PersianPlated meal

Sunlit Herb Cutlets With Emerald Salad

Crispy turmeric-spiced tofu and potato patties, a beloved Iranian home-cooking staple, served with cashew herb sauce and a sharp shirazi salad.

Eat nowMake-aheadContains soy, tree nuts
Hands-on36 minTotal time1 hr 6 minEnergy668 kcalProtein33g
Recipe details
PortableHeartyKitchen project

Equipment: Hob, Blender

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Sunlit Herb Cutlets with Emerald Salad
Servings1 standard portionAdjust

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Standard portions

About 700 kcal per adult reference portion

Making 1 standard portion. Ingredients, instructions and Cooking Mode update together.

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Ingredients

Sauce

Salad

Now we make

Method

36 min hands-on 1 hr 6 min altogether
  1. 1
    Cover 10g cashews with water and soak for at least 30 minutes, then drain
    πŸ– 1 minπŸ’€ 30 min unattended
  2. 2
    Dice Β½ Persian cucumber and Β½ tomato for the salad
    πŸ– 2 min
  3. 3
    Press 140g firm tofu at least 20 minutes under a heavy pan
    πŸ– 1 minπŸ’€ 20 min unattended
  4. 4
    Boil 100g floury potato until tender (~15 min), drain, dry off over heat, then mash until completely smooth
    πŸ– 3 minπŸ’€ 14 min unattended
  5. 5
    Crumble firm tofu very finely, then mix with the mashed potato, 25g chickpea flour, 6g nutritional yeast, ΒΌ tsp turmeric, ΒΌ tsp cumin, 1 clove garlic, 1 finely sliced spring onion and 6g parsley. Season confidently
    πŸ– 6 min
  6. 6
    Divide into 4 portions, shape into oval patties about 1cm thick
    πŸ– 5 min
  7. 7
    Blend cashews, 4g parsley, Β½ clove garlic, 16ml lemon juice, 26ml water and 6g ground flaxseed until completely smooth and creamy
    πŸ– 3 min
  8. 8
    Combine cucumber, tomato, 6ml olive oil and 8ml lemon juice, toss, and leave at least 10 minutes
    πŸ– 4 minπŸ’€ 6 min unattended
  9. 9
    Fry patties in hot 9ml olive oil undisturbed 4 minutes until a deep golden crust forms, flip and cook 3-4 minutes more
    πŸ– 8 min
  10. 10
    Spread the cashew-herb sauce on the plate, arrange the crisp kotlet on top and serve the Shirazi salad alongside
    πŸ– 3 min

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Nutrition details

Nutrition is shown for one standard portion, not the whole batch selected above.

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Nutrition summary

At a glance

Higher inVitamin KPhosphorusSelenium
Lower inVitamin AVitamin ECholine

Worth noticing: Saturated Fat uses more than half of the daily limit in this portion.

Calories

668kcal

32%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 33%Olive Oil Β· 18%Chickpea Flour Β· 13%
20% cal

Protein

33.5g

53%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 53%Chickpea Flour Β· 17%Nutritional Yeast Β· 8%
30% cal

Carbs

49.9g

Top contributors
Potato Β· 33%Chickpea Flour Β· 24%Firm Tofu Β· 10%
50% cal

Fat

37.2g

53%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 38%Olive Oil Β· 36%Cashews Β· 12%

Small numbers, big impact

Everyday essentials

Fibre11.45g
39%
Top contributors
Chickpea Flour Β· 24%Potato Β· 17%Flaxseed Β· 14%
Vitamin B120.96ΞΌg
40%
Top contributors
Nutritional Yeast Β· 100%
Vitamin D0.00ΞΌg
0%
Iodine0.00ΞΌg
0%
Iron8.88mg
49%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 43%Chickpea Flour Β· 14%Cashews Β· 8%
Zinc4.80mg
44%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 48%Chickpea Flour Β· 15%Cashews Β· 12%
Calcium595.18mg
60%
Top contributors
Firm Tofu Β· 81%Cucumber Β· 4%Flaxseed Β· 3%

Nutrients food alone won't reliably cover

These three are commonly under-consumed across all diets, not just plant-based ones - the difference is mainly B12, which has no whole plant food source at all.

  • Vitamin B12: is absent from whole plant foods entirely - the number above only reflects fortified ingredients (nutritional yeast, fortified soy milk). A reliable B12 supplement or fortified source is the standard recommendation for a fully plant-based diet, regardless of what any single day's total shows.
  • Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): most people fall short here regardless of diet - the typical omnivore diet doesn't include much oily fish either. This app only tracks ALA, the plant form (flax, walnuts, hemp, chia). The body converts some ALA to EPA and very little to DHA - the forms most directly used by the brain, eyes and heart - and that conversion is inefficient. An algae-oil supplement is the usual plant-based way to get EPA/DHA directly; it won't show up as an ingredient in any recipe here.
  • Vitamin D: deficiency is widespread across all diets, not just plant-based ones - it's mostly absent from whole plant foods here, and even the fortified soy milk and yogurt tracked don't cover the full target from food alone. Reasonable sun exposure or a D2/D3 supplement is the standard recommendation.

Not medical advice - if you're eating fully plant-based long-term, it's worth a conversation with a GP or dietitian, and a blood test is the reliable way to check where you actually stand.

See the full supplement guide (incl. creatine) β†’
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