Tofu Matar: Why Not Try Something New Today?

Tofu Matar

Last week I was here, staying at one of the picturesque places of England. Our little cottage was tucked in between soothing sound of flowing river, breath taking landscape of mountains and miles of green fields. For once we were away from everyday hustle bustle and running around chasing deadlines and never ending word loads and I couldn’t help but feel blessed to be surrounded by Mother Nature in her warm bosom!

Every morning we woke up to tweeting birds and oh yes, braying sheep which was music to our ears compared to deafening alarm clock or noise from traffic. The weather God was unbelievably kind to us during our stay and everyday I felt the warmth of bright sun and his rays dancing on my face. As the puffy marshmallow-ey clouds floated on clear blue sky, puffy and soft bundle of woolly sheep were lazily munching the emerald green grass. And those little, cute lambs hopping and jumping around merrily were the constant reminder of my own childhood days! While buzzing bumble bees were soothing music to ears, the burst of colourful wild flowers were joy to eyes, and even the smell of earth was much better than the aroma of any expensive and exotic perfumes on my dressing table. Nature, free of all man made things, is a soothing balm to ones troubled spirit and heart! It was nothing short of heaven! It’s amazing to see how Mother Nature takes care of all her children, including us, by embracing us in her warm bosom. I, after a long time, felt at peace with my inner self…

Fast forward and I am back to reality of daily routine life! As much as I enjoyed my break; it feels good to be back to some kind of routine! After one week of indulgence in peaceful countryside retreat, I felt good to be back in familiar surrounding and especially to be cooking in my little kitchen. Since our fridge was almost empty except for few herbs, I used the ingredients in hand and prepared this delicious Tofu Matar by giving a twist to much loved Matar Paneer. Creamy tofu and lively and bouncy green peas literally dunked in creamy gravy of onion, tomato, cashew and almonds was match made in heaven! Addition of Kasuri Methi gave that ‘oomph’ factor to the curry and made it all the more enjoyable. Don’t be chuffed off by the list of ingredients as close inspection will show how simple this recipe is. Cook it for your Vegan friends or people like me who are fond of tofu and see them lick their plate clean! :)

Tofu Matar

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Tofu Matar (Tofu and sweet Green Peas cooked in creamy gravy of Almonds & Cashews)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 5-6
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked Rice

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Ingredients:
1 pack Tofu (approx 5X5 inch), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 heaped cup Green Peas, fresh/frozen
3 large Tomatoes or 1 canned Tomato, pureed
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Sun dried Fenugreek Leaves (Optional)
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Juice of ¼ Lime/Lemon
Salt to taste

For Onion Paste:
1 large Onion, roughly chopped
¾ inch Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large cloves of Garlic
½ inch Cinnamon Stick
2 Green Cardamoms
2 Cloves
½ Star Aniseeds

For Almond-Cashew Paste:
8-10 Almonds, soaked in warm water for 10 mins and peeled
4-6 Cashews, soaked in warm water for 10 mins

Tofu Matar

Method:

Grind all the ingredients listed under onion and almond-cashew paste separately, with out adding any water, to smooth paste and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, add onion paste. Keep stirring for 6-8 mins till onion paste turns light golden brown and becomes one dry mass. Make sure that you cook this onion paste thoroughly or else the gravy will taste bitter.
Mix in sugar and kasuri methi leaves and stir for another minute or two. Next, add pureed tomatoes and mix well. Bring the mixture to gentle boil, about 4-5 mins.
Mix in garam masala, kitchen king masala and salt to taste and add about 1-1½ cups of water.
Reduce the heat to low and add tofu cubes and green peas and cover the lid. Let it cook undisturbed for 5 mins.
Mix in almond and cashew paste and stir well. Increase the heat to medium and let the curry cook uncovered for another 5-7 mins. The gravy will start to thicken at this stage. Adjust the seasoning and add little more water if you prefer little thin gravy.
Switch off the flame and squeeze in lime juice. Serve this delicious Tofu Matar garnished with coriander leaves and enjoy!

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Notes:

Those who don’t like Tofu can simply substitute it with Paneer. Shallow fry Paneer cubes in little ghee till both the sides turn golden red in colour. Keep them in a bowl of warm water till needed and proceed with the recipe.
And if you are not fond of Paneer and Tofu, simply substitute them with boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes.
Green peas can be substituted with black or Kabuli channa or chickpeas.

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Tofu & Pineapple Thai Yellow Curry: Sunshine, at least, in My Bowl!

Tofu & Pineapple Thai Yellow Curry

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
~John Ruskin

Yeah, yeah! I got your point Mr. Ruskin! I have decided not to crib anymore about the weather anymore and instead enjoy it. It’s not exactly my resolution, but just to enjoy everyday as it comes irrespective of how gloomy and dark the weather turns out be! Living in a country that is known for its unpredictable weather, there is no point in comparing how brightly the sun shines at this time of the year in India! ~sigh~

Talking about other things, I have been busy shopping for new spring wardrobe (what else?;). But at the same time it’s really saddening to see many top shops and retail stores shutting down due to credit crunch. I kind of feel guilty when I see many people losing their jobs and I am busy walking around the malls with colourful shopping bags filled with new cloths and stuff for home! Once busy and overcrowded shopping malls and streets are now almost empty with very little crowd actually buying things rather than just window shopping. The ups and downs of life, some things that are beyond our control!!!

