Have these Indian-style tofu steaks on the table in under 30 minutes!

My vegan take on “steak and chips”

These flavour-packed Lime Pickle Tofu Steaks couldn’t be easier. You need just eight ingredients and half an hour. Easy vegan dinner done and dusted!

How to make Tofu Steaks

The firm tofu block I use is usually rectangular in shape. I simply cut it into 1cm thick “steaks”.

If you want a more obvious steak shape, you can trim around the edges to round the corners off. I don’t bother because it means I can serve and eat everything without any waste.

How to make the lime pickle marinade

It’s no secret that the majority of the flavour in this recipe comes from the lime pickle. I use a good shop-bought version but you can use homemade if you prefer.

What’s in Lime Pickle?

Lime pickle is made with sour lime, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, chilli, oil and salt.

This Indian pickle packs a punch. It’s tangy, warming and deeply flavoursome. A little goes a long way.

In this marinade, I mix my favourite shop-bought lime pickle with both dairy-free yoghurt and chickpea flour to create a paste I can rub on to firm tofu.

Simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and beat. Brush or rub the tofu all over.

Do I have to marinate the tofu for long?

Absolutely not. This is a very forgiving recipe and lime pickle is potent stuff. The tofu steaks will still taste great even if you don’t marinate them. I give them about 10 minutes while I prepare the peppers and onions.

How to serve Lime Pickle Tofu Steaks

Serve these tofu steaks with the roasted peppers and spring onions, chips (French fries) and a simple salad.

What if I want to make this ahead/meal prep?

This is a great dish for meal planning. Prep it up to 3 days in advance. Assemble everything as per the recipe but don’t bake it. Cover the marinated tofu and veggies with cling film. Refrigerate and bake when you’re ready.

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Other recipes you might like

• Paneer Fajita Traybake (Vegetarian)
• Tofu Dopiaza (Vegan)
• Curry Puffs (Vegan)
• Seekh Kebab (Vegan)

Lime Pickle Tofu Steaks recipe

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Lime Pickle Tofu Steaks

Grilled tofu steaks with a hot and sour lime pickle coating. The ultimate vegan "steaks" for spice lovers. Have them on the table in under 30 minutes!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword easy, lime, pickle, tofu

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Equipment

• Large baking tray
• Oven-safe wire rack

Ingredients

• 400 g firm tofu
• 85 g lime pickle I like Ashoka or Pataks
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp dairy-free yoghurt I used soy
• 2 tbsp any cooking oil
• 2 peppers cut into wide strips
• 1 red onion finely sliced
• 5 spring onions cut into large pieces

To serve:

• Chips cooked
• Salad of your choice

Instructions

To prepare the tofu:

• Drain the water from the tofu. Press in a tofu press or between paper towels, place a chopping board on top and a few cans of beans to weigh it down for 20-30 minutes. This will remove excess water.
• Once pressed, slice the block of tofu in half to create your 'steaks'.

To make the lime pickle marinade:

• Place the dairy-free yoghurt in a bowl. Add lime pickle, chickpea flour and oil. Mix well.

To prepare the rest of the dish:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
• Rub the tofu steaks all over with the lime pickle marinade. There's no need to marinate but if you want to, you can let it marinate for 30 minutes or so.
• Tip the peppers and spring onions into any leftover marinade and mix to coat.
• Arrange the vegetables on a large baking tray in which an oven-safe wire rack fits. Place a wire rack on top and brush with a small amount of oil. Lay the tofu steaks on top. The wire rack will ensure everything cooks evenly. If you don't have a wire rack, just place the tofu steaks in the tray with the veggies around them. Flip the tofu half way through the cooking time for even browning.
• Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. There's no need to turn it since we've set it on a wire rack. Finally, give the tofu steaks a quick flash under the grill (broiler) for a chargrilled finish. About 2-3 minutes should do it.
• Serve hot with salad and chips.

Video

Notes

Make ahead

This is a great dish for meal planning. Prep it up to 3 days in advance. Assemble everything as per the recipe but don’t bake it. Cover the marinated tofu and veggies. Refrigerate and bake when you’re ready.

