Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for coconut, tomato and saag tofu | The new vegan

I ’ll let you into a secret that every Indian home cook already knows: frozen or tinned spinach makes for the best saag . For a start, there’s not as much water to cook out as there is with fresh spinach, and it breaks down into that gorgeous, oozy-delicious emerald mass more easily than fresh spinach does. Also, there is a general lightening of the human spirit that comes from making something nearly entirely from the freezer or store cupboard (well, it does for me, anyway).

That’s the sort of miracle I appreciate at Christmas time. The first step is to defrost the spinach: either put the bag (with a lipped plate underneath it) in the fridge overnight or take it out of the freezer the morning before you want to cook it. Prep 15 min Cook 1 hr Serves 4 2 280g packs firm tofu , cut into 11⁄2cm x 11⁄2cm pieces – I like Tofoo Fine sea salt 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 4 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 large onion , peeled and finely chopped 5 fat garlic cloves , peeled and minced 3cm x 2cm piece fresh ginger , peeled and finely grated 1-2 green finger chillies , to taste, finely chopped 400 g tin chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato puree 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric 11⁄2 tsp ground cumin 11⁄2 tsp ground coriander 1 kg frozen chopped spinach , defrosted 400ml tin coconut milk Put the tofu, a tablespoon of salt and the vinegar in a heatproof bowl, pour over 600ml boiling water, then stir and put to one side.



Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until soft, shiny and pale gold. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, and cook for three to four minutes, just until the garlic starts to colour and before it catches and burns. Add the tinned tomatoes, cook, stirring occasionally, for seven minutes, until the oil starts to separate, then stir in the tomato puree, turmeric, cumin and coriander.

Add the spinach, stir to mix, then cook, stirring intermittently, for 10 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk, add a teaspoon and three-quarters of salt, and cook for another 15 minutes. Drain the tofu, add it to the spinach pan and cook for five minutes, to warm through.

The spinach should by now be silky, rich, nearly black and homogenous. If it isn’t, keep on cooking it. Taste and check you’re happy with the seasoning, then take off the heat and serve with rice and/or naan or flatbreads.

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