Braised Tofu with Chickpeas, Kale, and Tahini
Thick slabs of seared tofu simmered in a cinnamon and cumin tomato broth with chickpeas and kale, swirled with tahini and lemon just before it comes to the table.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
It is dark outside at seven in the morning and breakfast should still feel like a meal somebody cooked. It braises for twenty minutes with the lid ajar, which is exactly enough time to do something else in the kitchen, and the tofu comes out completely changed. Slabs rather than cubes is deliberate: a thick piece has enough interior to stay soft while its browned faces hold on, so you get two textures in one bite. It feeds four generously and it is the sort of thing you can leave on the back of the stove for latecomers.
The flavor is built in layers and none of them takes long. The tofu is seared first and set aside, so the pot has a browned base to build on. Onion softens in that fat, the garlic and the dry spices follow and get their minute in the oil, and the cinnamon is the one to watch, since half a teaspoon is warm and lovely and a full teaspoon turns the pot into a dessert. Tomato and broth go in, the tofu goes back, and everything simmers gently. Kale is stirred in for the last five minutes, and the tahini and lemon go in with the burner off so neither one splits or turns bitter.
It eats deep, sweet-savory, and a little sour, and the tahini gives the broth a body it would not otherwise have. I like it in shallow bowls with a lemon wedge and more parsley than looks sensible, and everyone ends up tipping the bowl to get the last of the broth. There is enough tofu and chickpea in a serving that it holds you well past the middle of the morning, and it is even better the next day, when the slabs have sat overnight in the broth and taken up all of it.
Ingredients
- 21 oz firm tofu, drained, pressed 20 minutes, and cut into 3/4-inch slabs
- 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 bunch lacinato kale (about 7 oz), stems removed and leaves torn
- 1 1/4 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp tahini, well stirred
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp), plus wedges to serve
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Press and sear the tofu: Press the drained tofu between towels under a weight for 20 minutes, then cut it into 3/4-inch slabs and pat the faces dry. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a wide Dutch oven over medium-high and sear the slabs in one layer, three to four minutes a side, until both faces are golden and release easily from the pot. Move them to a plate.
- Soften the onion: Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining oil and the sliced onion with the salt, and cook for six to seven minutes, scraping up the browned bits the tofu left. You want the onion fully limp and just beginning to color at the edges rather than crisp.
- Bloom the spices: Add the sliced garlic and cook one minute, then add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and paprika and stir constantly for 45 seconds. The pot will smell sweet and warm and the oil will go red. If it starts to catch, add a splash of the broth right away.
- Build the braise: Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the broth, stir, and bring to a simmer. Add the chickpeas and tuck the seared tofu slabs back in so they are about two thirds submerged. Set the lid on ajar and simmer gently for 18 to 20 minutes, until the broth has thickened enough to coat a spoon and the tofu has darkened with the sauce.
- Add the kale: Stir the torn kale into the broth around the tofu, pushing it under the surface. Cover and cook five minutes more, until the leaves are deep green and tender but have not gone gray. Taste the broth and adjust the salt.
- Finish with tahini and lemon: Take the pot off the heat. Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice and about three tablespoons of the hot broth in a small bowl until it turns pale and smooth, then pour it back into the pot and stir gently so the tofu stays whole. Scatter the parsley over the top and serve with lemon wedges.
Variations
- Preserved lemon: Stir a tablespoon of chopped preserved lemon rind in with the tahini for a sharper, more perfumed finish.
- Harissa heat: Add a tablespoon of harissa paste with the tomatoes for a pot with real chile heat running under the cinnamon.
- Tempeh braise: Swap the tofu for thick-sliced tempeh, seared the same way, for a firmer and nuttier pot that holds its shape even longer.
- Roasted red pepper: Add a cup of sliced roasted red peppers with the chickpeas for extra sweetness and a rounder broth.
- Herb heavy: Finish with a full cup of chopped parsley, mint, and dill together for a bright green lift against the warm spice.