Leftovers

I like to make tofu ‘steak’ sandwiches with any leftovers for a new meal. Slice the reheated tofu into strips and arrange on crusty roll along with the veggies, a slick of mayo and some rocket or watercress.

Pin this recipe for later!

If you like this, you’ll love my Paneer Fajita Traybake recipe

Love Sanjana

The post Lime Pickle Tofu Steaks appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

A new dessert I made this year was this coconut, lime and cardamom cheesecake with exotic flavours galore. It’s a bit of a play on the traditional Diwali favourite, Coconut Barfi or Kopra Pak. Coconut is one of my favourite flavours in a dessert and there’s nothing quite like freshly-grated coconut in cakes, cookies and cheesecakes. I’ve used it as a topping and in the biscuit base for a double coconut hit.

This is an eggless baked cheesecake and the filling is made with a combination of ricotta, cream cheese and lime. It’s gloriously decadent with a hint of sharpness to cut through the richness of the coconutty cream. The edges of the cheesecake caramelise beautifully and the centre rises and falls just a little for a melt-in-the-mouth dessert that’s best served cold.

Start making this cheesecake at least a day ahead to give it time to cool and set properly. You can make it up to three days in advance and keep refrigerated (the base may lose some crunch though) or make and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months.

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Double Coconut, Lime & Cardamom Cheesecake

This is an eggless baked cheesecake and the filling is made with a combination of ricotta, cream cheese and lime. It’s gloriously decadent with a hint of sharpness to cut through the richness of the coconutty cream. The edges of the cheesecake caramelise beautifully and the centre rises and falls just a little for a melt-in-the-mouth dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword baking, cardamom, cheesecake, coconut, eggless, lime

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Chilling time 1 day day

Total Time 1 day day 2 hours hours

Servings 16

Ingredients

For the base:

• 200 g coconut biscuits I use NICE biscuits
• 60 g sweetened desiccated coconut
• 85 g unsalted butter

For the filling:

• 500 g full-fat cream cheese
• 500 g ricotta
• 300 g caster sugar
• 80 ml lime juice
• 300 ml double cream
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 green cardamom pods seeds removed and crushed
• 150 g fresh coconut to decorate

Instructions

• Combine the crushed biscuits, toasted coconut and melted butter and firmly pat it into the bottom of a 24cm springform tin. Make sure it’s even and tightly compacted. Cover and refrigerate.
• For the filling: in a large bowl, beat together all of the ingredients until it becomes thick like softly-whipped cream. Don’t overmix.
• Spoon the mixture on top of the chilled biscuit base. Smooth the top down.
• Place this in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 90 minutes, until golden. Don’t open the oven door at any point during cooking. It will drop the oven temperature and the cause the cheesecake to sink or crack. Once the cooking time is up, switch the oven off and leave the oven door closed until it is cold. The cheesecake will still be very wobbly at this stage. Just leave it in the oven.
• Once the cheesecake has cooled down completely (8+ hours), top with the fresh coconut and cover with cling film. Next, cover and refrigerate the whole cheesecake for 8-10 hours before cutting and serving.

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And said bribery always involved sweets.

Chocolate Limes to be precise. She had a stash of these retro classics stowed away in her top drawer for when you answered a question correctly, or were simply doing something that was out of your comfort zone. Even though it was a single sweet you probably wouldn’t have given a toss about if your nan had offered one up at the weekend, it was the status, power and sense of achievement that came with that limey shell and chocolate middle. It made you feel like you had truly taken a step forward that day.

Don’t even get me started on the time one kid mapped the entire family tree of Henry V111 on the wall and earned himself a tidy SIX Chocolate Limes – one for each deceased wife. The whole class was seething with jealousy.

My point is, it’s always important to reward yourself. Someone I look up to very much once said to me, ‘Don’t be fixated with end goals. Reward your successes every step of the way, recognising the things you’re learning and how they’ll ultimately contribute to a bigger picture. Learn new skills and collect a multitude of new experiences. Consistently accomplish your aspirations, however small.’ This is something I believe can keep us motivated and not overwhelmed by long-term goals.

