Do you love turmeric? The answer should most definitely be a yes! Then you should try this new “Turmeric-ash” recipe inspired by the amazing Hungarian dish…Paprikash. This dish includes turmeric and sour cream to create a rich and creamy sauce with spiced tofu. Serve with rice, pasta or bread and enjoy. Simply delicious!

Inspired by Hungarian Cuisine

Paprikash is traditionally made with chicken thighs and the main spice is Paprika. I have instead swapped out the chicken for Tofu and used Turmeric as the main spice. Why? Because Turmeric is amazing and should be celebrated.

This creamy turmeric recipe still contains paprika as a gentle nod to its inspiration. Paprika is a wonderful spice and if you haven’t tried Paprikash before, I very much recommend you give it a try. I first tried Paprikash when I visited Budapest and I thought it was a delicious creamy way to enjoy paprika. I also made sure to pick up a large amount of authentic Hungarian paprika from the market before going home.

Choose the right Tofu

This dish is best using pressed tofu. Of course you could make your own substitutions but I created this recipe with pressed tofu in mind. Pressed tofu is firm and has had the water squeezed out. You can press tofu yourself or buy it already pressed. My favourite pressed tofu comes the Tofoo company which is available in the main UK supermarkets and I use it a lot in my cooking.

crispy cubes of tofu in a black frying pan on a wooden board

Cut the tofu into small cubes or slices and then toss in flour and some chilli powder. I recommend using cornflour but plain flour will also work. Once the tofu is coated all over, place in some hot oil. The flour helps to crisp up the tofu when you fry it. You may want to regularly turn the tofu in the pan so that each side browns evenly.

If you like tofu, please check out my other tofu recipes.

Creamy Turmeric Sauce

Crispy tofu is only part of the story, the main star is the creamy and delicious turmeric sauce. We start the sauce by frying the veggies and eventually incorporate in spice, tomato puree, vegetable stock and then the sour cream and turmeric.

chopped vegetables in tomato puree in a speckled frying pan with a wooden spoon — Add in the tomato puree and paprika

frying pan with vegetables and stock in a speckled frying pan — Add in the veggie stock

Start by frying the onion until soft and then add in the pepper and garlic. Once softened, add in the tomato puree and paprika and keep on the heat. Pour in the vegetable stock and let it simmer.

Turmeric Sour Cream

In order to ensure the turmeric is infused evenly within the creamy turmeric sauce, you need to mix together the sour cream and ground turmeric. Then take the frying pan off of the heat and gently stir in the turmeric sour cream mixture.

Mixing the turmeric into the sour cream is really easy. I tipped the turmeric into the pot of sour cream and gently folded it in with a metal spoon.

turmeric sour cream in a white pot on a wooden board — Mix together the turmeric and sour cream

Once you’ve incorporated in the turmeric sour cream and mixed well, you can add in some more vegetables. Add the chopped mushrooms and tomatoes and let them simmer in the creamy turmeric goodness.

It is up to you what mushrooms you want to add. I like chestnut mushrooms or small button mushrooms but add whatever mushrooms you like or have available. As for the tomatoes, I recommend something small and sweet and chop them into halves or quarters.

creamy turmeric sauce with mushrooms and tomatoes in a speckled frying pan with a wooden spoon on a wooden board

With the addition of a little lime juice, honey and some fresh herbs and thats it. It’s a simple dish that is packed full of flavour.

How do I make this Vegan?

This dish contains sour cream which is NOT vegan friendly. If you want to make this dish vegan you will need to swap out the sour cream for a vegan alternative. A good alternative could be a soy based sour cream product or a thick vegan yoghurt. You could also try a coconut milk, however this would sweeten the dish quite significantly.

Additionally, I have added a drop of honey and if you don’t want to use honey, you could easily swap this out for maple syrup or sugar water.

Nutrition

With lots of veggies and tofu this is a dish packed with nutrition. Tofu us a great source of protein. Protein is an essential part of your diet and is important for cell regeneration and growth.

Vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals and it is important that you incorporate them into your diet. You could increase the vegetable content in this dish as well if you wanted to.

Sour cream in moderation can be considered part of a healthy diet. It is rich in calcium which is important for building and maintaining strong bones. Additionally the sour cream can be a great source of vitamin A.

The benefits of turmeric have been investigated in many studies. It is known to contain an active compound called curcumin which anti inflammatory and anti oxidant properties. It is suggested that curcumin can help fight against heart disease.

I suggest serving this with your favourite carbohydrate. I served this with spiralli pasta. It will be just as delicious with some creamy mashed potatoes. Or with some fluffy boiled rice. Or crusty bread.

Just serve this tofu with creamy turmeric sauce with a tasty carbohydrate and enjoy.