How do You Make Tofu Delicious? Marinate Them in Indian Spices and Oven Roast Them! This Delicious Tandoori Tofu Appetizers are a Great Starter Recipe to Any Indian Feast.
I bet there have been many times you have stared at a Tofu slab and wondered, “How to cook with tofu?”
Or, my favorite question:
“How do I make tofu taste delicious?”
Well, if you like anything Tandoori, you will LOOOOVE this recipe.
The recipe is easy to make and the spices can easily be found at your local Indian Grocery Store. Also, Amazon sells the spices online, so, you have no excuse!
I am one of those people who love Tandoori food.
Actually, let me be a little more descriptive!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE tandoori food.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. I am Indian which makes me genetically predisposed to liking tandoori food.
My all time favorite is paneer makhani. It goes by many different names like paneer tikka masala or paneer curry, etc. I tend to judge an Indian Restaurant’s worth based on how good their Paneer Makhani Recipe.
I have ordered it at every Indian restaurant I can find and will not step into an Indian restaurant that doesn’t serve it.
As I get older and try to get healthier, I have to cut back on how much paneer I will consume. This is why I came up with my a Tandoori Tofu version.
I didn’t miss the paneer in this recipe and you won’t miss it either!
My tandoori tofu is a vegetarian recipe, but, I also provide vegan options. Coconut cream will take the place of heavy cream and you can use vegan yogurt instead of regular yogurt
If you are in the mood for some curry, I have a sweet potato curry recipe that you have to try. There is also a corn on the cob curry and a Watermelon curry! Which one is your favorite?
Use this grilled tofu in a wrap recipe, like my tofu wrap. Grilled tofu tastes soooo very good.
You can choose to mix any vegetables with the tofu. Cauliflower, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, even small cabbage cubes will work great with this recipe. The sky is your limit!
I don’t have a tandoori oven, so, I had to make do with my regular oven. If you have a tandoori oven, use that and know that I am very jealous of you!
So, do you have a favorite way to make tofu?
Version 1 of this recipe
Did you do a double take?
Occasionally, I will revisit previous recipes and do a makeover on them. You probably came to this page based on this photo. It was made with vegan mayo. However, I decided to revamp the recipe and bring you the new version you see above. I think you will like.
Need a side dish to go with your Tandoor Tofu? Serve up these easy Roasted Chick Peas for a great Indian side dish!
How To Make Tandoori Tofu Skewers
Tandoori Tofu Skewers (Spicy)
Ingredients
To Make The Marinade:
- 1½ cup Yogurt Use whole milk, plain yogurt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tofu block Extra Firm, Pressed and cubed
- 1 plum tomato pureed
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp ajwan seeds adjust to your taste
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp red chili powder adjust to your taste
- 1 tsp salt adjust to your taste
- 1½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Soak 6 bamboo skewers in warm water for 10 minutes
Prepare the tofu
- Remove the tofu from the water and shake off all the extra water
- Weigh it down for 15 minutes to remove all the water
- Discard any water and cut tofu into 1″ cubes
Make The Marinade
- In a mixing bowl, add the yogurt, pureed tomato and water. Mix well
- Add all the spices for the marinade and set aside
- Add the tofu to the marinade and mix gently
- Allow the tofu to marinade at least 30min. Marinate it overnight, if possible
Making the Tandoori Tofu Skewers
- Take one skewer and spray with veggie spray (optional)
- Skewer each bamboo stick with 4 tofu cubes.
- Lightly spray a baking tray with veggie oil
- Place the tofu skewers on the tray. Keep about ½" distance between each
- Brush some of the marinade on the skewers and place the baking sheet in the oven
- After 10 minutes, flip the skewers and baste. Bake for 10 minutes or until brown
- Remove from the oven and allow the skewers to cool for 5 minutes
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
YUM’d! This looks delicious.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Lorelai. I am heading there right now.
Shonda says
I’ve never thought of tofu as tempting but your photos really bring it to life. This looks delish.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Shonda. Tofu took me a while too, but, now I make it multiple times a week.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
The flavours in these sound absolutely yummy – bet they’d be great cooked on a grill too.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Becca. If I had access to a grill, these tofu would be grilled! They taste so much better when grilled. I love the smokey flavor that comes with grilling it.
Cindy @ Hun... What's for Dinner? says
These skewers look great! Those tandoori flavours are so delicious.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Cindy
Nettie says
Gorgeous photos looks yummy! Nettie
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Nettie.
Lois Jones says
I love using Indian spices in our food. They add so much flavor and interest to what you are eating.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Lois. There is so much aromatic and healing properties in Indian spices. I love every one of them.
Tara says
Great idea to spice up tofu and then to grill it, genius!!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Tara.
Joanne T Ferguson says
I love this recipe Rini and while I am not a big fan of tofu, I have had something similar to this with Mediterranean spices! This looks delicious! Pinned and shared!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Joanne. This recipe will start you on your way to loving Tofu.
Josie - Eat Thrive Glow says
Love this idea of making tandoori tofu skewers! It’s been so long since I’ve had anything tandoori, will definitely try this recipe 🙂
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Josie.
Debra @ Bowl Me Over says
What a delicious combination of warm spices, looks amazing Rini – love the drama in the blog too. 😀
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Debra. What is life without drama, right?
Rocio Chavez (@yoursassyself) says
OMG this looks amazing! I’m always surprised at how yummy tofu can be when seasoned correctly. Gotta add to my skewer recipes these summer 😀
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Rocio. Tofu was an acquired taste for me too, but, now I love it. You are right in saying that the seasoning is the best strategy.
LydiaF says
Wise to only make half the block of tofu. I think baking it is my favorite way to prepare it and with your marinade the entire thing would have been eaten in no time!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Lydia. I love baking tofu.
Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets) says
What a beautiful skewer recipe. I love the idea of tofu on the grill. I bet it gets nice and crispy.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Sandi
tara pittman says
I love tofu. I need to make this sauce as it sounds so yummy.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Tara
Meagan says
This is awesome and looks so tasty! I actually really enjoy tofu and these kabobs wonderful. I’m excited to try them out. Any tips on how to keep your veggies warm while the rest of the dinner is cooking?
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Meagan. I like to leave them in the oven after they have turned off. This way, they stay warm while I finish the rest of the dinner. If the oven is not hot, set it a low 100 degrees and then turn it off. Keep the veggies in the oven.
Kerrie McLoughlin says
What a great recipe! Something different for my family. Thanks for sharing!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Kerrie.
Manila Spoon says
What a great and delicious idea this is Rini! So perfect for summer! Shared the love around. 🙂
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Abigail
[email protected] says
Rini, your recipe looks flavorful, love your spice combo. I love Tandoori spice but I haven’t tried it with tofu as yet. Thanks for your recipe!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Michelle.
Sara says
I love tandoori too! We’ve been doing a lot of grilling lately so I’ll try this soon.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Sara
[email protected] says
I love the idea of grilled tofu and I really love tandoori so this is my kind of recipe.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Janette.