This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This Shahi Tofu Kofta curry is made in just 1 Casserole dish! The koftas are baked in the dish then sauce is baked along. Decadent and delicious. Juicy, flavorful tofu kofta in a creamy dairy-free tomato sauce. Gluten-free Soyfree Nutfree options included.
Shahi Tofu Kofta – that juicy tofu balls simmered in a rich and creamy, aromatic tomato cashew sauce! YUM! And all made in a casserole dish. No frying the Kofta needed and no multiple pans to make the sauce and the Kofta balls and all that,
There are several kinds of Kofta curries in Indian cuisine. Some use paneer cheese and potatoes like Malai kofta (here is the vegan version) some use shredded veggies like this Gobi Kofta, lauki(squash) kofta, and cabbage kofta from my first book. Others use lentils.
The shahi or royal koftas usually use paneer cheese and or mawa(milk solids). Shahi dishes are usually richer and more decadent versions. For a vegan shahi Kofta I am using tofu and some nut flour as substitutes for paneer and mawa. The spices and herbs and binding add more texture and flavor. These are soft cheesy kofta balls with a luxurious sauce. You can air fry them. They will likely fall apart on deep frying.
I add some vegan cheese for binding the mix together and for the more dairy cheese like flavor. Some aromatic spices and breadcrumbs seal the deal. To make the process simpler, I bake the whole dish as a casserole!
It’s so simple! I use a cookie scoop to portion out the kofta batter, bake them and also bake the aromatics for the sauce in the same casserole dish. Once the base of the casserole is baked, I add in the sauce ingredients, bake everything once again and you are done. Serve this decadent kofta curry with Naan or roti or rice.
why you will love this Kofta casserole
- it is super delicious
- it is high protein with all the tofu
- it can be made gluten-free and Nutfree
- for Soyfree, use Kofta balls from my Malai Kofta that use chickpeas and potato
- everything bakes in 1 Casserole!
- Bake the Kofta, then bake the aromatics, then add sauce ingredients and bake everything together and done. Easy!
More delicious dinner recipes with tofu
Vegan Stuffed Shells with Tofu Spinach Ricotta
Khada Masala Murg Curry with Baked Tofu
Miso Chili Garlic Tofu Sandwich
Tofu Tikka Masala (no onion no garlic)
Sweet Sour Tofu Veggie Stir Fry
Tofu Vindaloo Recipe (Indian Tangy Chili Sauce)
Shahi Tofu Kofta Casserole
Ingredients
For the Kofta balls:
- 14 ounce extra firm or firm tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes, ,remove as much moisture as possible
- 1/4 cup almond flour or use 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/3 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, , you can omit this and add a tbsp of nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs or a mix of breadcrumbs and all purpose flour, , less or more as needed
- 2 teaspoons chopped raisins,, optional
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 green cardamom pods opened slightly
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or Indian red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, , optional but recommended
- 12 ounces of tomato purée or unseasoned tomato sauce
- 1 cup cashew milk, (1/3 cup raw cashews blended with 1 cup of water or use 1 1/4 cup of full fat coconut milk for Nutfree)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- cilantro for garnish and/or additional vegan cream such as cashew cream or coconut milk for garnish.
Instructions
- Make the koftas: Press the tofu if you haven't already. Then crumble it up in a bowl. Crumble really well because large pieces of tofu will make the koftas fragile.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients. Then press and mix in with a fork. Use a 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop or cookie scoop and scoop the mixture and press to pack tightly. or use hands to make a ball( adjust the mix with more breadcrumbs or flour if needed )
- Line a large baking dish 10 x 13 inches or similar size with parchment. Scoop the tofu koftas and release on to the parchment lined baking dish. (You can also grease the baking dish and use but I find that parchment is a better option for the koftas to quickly release from the bottom.)
- Brush the koftas with a little bit of oil then bake at 400 degrees F( 205 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep your sauce ingredients and set aside. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Move the koftas to one side of the baking dish, remove the parchment.
- Add oil to the other side of the baking dish. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, all the whole spices, all the ground spices and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix.
- Even it out with a spatula. Put it back into the oven for baking for 15 minutes.
- Check at 12-14 minutes to see if the onion is golden enough or continue to bake for another 5 or so minutes. The onion should not look raw.
- Remove the dish from the oven and add the tomato puree, cashew milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mix into the onion mixture. Then carefully move koftas the into the sauce mixture and spread them out so that the sauce and koftas distributed well in the baking dish.
- Use a spoon to drizzle some of that sauce over the koftas then put it back to bake. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce comes to a good boil. Then take the dish out of the oven. Garnish with cilantro and and a sprinkle of garam masala and serve.
