It’s cookout season! And while I hope that each and every one of you is practicing physical distancing by staying indoors, this shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your favorite dishes. For me, it’s the masala kebabs my dad grills up every year to celebrate the start of the summer. The actual components of the kebabs would vary from time to time but they always followed a simple formula of…
a marinated protein,
a root vegetable,
some onion,
and a marinated “fleshy” vegetable (think eggplant, jackfruit, mushroom, etc.)
These are in no way “traditional” kebabs but they’re definitely a tradition in my family! My favorite version is the one I’m about to show you. It features tofu, potato, onion, and jackfruit!
I wasn’t able to make my usual start-of-summer trip home to family this year but I still wanted to take part in this tradition. And since I don’t have access to a grill where I live, I had to get a little creative! Fortunately, I figured out a way to “grill” the components of these kebabs without actually leaving your kitchen.
I tested out this recipe with oven and an air-fryer and I’m happy to say both methods work! So preheat your kitchen appliance of choice and dial up your friends for a virtual cookout. :)
Vegan Masala Tofu & Jackfruit Kebabs
Ingredients:
- 1 14 oz block extra firm tofu, pressed
- 1 15 oz can young green jackfruit
- 1/2 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups vegan yogurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- salt, to taste
- 1 medium russet potato, cubed into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (can omit if using air fryer method)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- salt, to taste
- wooden or metal skewers
Instructions:
- Slice the tofu lengthwise, approximately 1/2 inch thickness. Then, cut each slice diagonally to form triangles. You should have about 16 tofu triangles. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse your jackfruit. Cut out the hard inner cores and remove the pits. Set aside.
- Add the remaining marinade ingredients (vegan yogurt through salt) to a blender or food processor and blend until uniform.
- Transfer the marinade to a large sealable container and add the tofu and jackfruit. Gently toss to coat the pieces in the marinade and refrigerate for at least two hours but preferably overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease or line a baking with tray parchment paper.
- Add the potatoes to the baking tray. Toss with oil, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, and salt.
- Bake at 420 degrees for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, flip the potatoes over and add the marinated jackfruit and tofu to the tray. Stick the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes.
- At this point, flip the jackfruit and tofu pieces. Add the onions to the baking tray and return to the oven for 7 - 10 minutes.
- Allow the potatoes, tofu, jackfruit, and onions to cool for at least 10 minutes before assembling the kebabs on the skewers.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the timer for 24 minutes.
- Toss the potatoes in garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, and salt until evenly coated.
- Once the air fryer has heated up, spray the basket with a non-stick cooking spray and add the potatoes.
- At 12 minutes, remove the potatoes and set aside.
- To the empty air-fryer basket, add marinated tofu and jackfruit. Fry at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping about halfway through.
- At this point, remove the tofu and jackfruit, and set aside. Add the onions to the air fryer basket and fry for 2 minutes.
- Allow the potatoes, tofu, jackfruit, and onions to cool before assembling the kebabs on the skewers.