BUTTER ‘CHICKEN’ (WELL ACTUALLY TOFU) CURRY

SERVES 2

PREP 5 MINS COOKING 15 MINS =

TOTAL 20 MINS

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves

3cm (1¼in) piece of ginger, peeled ½ a red chilli, deseeded (or the whole chilli if you like heat)

Light olive oil, for frying

280g (10oz) extra-firm tofu

40g (1½oz) cornflour

Salt and pepper

2tsp smoked paprika

3tsp ground cumin

3tsp garam masala

500ml (18fl oz) passata

1 x 160g tin of coconut cream

3tbsp vegan butter

100ml (3½fl oz) hot water (optional)

TO SERVE

A handful of fresh mint (optional) A handful of fresh coriander

1 x 250g pouch of basmati rice (optional)

½ a lime

A few poppadoms (optional) Mango chutney (optional)

Blitz the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in a food processor until smooth.

Heat some oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli mixture and fry for 5-7 minutes, until everything is golden.

Meanwhile, tear the tofu into pieces with your bare hands and make sure they’re uneven and bite-sized, almost chicken-y. Pop the cornflour in a bowl with a lid, season it with salt and pepper, then chuck in the tofu pieces, close the lid and shake it up.

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat, chuck in that tofu and fry for 5-7 minutes, until the pieces go extra crispy on all their sides.

When the onion paste is cooked, season it, then add the spices. Once the spices go fragrant, pour in the passata and coconut cream and stir in the butter. If there’s still

913 PROTEIN: 24g FAT: 48g some coconut cream on the sides of the tin, spoon it into a small bowl and save it for the end. Season with salt and pepper and then let that bubble away until thickened on a medium heat.

At this point, you may be waiting for things to be done, so I’d go ahead and chop the mint (if using) and coriander for the finishing bit. If you scrunch the herbs into a tight ball, then thinly slice from one end of the ball to the other you end up with lovely diced herbs in no time at all.

Once the tofu is cooked and crispy, chuck that into the curry sauce and stir until the tofu is coated – you should be left with a delicious-looking curry. This process should take 3 or so minutes, but you can add the 100ml hot water, turn the heat down and let it reduce for longer if you’re waiting for your mates to arrive. It’s the right consistency when it looks like the photo.

Cook the rice (if using) in the microwave according to the packet instructions.

Serve the curry with a squeeze of lime and the chopped herbs. Drizzle with the leftover coconut cream from earlier (if there’s any) and give it a final season for good luck. Then eat with the cooked rice and/or poppadoms, with a side of mango chutney if you fancy it.