Tofu Tikka with Basil Pesto Sauce

‘Tofu’ is a paneer/cottage cheese-like food that is made from soy beans. It is healthier compared to paneer and tastes equally awesome. It can be substituted in every recipe that uses paneer. I have earlier posted Tofu Bhurji that was a replica of paneer bhurji which was not in any way less delicious than one made with paneer. Today, I am sharing a finger-food tofu recipe that is a perfect party food and which is quick and easy to make. It needs no marination and can be prepared in about 15 minutes. I served the tikkas with basil pesto, since I am a die-hard fan of basil. But, it goes very well with simple ketchup and any chutney like green or mint.

For further variation to the tikkas, you can also stir fry some bell peppers/capsicum and onions and insert them to the toothpicks between tofu as well. The same recipe can be modified into a curry/gravy by adding any gravy of your choice like onion-tomato, makhani/butter, peanut or cashew etc. Enjoy making this versatile recipe and serve it to your loved ones 🙂

For Tofu Tikka:

Tofu – ½ cup (diced into bite-size pieces)

Soy granules/bread crumbs – ¼ cup

Corn flour/corn starch/all-purpose flour/maida – 1 tsp

Water – ¼ cup

Garlic powder – ½ tsp

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – to shallow fry

For Basil Pesto (Blend all the ingredients together to form a smooth paste):

Basil leaves – ¼ cup

Garlic pods – 2-3

Walnuts/pine nuts – 1 tbsp (roughly chopped)

Olive oil – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Pepper – ½ tsp

Procedure:

1. Mix together the soy granules, garlic powder, pepper powder and salt and transfer the mixture to a flat plate. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, add the water to the corn starch, mix well and set aside.
3. Heat oil for shallow frying in a deep kadai/skillet.
4. Dip each piece of tofu in the corn starch solution first and then roll it in the soy granules mixture to coat each piece on all sides.
5. Shallow fry on a medium-low heat until they turn brown and crispy. Transfer to a kitchen towel to remove any excess oil.
6. Serve with basil pesto on the side.

Note:

1. If using soy granules, first blend it into a smooth powder. You may use bread crumbs instead of soy granules. I used soy granules as it is a healthy option.
2. You can bake/grill these instead of shallow fry.
3. If you do not have garlic powder, take garlic paste and add it to the cornstarch solution and mix well.
4. The basil pesto actually takes a lot of oil, but I wanted to avoid it, so added a tbsp of water to make it runny.

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