If I learnt anything in year five, it was that the chocolate limes reward system was the dog’s bollocks and a legit way to make you feel great about achieving something – when you’re ten. Now we’re all grown up, I felt the need to take standard sweets to the next level.

These Lime and Dark Chocolate Melting Moments are incredibly soft and almost Viennese Whirl-like in texture. A combination of flour, icing sugar, butter and cornflour creates the most wonderful melt-in-the-mouth feel. Inspired by those retro Chocolate Lime sweets, the biscuits are packed with lime zest and extract, while the chocolate buttercream filling gives them the most delicious bitter sweetness. Add a smidge of lime marmalade for added indulgence. I’m a life-long advocate of Rowse Shredded Lime Marmalade.

So tell me, what have you achieved today? Whether you saved a life or simply managed to have a great conversation with someone new, treat yourself to one of these Lime and Dark Chocolate Melting Moments. You deserve it.

Lime and Dark Chocolate Melting Moments
Makes 18

Ingredients

For the biscuits:
200g plain flour
200g unsalted butter, softened
40g icing sugar
30g cornflour
Zest of 2 limes
Drop of lime extract (optional)
Drop of green food colour (optional)
Pinch of salt

For the chocolate filling:
120g unsalted butter, softened
90g icing sugar
100g dark chocolate, melted
30g cocoa powder

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C. Line two flat baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

2. Place all the ingredients for the biscuits into a food processor fitted with a rotating blade and switch it on to high. Process until you have a smooth dough that leaves the bowl fairly clean.

3. Place the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large, star-tip piping nozzle and pipe an even number of rosettes or swirls onto the sheets. Try to make sure they’re all a similar size to make sandwiching them together easier later on.

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and continue to beat for 10 minute.

6. Pile the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe onto the biscuits before sandwiching with another, or simply spread the buttercream on with a teaspoon.

Love Sanjana

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So beautiful, yet nigh on impossible without egg whites which somehow, when whipped up, have more volume than Claudia Schiffer’s barnet in a L’Oréal Elnett ad.

Well that’s what I always thought… until now.

The protein in egg whites allows the air bubbles created by lots of whipping to be held. Sugar dissolves into these proteins and bonds with them. The water in sugar helps increases their strength and elasticity, allowing even more air to be trapped and held sturdy. There’s nothing quite like a stiff peak.

Without the strong proteins present in egg whites to kick the meringue process off, all you’re left with is sugar. What can vegans and those who abstain from eating eggs use instead? Fear not, we no longer need to be oblivious to the sheer joy desserts like Eton Mess, French Macarons and Pavlova can bring.

Want to know the most frustrating thing about all of this? The answer has been staring us in the face the whole time.

The secret to replacing egg whites is chickpea water. Nope, I haven’t lost the plot. It really is the water we throw down the drain when we’re making our Channa Masala and Falafel. I almost slapped myself across the face when I found out. Mind. Blown.

I stumbled upon the chickpea water trick through my awesome, creative mum and later, the aquafaba website which was created off the back of a development group of very clever vegans on Facebook. It’s taken the vegan world by storm. From Lemon Meringue Pie to Baked Alaska, this makes almost every meringue-based dessert possible and I can’t wait to try more recipes with it. And share them with you, of course.

BTW, you can’t taste chickpeas in the finished dessert AT ALL. Not one bit.

My first flavour experiments led me to create these very simple Vegan Saffron, Strawberry and Lime Meringue Nests. They’re beautifully-crisp on the outside, slightly spongy and marshmallowy in the middle and they totally melt in your mouth.

The chickpea water is whipped with cream of tartar, saffron and sugar until stiff and glossy. This takes about 8 minutes in a stand mixer. So quick.

Many meringue recipes call for vinegar, lemon juice, or cream of tartar to increase the foam’s acidity, which promotes the growth and stability of a meringue. You can use any of them.

These are then piped onto a baking sheet and baked in a very low oven for a few hours until they’re totally dry and peel away from the paper easily. The key here is patience. Give these beauties time.