But what is within our control is cooking food at home instead of ordering takeaways or going to restaurants. K and I are not great fans of eating out. We choose to cook and experimenting in our kitchen than shedding unnecessary money on plate of food that we don’t enjoy. There are very few restaurants in our neck of wood that serves good food and that may be one of the reasons why we enjoy cooking. And having handful of friends is also another reason for not eating out that often. Whatever reason it may be, we both are kind of people who enjoy spending quality time in kitchen, doing things together and having lots of fun with experimenting and tasting new cuisines.

One cuisine that we are very comfortable with cooking is Thai. The simple flavours and aromatic ingredients make it a pleasant eating experience. Pour fridge and freezer is always stocked with fresh batch of homemade Thai curry pastes and when needed all we have to do it take them out and use in making quick and delicious pot of Thai curries. This Tofu & Pineapple Thai Yellow Curry is one such recipe that requires just few minutes and very little effort in stirring a pot full of aromatic and flavoursome dish in jiffy. The sweet and sour pineapple with soft tofu is a brilliant combination and the addition of peppers and peas gives it a crunchy and peppery flavour. Served along fragrant Thai Jasmine Rice, this Tofu & Pineapple Thai Yellow Curry is one plate of delicious meal to shoo away all the blues! :) And off this goes to dear Priya who is guest hosting this month's IAVW-Thai, a vegan event started by lovely Vaishali.

Ingredients for Tofu & Pineapple Thai Yellow Curry

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Tofu & Pineapple Thai Yellow Curry

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4-6
Recipe Source: Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With Thai Jasmine Rice or Basamati Rice

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Ingredients:
2 cups Tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup Pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes
1½ cups Coloured Bell Peppers, cut into 1 inch squares (I used red and yellow)
½-¾ cup Green Peas, fresh/frozen
1 cans Coconut Milk or 2-3 cups of fresh Coconut Milk
2-3 cups of Vegetable Stock or Water
2-3 tbsp Yellow Curry Paste (use more according to your taste)
1 tsp Brown sugar
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 fresh Lemon Grass, bruised (Optional)
2 Kaffir Lime Leaves, thinly cut (Optional)
Small handful of Basil Leaves, roughly chopped
Coriander leaves of Spring Onion Greens for garnishing
Salt to taste

Tofu & Pineapple Thai Yellow Curry

Method:

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and empty 1/3rd of Coconut milk in a pan. Stir this coconut milk on medium heat till its sweet fragrance is released and starts to thicken, about 4-5 minutes, in a medium flame.
Now add 2-3 tbsp of Yellow Curry Paste and stir well. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes till the curry paste blends well with the coconut milk and its raw smell disappears. Add the vegetables, pineapple and tofu and mix them well so that each piece is coated with coconut and curry paste mixture.
Mix in vegetable stock or water, remaining coconut milk, Soya sauce, kaffir lime leaves & lemon grass if using, brown sugar and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Open the lid, add roughly chopped basil leaves and adjust the seasonings. Simmer the heat and let it cook uncovered for another 5 minutes till the vegetables are cooked to tender. Make sure that the vegetables are not overcooked and retain their crunch.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and serve with aromatic bowl of Jasmine Rice and enjoy.

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Wishing all the readers of Monsoon Spice a very Happy Ugadi!
May you find peace and lot more happiness in coming year :)

Warm Regards
Sia

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Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu with Wok Steamed Spinach & Quinoa: Try Something New

Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu with Wok steamed Spinach & Quinoa

I don’t have anything to rant today other than give you one wonderful recipe I tried from gorgeous blog Vegan Yum Yum. This is one of my favourite blog where Lolo posts vegan recipes which make my eyes pop and I almost end-up licking my laptop screen. This blog has most tempting pictures of Vegan food which makes you drop all the things at once and rush to your kitchen to start cooking straight away. Not only that, you will be surprised to see so many ways of cooking vegan food without compromising taste factor. You will find an array of vegan food from appetizers to desserts including varieties of baked goodies to satisfy your cravings. Her Knitted Cupcakes are the best ever cupcakes I have ever seen or come across. Go check it for yourself and feast on her drool-worthy pictures. I have already tried two recipes from this wonderful blog and highly satisfied with the end result.

Today I am posting Lolo’s recipe of Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu with Wok steamed Collard and Quinoa. This was the first time we bought quinoa and cooked at home. So Lolo’s recipe sounded something what we could try for first time. Another thing that got our full attention was the process of “dry frying” the Tofu as till date we had either used them as they are or simply pan fried them with little oil. So we were eager to test and taste quinoa and ‘dry fry’ tofu. Unlike Lolo I used Baby Spinach instead of Collards and made few modifications to the original recipe to our liking. Other change is in the ingredients used in Sweet Chilli-Lime Sauce. We added little extra chilli flakes as we felt the sauce was little mild for our liking and also added a small spoonful of chilli sauce. And we replaced Tamari with Teriyaki sauce as we didn’t have it in our pantry. We also reduced the amount of lime zest used and instead increased the amount of lime juice from original recipe. And addition of ginger again was to our preference.

