Vegan mushroom and tofu korma - this delicious vegan korma is rich, creamy and flavourful; it's way better than take out! You can vary the protein and veggies to suit you, making this a meal that everyone will love!
This vegan mushroom and tofu korma is what I cook when we feel like having a fakeaway (a home-made version of a takeaway). It is rich creamy, aromatic and very satisfying.
It consists of baked tofu and button mushrooms in a creamy, mildly spiced sauce. This is not a spicy curry, but it is really full of flavour with a nice balance of spices; and you can always add more chilli if you want it hotter.
What Is Korma?:
Korma is an Indian dish consisting of meat or vegetables in a sauce made with yogurt or cream, stock and spices.
The term korma covers a range of different dishes but this vegan mushroom and tofu korma is a British style korma. In the UK, a korma is typically a mildly spiced dish with a thick, creamy sauce often containing nuts and coconut. Chicken korma is claimed to be the most popular curry in the UK!
While korma recipes often contain non-vegan friendly ingredients such as chicken, cream and yogurt, it is actually a very easy curry to veganise.
British kormas often add ground nuts and/or coconut milk for creaminess anyway, so we can just use those to form the base of the creamy sauce.
In place of chicken I like to use baked tofu as my protein of choice. Mushroom korma is a common variety so I like to add some mushrooms along with the tofu (gotta sneak some veg in there!).
How To Make Vegan Mushroom And Tofu Korma:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
To make the korma sauce, heat some oil in a large pan over a low heat . Add diced brown onion and cook gently, stirring often, for about 10-15 minutes until it is soft and translucent.
Add grated ginger, garlic, tomato puree, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, chilli powder, cardamom and cloves. Cook gently, stirring often, for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add tinned coconut milk, vegetable stock and raw cashews. Bring up to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and again to prevent it from catching on the bottom. Simmering the cashews in the sauce softens them so that you can blend them to a smooth cream.
While the sauce is simmering, toss the diced tofu with ½ Tbsp of oil and spread it out on a lined roasting tin. Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through, until it is golden brown and crisp. (You can fry the tofu in a pan if you prefer).
Heat another ½ Tbsp of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add halved button mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes until they are lightly browned and the excess water has evaporated.
When the sauce is done simmering, transfer it to a blender and blend until it is very smooth. You can add a splash more stock if it is too thick.
Pour the sauce back into the pan and stir in some lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked tofu and mushrooms, simmer for a couple of minutes then serve with rice and naan bread.
Variations:
You can swap the tofu for chicken-style soy protein, seitan or tempeh; and the mushrooms can be swapped for pretty much any vegetable you like.
What To Serve With Vegan Mushroom And Tofu Korma:
This korma goes great with basmati rice and my vegan naan breads. I also like to serve some stir fried broccoli on the side for a bit of greenery.
Can I Freeze It?:
Yes, vegan mushroom and tofu korma freezes well. Allow it to cool to room temperature then place in a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to three months.
More Vegan Curry Recipes:
Red lentil dhal with roasted cauliflower and butternut squash
Chickpea, sweet potato and spinach curry
Easy lemongrass and coconut curry
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Vegan Mushroom And Tofu Korma
Ingredients
Korma Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 large brown onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger (either fresh or from a jar)
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 2 Tbsp tomato puree
- 1 ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp chilli powder (or more, to taste) optional
- the seeds from 5 cardamom pods, ground in a pestle and mortar (or ¼ tsp ground cardamom)
- a pinch ground cloves
- 1 400 ml (14oz) tin of coconut milk (either full fat or light is fine)
- 120 ml (½ cup) vegetable stock (plus extra if needed)
- 75 g (½ cup) raw cashews
- juice of ½ a lemon
- salt and pepper
Extras:
- about 800 g firm tofu* cut into chunks
- 400 g button mushrooms halved
- 1 Tbsp oil, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Line a roasting tin with baking parchment.
- To make the korma sauce, heat the oil in a large pan over a low heat . Add the onion and cook gently, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the ginger, garlic, tomato puree, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, chilli powder, cardamom and cloves. Cook gently, stirring often, for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, stock and cashews. Bring up to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and again to prevent it from catching on the bottom.
- While the sauce is simmering, toss the tofu with ½ Tbsp of oil and spread it out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through, until it is golden brown and crisp. (You can fry the tofu in a pan if you prefer).
- Heat the other ½ Tbsp of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the halved button mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned and the excess water has evaporated.
- When the sauce is done simmering, transfer it to a blender and blend until very smooth. You can add a splash more stock if it is too thick.
- Pour the sauce back into the pan and stir in the lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked tofu and mushrooms, simmer for a couple of minutes then serve with rice and naan bread.
- Leftovers will keep in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of days.
Notes
- *I've given an approximate quantity for the tofu as it often comes in odd weights like 397g. I used two packs of Cauldron tofu. You basically just want to use enough to serve 4 people.
- You can swap the tofu for chicken-style soy protein, seitan or tempeh; and the mushrooms can be swapped for pretty much any vegetable you like.
silvie
i really like your recipes
so clear with the step by step pictures
and yummy dishes!
Etta
Fabulous recipe. It turned out perfectly. Thank you!
Lucy
Perfect receipt, gorgeous Korma!
Susan
OK, you lost me at brown onion. ????
hannahhossack
Hi Susan, just a regular brown skinned onion, white on the inside.
Mel
Best vegan korma I’ve ever tried. Thank you Hannah !!!
Katrina Lloyd-Jones
The best kirma I have tasted in a long time. Well worth taking the time
Bea
I’ve had this korma a few times and it’s a definite keeper that will stay in my repertoire. I now just chuck in whatever veggie I have in the fridge/chickpeas.. it’s always delicious. Thank you for another amazing recipe.
Emily
Great as always! Will be making this for my family as a New Years feast as I loved it when I first made it
Rachael
Can I substitute or just leave the cashews out of the recipe? My husband can not eat cashews or any kind of nuts. The recipe looks amazing. Thank you,
Rachael
rachaellynnaustin@gmail.com
Hannah
Hi Rachael, the cashews help to make the sauce rich and creamy so omitting them would make the korma less delicious! You could try using sunflower seeds instead if your husband can have those?
M S
The best food I have ever made