Restaurant-style vegan saag paneer with tofu paneer, including both Instant Pot and stovetop instructions. This dairy-free spinach palak tofu curry is creamy, spicy and rich, using cashew cream instead of heavy cream (no coconut milk).
Soak cashews in boiling hot water for 15 minutes. Then, drain and rinse cashews.
Add the soaked, drained cashews to a high speed blender, along with cool water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and salt. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
Bake your tofu "paneer" cubes
Preheat oven to 400F. Bake cubed tofu on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for 20 minutes, until it is just browning on the outside. (To prepare tofu in air fryer: 400F for 9 minutes. To prepare tofu on stove: pan fry in a non-stick skillet until lightly browned, turning so all sides brown a little and the tofu firms up.) Remove from oven and set aside.
Stovetop Instructions to make the curry
Heat a stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat, then add whole cumin seeds. Dry roast the cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes, , stirring frequently so they don't burn, until fragrant.
Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric and cayenne and cook for 3 minutes.
Add almond milk and stir to deglaze pan.
Stir in spinach, cashew cream, salt and pepper and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Optional, but highly recommended step: At this point, you can puree some or all of your saag with an immersion blender to achieve the consistency you want. I recommend that you process it a little bit, but don't completely puree it. This way you still have some texture to the dish. (Or, transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until you reach the desired consistency. The immersion blender is much easier, if you have one.)
Stir in baked tofu, then remove from heat and enjoy!
Serve over basmati rice with extra cashew cream.
Instant Pot Instructions to make the curry
Turn on "Saute" function on Instant Pot. Add cumin seeds and dry roast 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently so they don't burn, until fragrant.
Add onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add tomatoes, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric and cayenne and cook for 3 minutes.
Add almond milk and stir to deglaze pan. Stir in spinach, cashew cream, salt and pepper.
Turn off saute function by pressing "Cancel". Lock lid in place, with vent closed (set to "Sealing). Cook on Manual Pressure for 5 minutes.
Quick release pressure by carefully turning vent with a wooden spoon to "Venting", so the steam escapes.
Optional, but highly recommended step: At this point, you can puree some or all of your saag with an immersion blender to achieve the consistency you want. I recommend that you process it a little bit, but don't completely puree it. This way you still have some texture to the dish. (Or, transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until you reach the desired consistency. The immersion blender is much easier, if you have one.)
Stir in baked tofu. Serve over basmati rice with extra cashew cream.