All About the Veg! is a biweekly recipe column where Best of Vegan contributor Seiran Sinjari breaks down one amazing plant at a time. In today’s column, she switches things up a little and talks about fruit for a change! Her creamy vegan mango curry recipe is an excellent example of using this fruit’s potential in a savory dish.
This week’s ‘All About the Veg’ is all about the fruit! It’s no wonder that mango, with its characteristic floral fragrance, and sweet, soft, and juicy flesh, is one of the most popular fruits in the world. Nothing beats the first bite of a juicy ripe mango; it’s a joy for all your senses. They’re also full of vitamins and fiber.
Mangoes were first grown in India over 5,000 years ago, so sharing a delicious Indian-style recipe for this week’s column seems fitting. And even though the star ingredient is mango, it’s not a particularly fruity dish.
We’re cooking this creamy vegan mango tofu curry with lots of aromatic Indian spices and creamy coconut milk that complements the sweetness of the mango really well. We’re also adding spinach to get our greens in, and a squeeze of lime will help balance the sweetness. I’m using Kashmiri chili for moderate heat in this recipe, which I find works very well with mango curry. But you can always add more or use other chili powders for more heat.
Before jumping into the recipe, I just want to share a tip on picking a ripe mango. There are so many different varieties of mangoes, so judging ripeness based on color is not always accurate; instead, it’s better to feel the mango. If it’s perfectly ripe, it will give a little. You don’t want it to be too soft or mushy. If it’s hard, it’s not ripe; however, unripe mangoes can ripen if you place them on the kitchen counter for a few days.
This dish is truly a family and friends’ favorite. I love serving it when having guests over, and the feedback is always something like, “this could be served at a restaurant!”. The best part is that it only takes something like 30 minutes to prepare this flavorful dish. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Ingredients
For the curry:
- 1 big ripe mango - peeled and cut into chunks (can be substituted with frozen and thawed mango, but fresh ripe mango is preferred)
- 150 ml water
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 inch ginger - minced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 can - 400 ml unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- salt to taste
- 125 g spinach
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander - roughly chopped
- ½-1 lime - juiced
For the tofu:
- 400 g extra firm tofu - pressed* for 1-4 hours or overnight & drained
- 1 ½ tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- Salt to taste
Top with:
- Coriander leaves - unsweetened vegan yogurt, and nigella seeds
Serve with:
- Basmati rice or Indian naan
Instructions
Tofu:
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 390ºF.
- Cut tofu into cubes or small chunks. Drizzle with oil and then toss with garam masala, turmeric, cornstarch, and salt until well coated.
- Spread out evenly on a lined oven sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Curry:
- Blend mango and water until smooth, and set to the side.
- Add the mango puré, coconut milk, garam masala, and salt, and stir well. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add some water if needed.
- Add spinach, coriander, and lime juice. When spinach is just wilted, add tofu, stir well and adjust seasoning (salt/lime/chili) to taste if needed and then remove from heat.
- Serve with Basmati rice and/or Indian naan and top curry with coriander leaves, vegan yogurt, and nigella seeds.
Notes
Recipe, text, and photography by Seiran Sinjari.
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Thank you for sharing such a delicious-looking recipe! I always struggle to find flavorful tofu dishes. This looks so good! I might even add some chickpeas to mine for extra protein.