Palak Tofu Paneer

1 lb Firm tofu, drained, cubed
1/4 c Soy sauce
Oil for deep-frying
2 1/2 lb Frozen, chopped spinach
6 c Fresh tomatoes, cubed
2 tbs Ghee
2 tsp Curry powder
2 tsp Asafetida
1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
3/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Cloves
2 tb Soy sauce

Soak tofu slices in soya sauce while heating the oil. Remove cubes from soy sauce and drain a few seconds in a strainer to remove excess soy sauce. Drop tofu cubes in heated oil all at once (or in a couple of separate batches if you desire) and cook till browned and a little crisp on the outside. Remove from oil and drain on plate covered with paper towels. In a skillet combine ghee, spinach and tomatoes and simmer on medium flame for 10 minutes. Remove lid and mix well. Heat oil and add the spices. Pour into cooking vegetables immediately, add soy sauce and mix thoroughly till tomatoes break up.Turn off heat, add cooked tofu cubes, and cover for a few minutes before serving.

Tofu in a hurry

1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 lb firm tofu
1 tbl canola oil
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbl freshly grated ginger
1 small hot red chili pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
2-3 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbl finely chopped cilantro or parsley
soy sauce

Cut the tofu into 1/2" cubes. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Stir in cumin seeds and cook for a second or two. Stir in the ginger and chili pepper and saute for a few seconds. Add the tofu and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the tofu is lightly browned on most sides, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, 2 tsp curry powder, and the turmeric. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the peas, cilantro to taste. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until most of the liquid released by the tomatoes has evaporated and the peas are cooked, about 1-2 minutes. You can adapt this recipe by - adding 1-2 cups shredded raw cabbage with the tomatoes - sauteing 1 large thinly sliced onion before adding tofu - using 2 large cloves of minced garlic instead of, or in addition to the ginger.

Spinach Tofu

Spinach (one medium frozen pack )Pressure cook this spinach with 2 tbsp masoor dal. Heat little ghee in kadai, cut tofu in paneer cube size, gently sqeeze water from it and fry it in ghee in medium heat. Keep aside. In kadai, add oil, 2 onions cut lengthwise and 3 cloves of garlic cut into small pieces, fry for a while and then - add 2 or 3 tomatoes. After this is cooked, blend both this and the cooked spinach in blender. In a kadai, heat oil, jeera, green chillies, finely chopped onion (1 medium sized), dhania podi, garam masala and fry. Add the blended spinach and onion-tomato to it and let this cook for sometime in medium heat. Add salt and red chilli powder to taste...and add the tofu pieces. Finally squeeze some lemon and garnish

To be continued......

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