The sauce was easy to put together and was very flavourful. It formed a nice glaze on dry fried tofu and was a real pretty sight. Over all I can easily say that Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu with Wok steamed Spinach & Quinoa was one flavoursome, nutritious, pretty and very healthy meal which we devoured without complaining. I am not sure if I have left a thank you note at Lolo’s blog. Lolo, I want to thank you for this wonderful recipe which has become our family favourite. This is my entry for JFI-Soya hosted by yours truly and dearest Pooja's Theme of the Week-Saffron, White & Green in spirit of my beautiful country's Independence Day celebration. And this is also my contribution for Melissa's Let it Grain-Quinoa event which showcases this lovely grain this whole month.

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Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu with Wok steamed Spinach & Quinoa
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-4
Recipe Source: Vegan Yum Yum

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Ingredients:
1 block firm Tofu

For Sweet Chilli-Lime Sauce:
3 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Teriyaki Sauce (or just use Soya Sauce)
6-8 Mint Leaves, thinly chopped
2 tsp Chilli Flakes (adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Chilli Sauce
1 clove of Garlic, crushed and very finely chopped
½ inch Ginger, very finely chopped
2 tbsp Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
¼ zest of the Lime
¼ tsp Salt

For Wok Steamed Spinach:
2-3 packed cups of Baby Spinach
A big pinch of Salt
1 tsp Lime Juice

For Spiced Quinoa:
¾ cup Quinoa, rinsed in cool water and drained
¼ zest Lime
½ tbsp Lime Juice
2 Green Cardamom, lightly crushed
½ inch Cinnamon Stick
1 Bay Leaf
¼ tsp Salt
1-1¼ cups Water

Sweet Chilli-Lime Sauce

Dry Fried Tofu glazed with Sweet Chilli-Lime Sauce

Method:

For Spiced Quinoa:
Combine all the ingredients listed under Spiced Quinoa in a thick bottomed pot with tight fitting lid. Bring it to a boil, then cover the lid and reduce the flame to low. Cook undisturbed for around 15-20 mins and turn off the heat. Let it sit covered for about 10 mins so that the steam is retained.

For Sweet Chilli-Lime Sauce:
Meanwhile, prepare the Sweet Chilli-Lime Sauce by combining all the ingredients listed. Whisk the sauce till all the sugar and salt is dissolved and keep it aside.

For Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu:
Cut Tofu into bite sized pieces of desired shape and set aside.
Heat flat bottomed non-stick pan or good iron pan and arrange the tofu so that it fits in single layer. If not then do it in batches. I used good non stick pan in order to “dry fry” tofu without using any oil.
Spread out the tofu in a pan and with a help of spatula press the tofu. The liquid from tofu will squeeze out and boil away, and the tofu will start turning golden colour. The more water evaporates, the sturdier the tofu will be and that’s exactly what we want. Remember not to press the tofu too hard initially to prevent tofu from breaking.
After several minutes, flip the tofu over and repeat the same method. After 10 mins or so you will be left with dry fired golden tofu pieces. Now you can either proceed with the next step or wok steam the spinach.
To finish the Tofu, bring the pan back to stove if it’s not already very hot. Now add the sauce you prepared and let it bubble up. Switch off the heat and let the sauce reduce and form a glaze. Make sure that the sauce is bubbling up nicely before you switch off the heat.

For Wok Steamed Spinach:
Stack the spinach leaves one above the other and roll them. Slice the roll into 1 inch segments. Repeat same procedure till you get 2-3 tightly packed cups of Spinach.
Heat wok and add spinach, lime juice and salt. You can add about a tbsp of water if required. Cover and cook for 1-2 mins. Remember you don’t need to cook it thoroughly. I like my greens to be little raw and crunchy.

To Assemble:
Place cooked spiced Quinoa on a serving dish and arrange steamed spinach on top. Arrange sweet chilli-lime Tofu on a bed of Quinoa and Spinach and drizzle any left over sauce on top of it. Serve it immediately and enjoy.

Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu with Wok steamed Spinach & Quinoa

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Note:
Other Tofu recipes to feast on

• Palak Tofu
• Tofu Stuffed Kulcha
• Veg & Tofu Thai Green Curry
• Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

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Reminder for JFI-Soya:

I invite you all to celebrate Jihva for Ingredients with this month’s theme JFI-Soya. Choice of Soya products, the recipe, ingredients, method etc is entirely left to you. I would greatly appreciate if you can send me any Vegan or Vegetarian recipes but I leave it to your choice. Soya foods include tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (chunks, mince etc), miso, soya sauces, soya oil and margarine, and soya dairy alternatives.

Deadline: 31st August, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and also in your e-mail while sending your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish, Type of Dish and Perm Link of the entry along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.
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A Twist in the Tale: Palak Tofu

Palak Tofu/Saag Tofu

Me: Eiks… What’s that ugly green thing Amma?
Mom: Its spinach. I am making spinach curry for tonight’s dinner.
Me: Eww… Don’t bother! I had rather eat plain rice than eating that yucky green thing!
Mom: Why don't you taste little and see if you like it.
Me: I don’t want to taste it because I know I won’t like it. So why tasting it when I already know I am not gonna like it?
Mom: Because it’s good for you. You’ll become strong if you eat it. Remember Popeye? He is strong because he eats spinach.
Me: oh yes! Popeye eats spinach and gets lots of energy and then he beats Bluto. That means even I’ll get lots of energy to beat that bad boy in my class who pulls my hair everyday during school assembly!!! Mmm…
Mom: ~rolls her eyes~

Sounds familiar right? It’s still unknown as why kids preferred to get their tongues burnt than eat greens. I too grew up hating green leafy vegetables with passion and there was no way my Amma could make me eat them. Like many mothers all around the globe Amma tricked me by mixing it with Paratha, Dosa, Poories, deep fried goodies which we kids would eat happily without knowing it had greens which we hated. There was one exceptional green leafy vegetable which I grudgingly ate and yes, it’s Spinach or Palak. Reason for eating it was of course my childhood super hero Popeye, the sailor.

