This is a recipe that I’ve been making since I first became a vegetarian, ever so long ago. I originally served the curried tofu and broccoli with bulgur. But bulgur has gluten, so this version uses gluten-free grain, or it can be grain-free if you choose quinoa or buckwheat. Or, if you can eat bulgur, go ahead and use it! In the photo I used half millet and half tri-colored quinoa mix.

The grain and broccoli are mild, studded with flavorful (but not spicy-hot!) nuggets of curried tofu. I make them without spicy heat, but if you prefer spicy, you can use a hot curry powder or add hot sauce to the tofu, or add a little cayenne pepper. Even if you are not a fan of tofu you may find that this is really good!

The curried tofu is my version of a version of a recipe from “Diet for a Small Planet” — a vegetarian classic cookbook that was among the first cookbooks I bought when I first became a vegetarian. I really love that cookbook — it has oodles of recipes that are easy to make, which turn out well and taste good.

There is another version of this tofu posted here on this site as Golden Curried Tofu. For the version in this recipe I have made it easier by baking it instead of cooking it in a frying pan. If you would prefer to cook it in a frying pan, that absolutely does work too!

Anyway, this recipe is fast, easy, and delicious! Definitely worth trying!

Print Recipe

Curried Tofu with Broccoli

I've been making this easy recipe forever. It is delicious and quick! The grain and broccoli are mild, studded with nuggets of flavorful curried tofu amazingness!

Total Time25

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Asian, Indian

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Curried Tofu:

1 package tofu - About 14 to 16 ounces. I like super-firm tofu in this recipe. Firm tofu works fine too.
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder - optional!
1/2 teaspoon turmeric - dried and ground
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme - dried
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry powder - I prefer mild, not spicy, but if you like spicy food you may prefer the spicy kind.
1-2 tablespoons tamari - or soy sauce -- gluten-free if needed
2 tablespoons canola oil - preferably organic

Grain:

3/4 cup Your choice of uncooked grain or a grain-free option: quinoa, millet, rice, bulgur (if you don't need gluten-free), buckwheat groats, etc. - In the picture I used half tri-colored quinoa and half millet

Broccoli:

2-3 cups broccoli - either frozen or fresh
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil - preferably organic!

Instructions

Curried Tofu:

You can cook this in a toaster oven, a regular oven, or a frying pan. If you are using a regular oven, preheat it to 400 degrees.
Cut the tofu into half-inch cubes.
Place the tofu either on a nonstick baking sheet, or on a silicone mat with sides (on top of a baking sheet for support), or in a square silicone pan that has supportive sides. (See the recipe notes if you would like examples!) As long as it is nonstick, there is no need to grease or oil the baking pan.
Bake the tofu for 22 minutes. Or fry it in the oil, in a pan on the stove, turning the tofu occasionally, until most of the sides are turning yellow.
While the tofu is cooking, cook the grain and broccoli, described below.
If you baked the tofu, use a thin spatula or another utensil to loosen all the pieces from the baking sheet.
Add the spices, tamari, and oil. Toss the mixture together until the tofu cubes are well coated with the other ingredients.

Grain:

If you are using quinoa, place it in a fine-mesh strainer and run lots of water through it, to rinse off any bitter saponins that might have formed while it was in the package. (Quinoa tastes much better if you do this!) Optionally, you can rinse other any of the other grains this way too.
Put the grain and water into a small pot. For most of the options you will need 1 1/2 cups of water for 3/4 cup of grain, but check the package instructions in case it says to do something different.
Use high heat to heat the water to boiling, then turn down the temperature to low and let it simmer. When the water is almost absorbed, you can turn the heat entirely off. Cook the grain until the water is absorbed -- about 15 minutes for quinoa, millet, or buckwheat; 45 minutes for brown rice, 20 minutes for white rice, or 12 to 15 minutes for bulgur. If you are cooking rice, please see the recipe notes!

Broccoli:

If you are using fresh broccoli, cut it up into florets and place it into a big microwaveable bowl. If you are using frozen broccoli, put it directly into the bowl.
Add the water, salt, and oil, aiming to distribute each of them so that they dampen most of the broccoli.
Microwave for 1-2 minutes for fresh broccoli, or 4-5 minutes for frozen broccoli.
Stir, to dampen all the broccoli with the liquid in the bowl. If the broccoli isn't fully warm, microwave it for another minute, then check again.

To serve:

You can mix the three components together, or serve them in separate piles. Yum!

Notes

I really like this 13 inch square silicone mat for baking tofu in my toaster oven -- though note that it is a large toaster oven, so you might need to check the dimensions on yours to see if this will fit. It needs a baking sheet underneath it for support.

This 8 inch square silicone brownie pan also works well with this recipe. It is gloriously nonstick and works great for brownies and other baking, too! I like that it has built-in support, so you don't need a baking sheet underneath it. Note that it may be too tall for some toaster ovens, so you would want to check the dimensions to make sure that it will fit. My toaster oven is large and this almost touches the top.

Consumer Reports says that people who are gluten-free get too much arsenic from rice, which increases the risk of cancer. You can reduce the amount of arsenic in your rice by buying rice that was grown in California or another safer region, rinsing the rice in a sieve before cooking it, and using the "pasta method" for cooking it. To cook rice with the "pasta method," put the rinsed rice into a big pot and add about six times as much water as rice. Boil for 20 minutes for white rice or 45 minutes for brown rice. Then drain it in a strainer. As well as reducing arsenic, this is actually an easier way to cook perfect rice every time!

Awesomely yummy, gluten-free, healthy, dairy-free, vegetarian, delicious recipes!

Curried Tofu and Broccoli