Storage & Leftovers
Sealed in the refrigerator this keeps four days and it is genuinely better on the second morning. The tofu slabs sit in the broth overnight and take it all the way to the center, so what was two textures becomes one soft, deeply flavored one. The broth thickens as it chills and loosens again the moment it is warm.
Reheat it gently in a covered pot over low heat with a splash of water or broth, eight to ten minutes, stirring once carefully so the slabs stay intact. Do not let it boil hard, since tahini can separate and go grainy if it is pushed. A fresh squeeze of lemon and new parsley bring it right back.
It freezes for up to three months, though the tofu comes back spongier than it started, which suits a braise better than it suits anything crisp. Freeze it in flat sealed portions, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat slowly. Stir in an extra spoonful of tahini loosened with lemon after reheating to bring the body back.
Notes & Tips
- Slabs, not cubes: A 3/4-inch slab has enough middle to stay soft while the seared faces hold. Small cubes go uniform and slightly rubbery in a braise this long.
- Dry the faces before searing: Pressed tofu still carries surface water. A minute with a towel is the difference between a golden face and a pale one that sticks.
- Lid ajar: Fully covered, nothing reduces and the broth stays thin. Fully open, it reduces too far in twenty minutes. Ajar is the setting.
- Loosen the tahini first: Whisked with lemon and a little hot broth it goes smooth and pale. Added straight from the jar into the pot it seizes into grains.
- Watch the cinnamon: Half a teaspoon is warmth. A full teaspoon is a different dish entirely, and there is no walking it back.
- Salt at the end: Canned chickpeas and crushed tomatoes both bring salt of their own, and the pot concentrates as it reduces. Taste after the braise, not before.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Tofu, chickpeas, kale, and tahini all pull in the same direction here without tasting the same. The tofu slabs are the substance and carry most of the protein and calcium, the chickpeas go creamy and add fiber, the kale gives the pot something dark and slightly bitter, and the tahini binds it all with sesame richness.
- Firm tofu is set with calcium salts, which is where its calcium comes from, and a slab that has braised for twenty minutes takes the broth all the way through while its seared faces keep it from falling apart.
- Tahini is ground sesame and very little else, and sesame is one of the more concentrated calcium sources in a kitchen. Whisked with lemon it goes from thick and slightly bitter to pale, smooth, and almost creamy, which is what gives this broth its body.
- Kale torn off the stem and simmered five minutes keeps a bit of chew and a faint bitterness that plays against the cinnamon, and dark leaves like this carry vitamin K and carotenoids along with their calcium.
- Cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and paprika bloomed in oil for 45 seconds are what turn tomato and broth into something that tastes cooked all day. That warmth is why a pot like this eats slowly and holds you well past the middle of the morning.
- As you eat, notice how much broth a single slab of tofu has taken up and the way the lemon cuts across the cinnamon, and take the bowl sitting down so you can feel the meal settle rather than counting it as done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip searing the tofu?
You can, and it will still be good, but the pot loses its base. Searing does two things: it firms the outside so the slabs hold together through 20 minutes of simmering, and it leaves browned fond in the pot that the onion picks up. If you are short on time, sear on one side only and give it four minutes.
My tahini went grainy when I stirred it in. Why?
It was added straight into the hot pot. Tahini seizes when it meets liquid all at once, the same way it does when you first make a sauce. Whisk it in a small bowl with the lemon juice and a few spoonfuls of the hot broth first, which loosens it into a smooth cream, then add it back off the heat.
What can I use in place of kale?
Collard greens, mustard greens, or swiss chard all work. Collards and mustard greens want the same five minutes. Chard is softer and needs three. If you use spinach, stir it in after the pot is off the heat and let the residual warmth wilt it, since a full five minutes turns it to nothing.
Is a half teaspoon of cinnamon really right in a savory pot?
It is, and it is the thing that makes people ask what is in this. At that amount cinnamon reads as warmth underneath the cumin rather than as a sweet spice, the way it does in a lamb tagine. Go past a teaspoon and the balance tips and the pot starts tasting like a dessert.