Butter chicken or murgh makhani is a firm favourite in many households but this recipe tweaks it to use our plastic-free firm tofu instead of the traditional chicken for a truly zero-waste dish. All the ingredients are available at the Co-op so you only need to buy the amount you need.
The sauce has a tomato base, but is made rich by the addition of coconut yoghurt and butter. The spices are vibrant and the inclusion of a few whole cardamom pods is a genius idea that provides occasional bursts of flavour. The recipe asks you to marinate the tofu for a minimum of two hours or overnight if possible to allow those flavours to really penetrate the tofu. But if you need a quick meal, it’s perfectly ok to move straight on to the next stage!
It’s not a vegan recipe, due to the copious amount of butter included, but could be adapted by using vegan butter alternatives or coconut oil.
We hope you enjoy this zero-waste butter tofu as much as we do!
Serves 4-6 depending on portion size.
(Zero-waste) Ingredients
2 cm piece of ginger, grated (or 1 tbsp ginger paste)
3 garlic cloves, grated
75 g almonds, ground or almond meal
150 ml coconut yoghurt
½ tsp chilli powder / hot paprika powder
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
4 cardamon pods, lightly crushed
400g tin diced tomatoes
1 ¼ tsp salt
600 g zero-waste tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
5 tbsp ghee or butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 Tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves, some reserved for garnish
Method
Mix ginger, garlic, almond in a bowl with yoghurt, chilli powder, cloves, cinnamon, garam masala, cardamon pods, tomato and salt.
Add tofu and stir to coat thoroughly. Cover and marinate, ideally for 2 hours minimum or overnight but you can use immediately as well.
Heat ghee or butter in heavy-based pan, add onion and fry until softened and browning.
Add tofu mixture and fry for 2 minutes. Mix in fresh coriander and allow to simmer for ten minutes. If it starts to look dry, add water or you could add more tomato or coconut yoghurt.
Serve with rice, pearl barley or other grain and garnish with more yogurt and/ or coriander.
And then enjoy your zero-waste meal!