- You can also add a drizzle of your remaining coconut milk or cashew milk for garnish. Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. Make the Kofta and or sauce ahead and use within 3 days
Video
Notes
- Soyfree, use the kofta from my Malai kofta recipe which use chickpeas and potatoes as a base.
- Nutfree, use full fat coconut milk instead of cashew milk in the sauce , use bread crumbs instead of almond flour in the kofta balls.
- Glutenfree, use Glutenfree breadcrumbs or a mix 2 tbsp rice flour, 2 tbsp tapioca starch. Use more starch if Kofta mixture needs it
- No Onion garlic: Use peeled zucchini or fennel instead of onion, and 1/2 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi) or 1/8 teaspoon asafetida( hing) instead of garlic.
- Oilfree: use parchment to bake the Kofta balls. Sauté the onion and whole spices in broth in a skillet then add to the casserole with the rest of the ingredients and bake as written.
- Stovetop Sauce: bake the koftas. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and the whole spices and cook until fragrant. Then add the onion ginger garlic and ground spices and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook until golden. Then add the rest and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and simmer for a 5 mins. Then add the Kofta balls and gently move them in the sauce and drizzle sauce over. Cover and cook for 2-3 mins and take off heat. Let sit for another few mins then serve
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- for the koftas we need extra firm or firm tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes
- some almond flour adds texture
- to bind the kofta ingredients together, you need all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs. You can use gluten-free.
- the koftas are seasoned with garlic powder, nutritional yeast, pepper,garam masala, and ginger
- as we use tofu as a cheese substitute, we need to make up for the lack of cheesiness by adding some vegan mozzarella cheese and nutritional yeast
- For the Indian creamy tomato sauce, we saute onion, garlic, and ginger
- as spices for the sauce, we use bay leaves, whole cloves, green cardamom pods, coriander, cardamom, cayenne or Indian red chili powder, ground cumin, garam masala, and dried fenugreek leaves
- tomato purée or unseasoned tomato sauce add body to the sauce
- cashew milk makes the sauce creamy – you can make it yourself by blending cashews with one cup of water. Use coconut milk for nutfree
- cilantro for garnish – always
Tips:
- To make this without soy, use the balls from my Malai kofta recipe which use chickpeas and potatoes as a base.
- To make this without nuts, use coconut milk instead of cashew milk in the sauce and use bread crumbs instead of almond flour in the kofta balls.
How to make Shahi Tofu Kofta Casserole:
Make the koftas: Press the tofu if you haven’t already. Then crumble it up in a bowl. Crumble really well because large pieces of tofu will make the koftas fragile.
Add in the rest of the ingredients. Then press and mix in with a fork. Use a 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop or cookie scoop and scoop the mixture and press to pack tightly.
Line a large baking dish 10 x 13 inches or similar size with parchment. Scoop the tofu koftas and release on to the parchment-lined baking dish. (You can also grease the baking dish and use but I find that parchment is a better option for the koftas to quickly release from the bottom.)
Brush the koftas with a little bit of oil then bake at 400 degrees F( 205 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prep your sauce ingredients and set aside. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Move the koftas to one side of the baking dish, remove the parchment.
Add oil to the other side of the baking dish. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, all the whole spices, all the ground spices and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix.
Even it out with a spatula. Put it back into the oven for baking for 15 minutes.
Check at 12-14 minutes to see if the onion is golden enough or continue to bake for another 5 or so minutes. The onion should not look raw.
Remove the dish from the oven and add the tomato puree, cashew milk(reserve 1-2 tbsp for garnish), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mix into the onion mixture. Then carefully move koftas the into the sauce mixture and spread them out so that the sauce and koftas are distributed well in the baking dish.
Use a spoon to drizzle some of that sauce over the koftas then put it back to bake. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce comes to a good boil. Then take the dish out of the oven. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
You can also add a drizzle of your remaining coconut milk or reserve a tablespoon or so of the cashew milk from when you make it and then drizzle at this point.
Garnish with cilantro and some garam masala. Serve with Naan or rice or flatbread.
Storage:
Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. These koftas might not freeze as they will get fragile on thawing and reheating.
Make ahead: make the Kofta ahead and refrigerate. You can make the sauce separately in the baking dish or on a skillet and combine and heat when needed
So good!!! Luckly I made a double patch ❤️
Hi Richa,
I would like to substitute the cardamom, fenugreek and clove by grounded sinces . What is the measurement for the substitution ?
1/4 tsp fenugreek powder, 1/8 tsp clove and 1/2 tsp cardamom
Amazing recipe!! I had a reallllyyy tough time getting the balls to be in ball shape, but I realize now I might’ve needed a bit more breadcrumbs? Either way, it was amazingly delicious even if a few fell apart! Seriously, so so good. One of the best recipes I’ve ever made!
thank you! this is so kind. yes, add a bit more of the breadcrumbs if you need to.