But there was one dish which I wouldn’t have shared even with Popeye. I would happily eat it without anyone holding a gun on my temple! It is classic Punjabi dish Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer. Soft paneer cubes dunked in creamy, lightly spiced spinach gravy has to be one of the most liked side dish in Indian restaurants. It is mildly spiced and hence loved by people of all age groups from 8 to 80. As Paneer is little heavy on tummy and waist, I substituted it with Tofu to make it guilt free indulgence. Addition of cashews gives very creamy consistency for Palak gravy and makes it stand apart from usual Saag Paneer dish (Tip picked from Indira's Palak Paneer recipe where she says she learnt it from her Punjabi neighbor Deviji). We enjoyed this creamy Palak Tofu/Saag Tofu with Mooli Parathas (recipe will be posted soon).

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Palak-Tofu/Saag-Tofu (Lightly Fried Tofu in Spiced Spinach Gravy)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
1 big bunch of Spinach (Approx. 6-8 packed cups, here I used Baby Spinach)
2 cups firm Tofu, squeezed to remove excess water and cubed into ¾ inch pieces
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 medium Tomatoes, finely chopped
6-8 Cashew Nuts
3-4 Green Chillies (adjust acc to taste)
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1+ ½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ inch Cinnamon Stick
2-3 Green Cardamom
2-3 Cloves
¼ tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
½ tsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi (Optional)
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Sour Cream (Optional)
½ + ½ tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Spinach & Tofu for Saag

Method:
Heat about ½ tbsp of oil in a pan and add cinnamon, green cardamom and cloves. Sauté it for few seconds and add ½ tsp of cumin seeds.
When cumin seeds start to crackle add cashews and green chillies. Sauté it on medium flame till cashews turn light golden brown in colour.
Mix in roughly chopped spinach, sugar and cover the lid. Cook this spinach cover for few minutes on a medium heat till it is wilted. If needed sprinkle little water in between to avoid them sticking to the pan.
Cool the mixture and grind it to smooth paste with coriander leaves adding as little water as possible. Keep aside this mixture till required.
Heat ½ tbsp of oil in the same pan and remaining cumin seeds. When it starts to sizzle, add finely chopped onion and sauté it for a minute.
Now add ginger-garlic paste and sauté it till the raw smell disappears, about a minute. Mix in chopped tomatoes and sauté till it becomes pulpy.
Add coriander powder, kitchen king masala, garam masala and kasuri methi and keep stirring till nice aroma of masala fills the kitchen, about a minute time.
Mix in ground spinach paste and add about 1- 1½ cups of water and salt to taste. Let it cook on a low to medium flame for about ten minutes.
While the spinach gravy is cooking heat little oil in a pan and placed cubed tofu pieces. Pan fry both the sides of tofu till they turn golden brown. This step is optional and can be omitted if you don’t prefer to fry tofu pieces.
Add lightly fried tofu and sour cream, if using, to spinach gravy and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes so that tofu absorbs all the flavours. Serve this Palak-Tofu/Saag-Tofu with any Indian bread of your choice and enjoy.

Palak Tofu/Saag Tofu

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Note:
Replace Tofu with Paneer to make wholesome Palak-Paneer or Saag-Paneer.
Addition of cashew is optional. I have added it to give creamy texture to the gravy.

Other Tofu Recipes posted in Monsoon Spice:

• Tofu Stuffed Kulcha
• Thai Veg and Tofu Green Curry
• Thai Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

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Final Call for an 'Ode to Potato'! One more Day to Go...

An Ode to Potato ends on 15th of March (GMT Time). Send in your entry before the deadline and join us in the singing. Bake, boil, mash, fry, sauté, grill, stuff, cook... The choice is endless.

Deadline: 15th March, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry along with the gorgeous Photo of Potato dish.

Click Here to find out more information on this event.

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Bending the Rules: Tofu Stuffed Kulcha

Tofu Stuffed Kulcha

Me: What? You can't be serious!
He: Why not?
Me: I am not sure…
He: Common, no one will know…
Me: I am scared!
He: Trust me.
Me: What if someone comes to know?
He: I am sure we are not the only one who have done it.
Me: But it’s not right. Society will never accept it. Oh! It’s a sin.
He: Now, now… look at me. Do you want me to die without experiencing how it would have been?
Me: No!!! Please don’t say that…
He: I have got only 2 more days to live. Won’t you fulfill my last wish?
Me: Oh!!! Of course I want to…

And that’s how he left this world, just two dates before his expiry date. And oh!!! If you are wondering whether it’s some scene from Bollywood movie then you are wrong. I call him Mr. T with love who is known to rest of the world as Tofu. He left this world knowing he had left wonderful memories for me.