While they were baking, I macerated strawberries in lime juice, zest and a touch of icing sugar. To assemble, I filled them with whipped coconut cream and topped with the strawberries. I love strawberry mojitos and these are like a gorgeously-tall glass of iced strawberry mojito in dessert form.

You can use this recipe to make a large pavlova too – just add a teaspoon of cornflour to the meringue mixture and bake for 90 minutes longer.

Watch my YouTube tutorial for how to make these right here. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Vegan Saffron, Strawberry and Lime Meringue Nests
(Makes 18 nests or one super large pavlova)

Ingredients

For the Vegan Meringue:
1 x 400g tin chickpeas in water –not brine or salted water (you can also use other white beans – butter beans also worked for me)
140g icing sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 large pinch of saffron
½ tsp vanilla extract (make sure it’s not oil based!)
Yellow gel food colour (optional) 

For the Strawberries:
600g strawberries
1 lime, juice and zest
1 tbsp icing sugar

For the Whipped Coconut Cream:
2 x 400ml full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
2 tbsp icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 100C. Line three large baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2. Drain the chickpeas and reserve the water. Put the chickpeas in a container and use it to make Channa Masala or Hummus later.

3. Pour the chickpea water into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk attachment. Make sure your bowl is really clean and grease free. Any oil could cause your meringue to deflate.

4. Whisk on a high speed for 4 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat. During this time, add the cream of tartar, vanilla and saffron. Once your meringues have reached a really stiff glossy peak stage, add a little bit of yellow food colour if you like. Whip until evenly incorporated.

5. Fit a piping bag with a large star-tipped nozzle and spoon in your meringue. You might have to do it in batches if it doesn’t fit. Shake to remove any large air pockets.

6. Pipe into nests by piping a 3-inch round spiral base, then pipe two to three circles on top of the outer edge of the base, spiraling upwards to create a ‘nest effect’ on the edge of the meringue.

7. Bake at 100C for 2 ½ hours, then switch the oven off and leave for a further hour. Remove from the oven and gently peel the meringues away from the greaseproof paper. They should be totally dry underneath. Remember, the larger the meringues, the longer they will take to bake.

8. Meanwhile, chop the strawberries any which way you like. Add the lime juice, zest and sugar. Mix and cover with cling film. Chill until later.

9. Open the tins of coconut milk (don’t shake them first) and remove the thick cream from the top. Place it in the bowl of your stand mixer and whip along with the sugar until smooth. Reserve the water for a smoothie tomorrow morning.

10. Assemble the nests with a spoonful of coconut cream, top with strawberries and lime zest. Serve immediately.

The plain meringue nests will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Dig in.

Love Sanjana x

The post Vegan Saffron, Strawberry and Lime Meringue Nests appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

There are some ingredients in Indian cooking which attract gasps and sighs whenever they’re mentioned. Take ghee for example; no, it’s not good for you – but is a tablespoon of ghee in a curry for four really much worse than a dollop of butter on a jacket potato for lunch, or pouring cream over a freshly-baked crumble for dessert?

Taboo ingredients like ghee receive bad press even in Indian households, and with good reason. Although I do have one rule: both biryani and paratha are not complete without ghee. Just don’t eat them every day.

Gettin’ jaggery with it

Jaggery (gor/unrefined cane sugar) is another one of these ingredients. Just like putting too many sugars in your tea, using jaggery in everyday cooking isn’t advisable. However when those hunger pangs hit, the deep, caramel flavour of this sugar is just.so.satisfying and an exciting treat once in a while.

If you can’t find jaggery in the shops, you can substitute it with palm sugar or dark brown sugar. However, if possible, try to bag yourself a block of jaggery – it lasts for ages when wrapped up tightly in cling film.

Have I justified my use of jaggery in this recipe by making a salad dressing out of it? I’m going to say yes, and so will you once you’ve tried this combination of flavours for yourself.

Let me describe it to you. Ribbons of slightly sweet, slightly sour mango and crunchy yellow courgette, a scattering of red onions, fresh coriander and red chillies make up the body of the salad. Next comes the warm sweet and sour jaggery-lime dressing, spiked with black kalonji seeds for a deep, peppery flavour. Toss it all together for a crisp, juicy salad with an Indian twist.

