Butternut & Tofu Harissa Stew
This super flavorful tofu harissa stew is packed full of butternut and smoked tofu! It's super creamy and delicious and is perfect for warming you up in the cold weather!
Lately, I am on the harissa cooking train! I am obsessed with that spice mixture and add it - more or less generously - to every dish I can think of. There's something about harissa that tastes just so absolutely perfect to me. Maybe you saw my recipe for Harissa Chicken Thighs this month? If you haven't tried it yet, you really should! And if you're looking for a vegetarian dish using harissa, I've got you covered with this one!
In case you're not familiar with harissa yet, it's a delicious spice blend from North Africa based on smoked chili peppers. The one I use all the time consists of cumin, salt, smoked chili peppers, paprika, garlic and coriander. I know you can get both harissa paste and powder but I prefer using the powder. Have you used either paste or powder before? Which one do you prefer?
A few weeks ago I started cooking with tofu again after a very long break. I realized some years back that I was intolerant to soy products which hit me very hard. Coming from eating soy products of all kinds almost every day, I had to find alternatives and in some cases didn't really succeed. I mean, we used to have at least three different kinds of soy sauce at home (light, dark and sweet), sometimes even four. To not being able to use that anymore all of a sudden was really hard.
But a while back I figured out through trial and error that while I still can't manage soy sauce (booo!), I am at least ok with tofu! Imagine my joy because I really love tofu in all forms! Smoked tofu is one of my favorite kinds so I wanted to make a delicious dish using it to celebrate being able to eat it again!
This is exactly that dish for me! It's creamy, spicy, so flavorful and easy to make. It's also particularly great for this season because we can only get butternut squash in the fall/winter season. And it's another one of those dishes that scream comfort food! Pair it with rice, cauliflower rice or a naan like bread and top it with lots of fresh coriander (if you are, like me, a fan)!
Will you make this for dinner soon? Or how about my Asian Konjac Noodle Stir-Fry?
This super flavorful tofu harissa stew is packed full of butternut and smoked tofu! It's super creamy and delicious and is perfect for warming you up in the cold weather!
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons harissa powder
- 1 block of smoked tofu (200g / 0.44 pounds)
- 1/2 butternut squash (650g / 1.4 pounds)
- 1/8 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- fresh coriander (chopped)
Peel and chop garlic cloves.
Heat up 1 tsp of olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add harissa powder and stir. Fry for 1 minute.
Cut the smoked tofu into cubes and add into the pan together with another 1 tsp of olive oil. Mix everything and fry for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Peel and cut the butternut into cubes (I cut mine into cubes about the same size as the tofu). Add to the tofu and fry for another 5 minutes. Then add tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes.
Add water and salt. Mix and bring to a boil, then reduce the temperature to low-medium and let simmer for 40 minutes.
Add coconut milk and let simmer for 5 more minutes. Top with fresh coriander and serve with rice. Enjoy!