Tofu, also known as soybean curd and bean curd is made from curdled soy milk. This custard like white block is high in protein, low in salt and calories and has no cholesterol. By itself Tofu is quite bland and hence it readily picks up the flavour of other ingredients that are cooked with it making one pleasurable, guilt free indulgence.

After cooking Tofu with different techniques pairing it with different ingredients using different regional recipes, I wanted to try something new. Since couple of months back I am using Tofu in Indian cooking and it is pure pleasure to watch it beautifully blend with Indian spices and take us on a roller-coaster ride in taste department. It tastes great when used in Chinese and Thai recipes and it excels when blended with rich Indian spices. Initially I started experimenting by replacing Paneer, Indian cottage cheese, with Tofu. Slowly I started using it boldly with different traditional recipes which our ‘Purist’ cyber aunties would disapprove of and ban me from posting it.

Soft, delicious and aromatic Tofu Stuffed Kulcha is a winner recipe. With much less calories and high in protein content, this recipe was created at nth moment. At spur of a moment I made these Kulchas as I was left with half a pack of left over Tofu which had less than two days of shelf life. And boy!!! Am I happy or not! Although I was little hesitant to use tofu this way the end result was much more than we could ask for. This recipe is a keeper for sure. Served with delicious and spicy Mushroom Curry (Recipe follows soon) it was one satisfying weekend meal.

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Tofu Stuffed Kulcha
Prep Time: 20 mins (Excluding resting time)
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Makes: 6-7 Medium Kulchas

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Ingredients:
1 tsp Nigella Seeds
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
Little Ghee/Oil (Optional)

For Outer Covering/Dough:
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida
2 tbsp Yogurt
¼ cup Warm Milk
½ tsp Cooking Soda
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
Warm Water to knead
1 tsp Oil

For Stuffing:
1 packed cup Tofu, crumbled
1 small Red Onion, very finely chopped
¾ tbsp Garlic, very finely chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp Mint Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
¼ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder (Optional)
1 tsp White Pepper Powder (Optional, use any spices/masala of your choice)
Salt to taste

Tofu Stuffing

Method:
For Dough:
Sift wheat flour, maida, cooking soda, baking soda and salt.
Make a well in center and add yogurt and warm milk.
Knead the dough adding little water at a time to make soft pliable dough.
Apply oil on the surface of dough and keep it wrapped in cotton towel or cling film.
Let it rest for at least one hour.

For the Stuffing:
Squeeze as much of water as possible from tofu as the water content in tofu will make the kulcha go soggy.
Once it’s done, crumble the tofu with hands, and take about one packed cup of tofu crumble.
Take all the ingredients in a vessel and mix well. Remember to chop the vegetables very finely so that it becomes easier to stuff and roll.

To make Stuffed Kulcha:
Take dough and knead again for about minute and make big lime sized balls.
Dust it with wheat flour and roll it into thick poories of about 4 inch in diameter.
Place about tbsp of tofu mixture in center. Cover and seal the ends and roll again, dusting flour if necessary, into ½ cm thick roties using rolling pin.
Sprinkle little nigella seeds and sesame on top of roties and lightly press them using rolling pin.
Heat a griddle at high flame and lower it to low-medium flame.
Place Kulcha on griddle and cook on both the sides till it’s cooked and brown spots starts to appear on top. Apply little ghee/oil if desired.
Serve hot Tofu stuffed Kulchas immediately with any curry or your choice and enjoy.

Tofu Stuffed Kulcha

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Note:
Keep the stuffing as dry as possible. If it has too much of moisture/water content then it becomes difficult to roll them as the moisture will make the Kulchas soggy and they might tear while rolling oozing the stuffing.
Keep the center of Kulcha little thicker than the ends before stuffing as when you cover and seal the ends you will get even thickness at both the sides.
Resting the dough for at least an hour makes soft Kulchas.
Usually an egg is added when making the dough but I usually avoid adding it.
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Winter Warmers: Thai Clear Soups

Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

With the mercury hitting south in our part of the globe, our kitchen smells of sizzling pots of soups, rasams and dals. Sizzling bowl of soup with warm bread straight from the oven or steaming cup of rice with hot Rasam/Dal is what we crave for. After my successful attempt at making Thai Curries, I was keen to learn and cook something new. Thai food is greatly influenced by its neighbours, India, China, Malaysia and Laos. No wonder our Indian taste buds start singing and dancing when tasting Thai food, an explosion of salty, spicy, sweet and sour flavours that sparkle with personality. The four main Thai flavour groupings are salty (from fish sauce), sweet (from coconut and palm sugar), spicy (from dry and fresh chillies) and sour (tamarind, lime, lemongrass), with the less used bitter as a fifth primary flavour. These five primary flavours are the characteristics of Thai cooking, something to touch and delight every taste bud.

