I had a brick of extra firm tofu set to expire and I asked my son what I should make for dinner. He suggested butter chicken but with tofu. I happened to have all the ingredients and I honestly do not miss the chicken. We’re all eating this dish for the rich, flavorful sauce anyway, so why not air fry some marinated tofu bits, add in some broccoli to feel better about ourselves and call it good? Because this was GOOD. I took a shortcut and used a butter chicken spice blend I ordered online.

Butter Tofu and Broccoli

Serves 4
Total prep & cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes (or longer if you marinate the tofu longer)

Ingredients:

For the tofu

• 1, 16-ounce block extra-firm tofu
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• Juice from ¼ of a lemon
• 1 ½ teaspoons Fadwa Masala Butter Chicken spice blend
• ½ teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the Butter Sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
• 2 tablespoons Fadwa Masala Butter Chicken spice blend
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ½ cups whipping cream
• 1, 15-ounce can tomato sauce (not seasoned)
• 1 broccoli crown, cut into florets
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Drain the tofu and cut it in half hamburger bun style. Place on a dish towel-lined baking sheet. Cover with another dish towel, place another baking sheet on top, and place a heavy pot on top to press the liquid out of the tofu. Let this sit for 15-30 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the rest of the tofu ingredients in a bowl. After pressing the tofu, break it up into bite-sized pieces. They don’t have to be uniform. Gently mix the tofu into the yogurt mixture till all the pieces are coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

For the butter sauce, heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the garlic and ginger and cook another 6 minutes until everything turns golden. 

In the meantime, heat an air fryer to 385F. Place the tofu in the air fryer tray and spray with cooking spray. Air fry while you continue to prepare the butter sauce, checking on it every so often and turning the pieces. You’ll be air frying for about 15-20 minutes total, just take them out when they are browned to your liking.

Add the chili powder and spice blend, and tomato paste to the onion mixture. Stir for about 2 minutes, mashing everything together. Add the whipping cream and tomato sauce. Turn up the heat to bring to a simmer, then turn to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, bring back to a simmer, turn down heat, cover and cook until broccoli is tender, about 7 minutes.

Add salt, sugar, and butter then gently stir in the tofu. Serve immediately with rice and naan, if desired.