Mango and Courgette Salad with Jaggery-Lime Dressing
Serves 2 as a side

Ingredients:

1 green mango, peeled
1 large yellow courgette
½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 red chilli or 1/2 scotch bonnet, chopped

For the jaggery dressing:

80g jaggery, grated
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp kalonji seeds (nigella)
Pinch sea salt

Method:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave ribbons from both the mango and the courgette. Add the finely chopped onion, fresh coriander and chilli. Toss together.

2. In a small saucepan, lightly toast the kalonji seeds until aromatic. Next, add the grated jaggery, lime juice and salt. Whisk with a fork until smooth and heated through. Allow to cool slightly.

3. Dress the salad just before serving.

Serve with Tandoori Paneer Kebabs and naan. Even if you’re not vegetarian, I promise this will make a unique and exciting side to other barbecued/grilled main dishes.

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I wish we all had three day weekends. One night to recuperate from the long week we just had, one night to party hard and another to recover from the partying – in that order.

Don’t get me wrong, I love work, but three day weekends would make me a very happy bunny indeed. Speaking of bunnies…

In this week’s recipe, grated carrots, swede and sweet potatoes are bound together with nutty chickpea flour and spices to create these light and crispy fritters. Dip them in a spicy coriander and lime chutney and the flavours come alive.

I wanted these fritters to remain a beautiful orange colour, keeping the filling grated and not mashed. In order to do this, I blanched the whole carrots, swede and sweet potatoes for around 6 minutes, refreshed in iced water and then grated them. This way, the vegetables became bright coloured and part-cooked, yet still held their shape.

These would make a great starter as part of an Indian or international menu and are perfect for lunch or impressing dinner party guests. They can be shallow fried, then placed in a low oven for up to 30 minutes until you’re ready to serve them. If you don’t eat onions, omit them – I added them mainly for colour.

If you can’t get hold of swede, you can also try these with courgettes and if you’re feeling indulgent, some grated paneer would taste divine.

Fresh coriander stalks, lime zest and ginger bring beautiful fresh flavours to this dish, which are reflected in the coriander and lime chutney – it’s a fantastic pairing.

Carrot-munching rabbits don’t know what they’ve been missing out on all this time. This is where it’s at.

Carrot and Swede Fritters with Coriander and Lime Chutney
(makes 10-12)

Ingredients for the Carrot and Swede Fritters

240g carrot, peeled (about 2 large carrots)
240g swede, peeled and halved (about 1 small swede)
120g sweet potato, peeled
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander stalks
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp lime juice
2 green chilli, finely chopped
5 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tbsp fine cornmeal
1 tsp cornflour
½ tsp toasted cumin seeds
Pinch bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
Oil to shallow fry

Method

1. Place the whole carrots, halved swede and sweet potato in a pan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Bring to a boil and simmer for 6 minutes. Drain and shock the vegetables in a bowl of iced water.

2. Grate the vegetables and squeeze all the water out of them (this is very important as your mixture cannot be runny).

3. Combine the grated vegetables with all of the ingredients for the fritters and bring together with your hands.

4. Form small fritters with the mixture and place on a cling film lined baking tray. Dust with some fine cornmeal, cover and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

5. Heat about 1cm of oil in a frying pan. Place in a few fritters at a time, trying not to move them around too much. When lightly golden on one side, flip and cook the other side. Use the back of a fork to very gently press and flatten them to create craggy edges which will crisp up. When golden on the other side, place the fritters on a baking tray and put them in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes to cook through.

6. Serve with a coriander and lime chutney and a wedge of lime.

Ingredients for the Coriander and Lime Chutney

80g fresh coriander including stalks
4 hot green chillies
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 ½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 clove garlic

Method

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor to create a fine puree. If you don’t have a food processor (I don’t have one), use a pestle and mortar and some elbow grease to pound it all to a pulp.

When you’re making your chutney, please try not to get any ‘chatta’ (splashes) in your eyes. I don’t want an inbox full of angry emails threatening legal action.

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