As I said in my earlier post, don’t get intimidated by the unfamiliar ingredients used in Thai cooking. There are good substitutes available which you can use if few ingredients are not available in your local shop or you can omit those ingredients which you are not very fond of. And more importantly, don’t be afraid to make changes to suit your taste. While cooking Thai food at home, we found that the food tasted much better than the one from local Thai restaurant. And why it shouldn’t, with freshest of fresh ingredients used, homemade curry pastes and spices made a whole difference. You will never get to see the liberal use of fresh ingredients in any restaurant as at home. Many people shy away from cooking Thai food under the misconception that it takes lot of time and ingredients which are unfamiliar to them. Something magical is created when you cook Thai food or any foreign food over time and the ingredients which were aliens in the beginning become more familiar. I find the time consuming dishes more rewarding. Believe me when I say it is as close as meditation when you get to use mortar and pestle and pound out day’s anxiety.

With today’s recipes we want to prove that Thai cuisine can be as simple as it can get and you need not use many ingredients to taste some authentic Thai fair. By planning ahead and little preparation everyone can cook delicious Thai food which sure to please every taste bud. Make sure you use the best and freshest ingredients and be flexible. Cook with an air of playfulness, experiment with flavour and learn to balance. If you are not sure and nervous, follow the recipe strictly and pay careful attention to the final result. As you taste the dish, think to yourself: is it spicy/sweet/sour/salty enough? Does it suit your palate? Most importantly, remember to please yourself-cook the food the way you like it because it should taste good to you and enjoy the whole process. Every time we experiment and cook, we learn something new. Cooking is as refreshing as meditation with delicious food as a reward and nobody can say no to this delicious reward :)

Armed with our new acquisition Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott to our empty cookbook rack we tried two Thai clear soups, Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu and Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic. As author says, “Soup is an essential component of almost every meal, served and savored along with rice and its accompanying dishes. In keeping with Thailand’s Chinese culinary ancestry, soup functions as a beverage, a liquid refreshment that cleanses the palate between bites and makes way for further rides on roller coaster of tastes that make up a classic Thai meal.” Most of the Thai Vegetarian recipes are also perfect for Vegans and I thought these soups will be a perfect entries for this Vegan Month. These two Thai Clear Soup goes to Suganya's Vegan Ventures Event.

Nancie says,

“Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu is a one bowl celebration of Thailand’s sparkling cuisine. Spicy hot with roasted chilli paste and sharply fragrant with lemongrass, wild lime leaves, and a squeeze of lime, tome yum sounds an inviting reveille to your senses.”

And I totally agree with her. This delicious flame-colored broth studded with green herbs and vegetables with exotic citrus perfume is a pure delight to one’s senses. Serve hot with a bowl of jasmine rice and enjoy its healing power.

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Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Makes: 3-4

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Ingredients:
4 cups Vegetable Stock
2 Lemongrass Stalks
3+2 Kaffir Lime Leaves, cut into long stripes
1 inch Galangal/Ginger, sliced (Optional)
3 tbsp Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
3 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
1 Green Chilli, thinly sliced
1 cup Tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup Button Mushroom, thinly sliced
½ cup Carrot, julienned (Optional)
½ cup Red Bell Peppers, cut into i cm pieces (Optional)
1-2 tbsp Sambal Olek
1 tbsp Basil Leaves, finely chopped (Optional)
2 tsp Palm Sugar
1-2 tsp Soya Sauce
Salt to taste

Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

Method:
In a large pan bring vegetable stock to boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, trim the lemongrass stalk by removing upper hard, dried skin leaving smooth stem. Cut the stalk into 2 inch pieces and lightly bruise the stalk with pestle and mortar.
Add bruised lemongrass , 3 kaffir lime leaves strips, galangal to boiling stock and reduce the heat to low. Let the ingredients simmer for 5-8 minutes till lemongrass stalks turn into khaki green and nice citric aroma fills the room.
While the soup simmers, combine spring onion greens, 2 kaffir lime leaves strips, green chilli slices and lime juice and place them into serving bowls and keep aside.
Scoop lemongrass stalks, galangal from vegetables stock and discard. Add tofu, mushrooms, carrot, bell peppers, basil leaves, sambal olek, soya sauce, sugar, spring onion and salt to taste and increase the heat to high.
When the soup boils again, remove it from heat and pour it on serving bowls and serve at once with Jasmine Rice.

Tome Yum Soup with Mushroom & Tofu

Nancie says, “Rice soup is comfort food in Thailand, simmered up from leftover rice to nourish a family member who is ill. It is also popular as a hearty breakfast or midnight snack. Cold, fever, aches, hangover and heartbreaks all seem to soften their edge just a little when a generous steaming bowl of Kao Tome appears.” And how can we not try this soup which claims to have medicinal properties and can be served as one-dish meal to satisfied our taste buds. We omitted Wheatballs or Wheat Gluten which the recipe calls and made few changes to suite our taste.

Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic

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Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 tbsp Garlic, coarsely chopped
½ tsp freshly ground Pepper
¼ cup Coriander Roots or Steams, coarsely chopped
5 cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Mushrooms, thinly sliced
½ cup Carrots, shredded
½ cup Sugar Snap Peas, cut into 1 inch pieces (Optional)
1½ cups Cooked Jasmine Rice
¼ cup Spring Onion, chopped
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp Crispy Garlic in Oil (Recipe follows. Original recipe used ¼ cup)
1 stalk Lemongrass (Optional)
½ inch Galangal/Ginger (Optional)
½-1 tsp Palm Sugar
Salt to taste

Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic

Method:
In a blender, combine 1 tbsp garlic, pepper, coriander roots/stems with little vegetable stock and grind to smooth paste.
Heat vegetable stock in a pan and mix in ground paste over a low flame. Add bruised lemongrass stalk, sliced galangal if using and bring the stock to boil in low flame.
Meanwhile, deep fry or pan fry sliced garlic pieces till they are crisp and golden and transfer to paper towel till required.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and add mushrooms. Toss them for about 3-5 mins until they are shiny and tender and keep them aside.
Discard lemongrass stalk and galangal from vegetable stock and add sautéed mushrooms, carrots, sugar snap peas, sugar and salt to taste and cook for further 5-8 minutes over low heat.
Add cooked jasmine rice, spring onions and cook for further 5 minutes.
Serve hot or warm soup garnished with crisp fried garlic and coriander leaves and enjoy this one-dish meal.

Jasmine Rice Soup with Mushrooms, Green Onions & Crispy Garlic

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Notes:
To check substitutes for different ingredients used in Thai Cuisine and also read more of Thai Cooking at Monsoon Spice Click Here. Also Read
Thai Vegetarian Red Curry
Thai Veg and Tofu Green Curry
How to cook Jasmine Rice
How to make Thai Red Curry Paste
How to make Thai Green Curry Paste
Also Check Jugalbandi’s Thai Pantry.

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Curries from Thailand

Veg & Tofu Thai Green Curry

"Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements."

- Marcel Boulestin

One thing I have learnt from my ‘almost’ two years of kitchen adventure is learning how to balance and harmonize flavours. Even the fresh ingredients, such as herbs, spices and vegetables, can differ depending on their freshness, the soil and climate condition where they are grown, the way they are packed and stored etc. Same chilli I had bought few days back was less spicy and the tomatoes were more juicer than the one from my previous shopping trip to same old supermarket. Similarly, tamarind puree from same brand may differ in degree of sourness depending on how thick or thin it is made while the colour of chilli powder may be brighter than the last pack you consumed. For any cook, amateur or experienced, it is important to make adjustments in the quantity used to bring out the right flavour of the ingredients to suit your taste buds rather than blindly following the given recipes religiously. Recipes should serve as guidelines as they cannot speak for our taste preference or the variance in the ingredients we get from different places. Rather following the cooking instructions, I follow my instinct and my palate as it is these two which tells me what I would like in a particular dish, a hint of this a dash of that which creates a perfect harmony between flavour, aroma and the complete satisfaction of creating something which my loved ones enjoy.

Following your instinct and taste should not be limited to the ingredients you are familiar with, to the food which you are grown up with or to the one’s which you have had tasted hundred times. For me it is more important when I create a foreign cuisine where the ingredients used can vary considerably from batch to batch, brand to brand and seasonality. Never hesitate to cut down the number of chillies if you can’t take too much of heat, increase the amount of lime juice if you enjoy sharp and sour taste. Don’t panic if you are short of one or two ingredients. Add or omit herbs and spices to suit your taste and adjust the flavour according to your preference. Play around with the ingredients until you get the right combination of flavours that are most suited to your palate.

One cuisine which I feel I can safely tweak to my preference is Thai food. For a hard core south Indian who has more than average percentage of coconut milk flowing in her blood stream, Thai curry is as dear to me as any Rasams and Sambars. Who wouldn’t fall for a subtle blend of hot, salty, sweet and sour flavors of Thai curry which makes the taste buds tingling? When cooked with home-made curry paste it’s a cherry on icing. Don’t hesitate to make these curries if you are short of any ingredients and pick vegetables of your choice depending on your taste and seasonality. I am posting the substitutes for few ingredients which otherwise is not easily available in few places and I can safely vouch for these as I have tried them myself. I am sending these two curries to Margot of Coffee & Vanilla who is hosting Vegetarian Awareness Month.

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Veg and Tofu Thai Green Curry
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 cup Tofu, cubed
½ cup Red & Green Bell Peppers, thinly sliced
½ cup Baby Corn, sliced
½ cup Sugar Snaps/French Beans, chopped
½ cup Mushrooms (I used Shiitake)
½ cup Green Peas
½ cup carrot, thin stripes
½ cup Yam/Sweet Potato
1 can Coconut Milk
2 fresh/frozen/dried Kaffir Lime Leaves, snipped into thin strips
1½ tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Green Curry Paste

For Green Curry Paste:
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced (lower half)
2 Tbsp ground Coriander Seeds
2 Tbsp Vegetarian Fish Sauce/Soy Sauce
1 tsp Brown Sugar (optional)
3-6 Green Chillies, deseeded (adjust acc to taste)
1 small Onion
1-2 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp Lime Zest
1 thumb-size piece Galangal/Ginger
1 cup/1 bunch Fresh Coriander, including Stems
1 cup fresh Holy/Sweet Basil, including stems

Veg & Tofu Thai Green Curry

Method:
Grind all the ingredients below green curry paste to smooth paste adding little coconut milk at a time.
Heat oil in wok or deep frying pan and add ground paste and sauté it over medium flame for about one minute.
Add coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves and tofu and turn down the heat. Allow the curry to simmer, stirring occasionally for about five minutes.
Add all the vegetables, salt to taste and cover and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes till the vegetables are well cooked.
Stir in soy sauce and lime juice if required and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Garnish with fresh basil and coriander leaves and serve hot with Jasmine or sticky rice and enjoy.

