tofu or chickpeas +veggies to make this soy-free. You can also use vegan almond paneer from my book or Kite hill Original Almond cheese. Add them to the sauce directly without the baking steps. To make this nut-free, use non dairy yogurt or silken tofu.
Tofu is baked with garam masala and nutritonal yeast. You can also add pressed fresh tofu directly for shorter cook time. The sauce is a simple onion cashew tomato sauce with greens and fenugreek leaves. For variations make this Greens/Chard and Peas in Creamy Sauce. We were cooking up greens and peas in creamy sauce every 2-3 days when my family was visiting. It was clearly a favorite.