Tips:
1. Vegetarian Fish Sauce is a mixture of soy beans, salt, sugar, water, chilli, and citric acid which acts as a preservative. I make my own Veg Fish Sauce when I am short of strore bought by adding ½ cup Soya Sauce+1 tbsp Sugar+1 tbsp Red Chilli Paste+ ¼ tsp Citric Acid/1 fresh Lime Juice.
2. Galangal is available as fresh/dried/paste form in local oriental stores or Asian stores and sometime in supermarkets. If you don’t have Galangal in your pantry use Ginger and 1 tsp Lime juice instead. I usually add small piece of ginger along with galangal which gives extra flavour and kick to the curry.
3. Sambal Olek is basically a spicy chilli paste. You can make your own Sambal Olek at home by grinding
10-15 Red Chillies (with seeds) + 2-3 tbsp White Vinegar + 1-2 tsp Salt (OR)
10-15 Red Chillies (with seeds) + 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar + 1 tbsp Palm Sugar + Salt (OR)
10-15 Red Chillies (with seeds) + 2 tbsp Lime Juice + 2 tbsp Sesame Oil + Salt
Store this paste in a sterilised glass jar and store it in fridge. It usually lasts for few weeks.
4. Kaffir Lime Leaves are usually available in Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai stores as fresh or in frozen section. Dry Kaffir Leaves are available in any big supermarket in their dry herbs or oriental food aisle. When they are not available substitute them with lime zest and juice.
5. Lemon Grass is available as fresh/frozen/dry/paste. You can substitute them with lime zest and juice.

Veg Thai Red Curry

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Veg Thai Red Curry
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
½ cup Carrot, thinly sliced
½ cup Mushrooms (I used Shiitake Mushrooms), sliced
½ cup Potato, diced into a 1 cm cubes
½ cup Baby Corns, sliced
½ cup Sugar Snaps/French Beans, cut into 1 cm pieces
½ cup Green Peas
½ cup Red Bell Pepper, cut into small pieces
½ cup Spring Onion Greens, thinly chopped
1 can Coconut Milk
2 tbsp Sambal Olek/1 tbsp Red Chilli Paste
2 fresh/frozen/dry Kaffir Lime Leaves, snipped into thin strips (Optional)
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Red Curry Paste

For Red Curry Paste:
1½ tbsp Coriander Seeds
3 Green Cardamom Pods, (only the seeds)
4-5 Dry Red Chilies, adjust acc to taste
¼ tsp Black Pepper
2 Garlic Flakes
1 small Onion
1 inch Galangal/Ginger
2 sticks Lemon Grass (lower half)/ ½ Lime zest + 2 tbsp Lime Juice
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tbsp Tamarind Juice
½ cup Coriander Stems (not leaves)
2 tbsp Basil/1 tsp Dry Basil Powder

Veg Thai Red Curry

Method:
Dry roast coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, dry red chilies and black pepper over a medium heat for around 1 minute.
Grind the above roasted spices with garlic flakes, galangal, lemon grass, tomato paste, tamarind juice, coriander stems, onion and basil to a smooth paste.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add ground red curry paste and sauté it over a medium flame for around a minute.
Add all the vegetables except for spring onion greens and pour water so that the vegetables are just covered and cook over a medium flame for around 5 minutes till the vegetables are half cooked.
Then add coconut milk, salt to taste, kaffir lime leaves, sambal olek and cook for further 10-15 minutes till the vegetables are cooked.
Switch off the flame and chopped coriander leaves, greens of spring onion and serve hot with aromatic Jasmine Rice.

Jasmine Rice is one of the two main types of rice grown in Thailand; the other is sticky rice (which is not the same as sushi rice). Jasmine rice is an aromatic long-grain rice with almost translucent grains and often it is called as milagrosa or mali rice. For a perfectly cooked scented Jasmine Rice the trick is to use less water. By this way the rice is actually being steamed instead of boiled during the second half of the cooking process.

Aromatic Jasmine Rice

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How to Cook Jasmine Rice:
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 2

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Microwave Method:
Rinse the rice by gently moving your fingers through it until the water runs clear and drain.
Put 1 cup Jasmine rice into microwave container with a lid.
Add 1½ cups of boiling water to the rice and cover the dish with lid and cook on full power for around 13-15 minutes.
Remove from microwave and let stand for 5 minutes and fluff with chopsticks or a fork before serving.

Stove Top Method:
Rinse the rice by gently moving your fingers through it until the water runs clear and drain.
Put 11/2 cup of water to boil and add 1 cup of Jasmine rice.
Cover tightly, lower heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes
Remove from the heat and let stand for a few minutes and fluff with chopsticks or a fork before serving.

Tips:
The amount of water to add can vary depending on the rice. New crop rice – rice grown in the same year – is not as dry and needs less water.
Cooking jasmine rice in a rice cooker can be tricky. Try reducing the amount of water called for in the rice cooker's directions - even to a 1:1 ratio if necessary.
1½ cups jasmine rice gives about 3 1/2 cups cooked rice.
Cold jasmine rice is very good for making fried rice.
(Source: about.com)

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