Peppers and Tofu curry

Last Saturday, I had a craving for a spicy curry which refused to go away. A hot spicy, coconut based, chicken curry. Well, I had decided I am switching to being vegetarian for a while, so I had to put on my thinking cap to decide about a vegetarian ingredient able to stand up to the spice and layers of flavor offered by curry. Potatoes, Chickpeas, all were out. So in walked Tofu. I figured extra firm could stand to all the boldness. I just had to tweak the curry a bit. I must say it turned good enough I simply had to share the recipe!

Coriander seeds 1 tblspn
Grated fresh coconut 1/4 cup
Cloves 3-4
Black peppercorns 5-6
Cinnamon stick 1/2 inch
Red onion 1 medium
Garlic 3 cloves
Curry leaves
Oil
Cumin seeds1 tspn
1 to 1-1/2 Green bell peppers, chopped into inch size pieces
1 cup extra firm tofu, cut into inch size cubes.

Roast coriander seeds. Add cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns, roast for a couple minutes. Keep aside. Roast coconut add curry leaves and roast for a couple minutes more. Fry onion and garlic keep aside. Add all the above ingredients to the blender and grind to a smooth paste. You can add upto 1/2 cup of water.


Heat 1/2 tblspn oil (I used olive oil) in a pan, fry the tofu till the surface of the cubes become brown. Take the tofu out, onto paper towels. To the pan, add 1 tblspn oil, when oil is heated, add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start changing color, add the green pepper and fry well in high heat. Turn the heat to medium, add the ground paste, and enough water to make a thick gravy. Add salt to taste. When the pepper has softened, add the tofu. Simmer for a bit. Serve with hot rotis or hot basmati rice.

If you'd like it spicier, add a tspn of red chili powder to the cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns and roast for a bit.

Anjana's chicken curry

Anjana's kitchen had a lot of feasts to offer, one of the most memorable was Kozhi-curry. Nostalgic moments from god's own country, mmm-yum! So here it is, recorded for posterity. All proportions are andaaz se, with due respect to Anju's kai-punyam.

Chicken curry Kerala style (From Anjana's recipe box)

Marinade: Roast coriander seeds (about 2.5 tablespoons for 1 chicken) and dried red chillies. Grind along with chopped onions, ginger and garlic. To this, add sliced onions, slit green chilly, poppy seeds (khus khus) and curry leaves.

Marinate chicken in the above marinade for about 15-30 min.

Curry: Fry bay leaf, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, fennel seeds (double of cumin seeds), cloves, cinnamon, finely chopped ginger and garlic. When garlic turns golden, add chicken, cook on high heat till chicken is slightly brown. Mix well, turn heat to medium, and let it simmer for about 20 min or so. Add a little bit of whole milk and salt. Add curry leaves. When chicken is done, add coconut milk. Let it simmer for a bit and turn off the heat. Ready!

Great with aapams or parboiled rice.

Spicy aubergine curry

I didnt want my blog to be a recipe blog but I figure I can pay public tribute to my friends or acquaintances /their parents whenever I cook their recipes.

And then came my good pal Vaishali's blog about eggplant. hmmmyum!

..then came a trip to H-mart and my drooling over these little brinjals in the vegetable corner.

..then an attack of memories as I opened my recipe box. This was several years ago when I went to Austin with my ex-husband. The only thing I remember about the trip were the all day cards sessions that everyone (but me) played while I played hide and seek with my head. And Nagesh's mom's fantastic brinjal curry. That curry was a remedy to lonely blues.

So here's to a variation on Nagesh's moms recipe! Again, there's no quantity specified, apologies.

Aubergines
Cumin seeds
Roasted peanuts
Red chilly powder
Turmeric powder
Tamarind pulp
Onions, finely chopped
Ginger paste or finely chopped
Garlic past or finely chopped
Garam masala powder (optional)
Tomato paste (little bit)
Cilantro leaves chopped

Heat oil and add cumin seeds. Add onions. When the onions are golden, add ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Fry a little, then add tamarind pulp, a little tomato paste. Add roasted peanuts. Grind the masala. Keep aside.

Cut brinjals into quarters, if you get the small ones like I did. Else you can chop the brinjals into 1/2 inch thick slabs. Salt the brinjal pieces, add a little red chilli powder and shallow fry the pieces. Drain the fried brinjal pieces on paper.

Add the ground masala to a pan and reheat. Salt to taste. Add the fried brinjals, add garam masala powder if desired and then chopped cilantro.

No pictures, but this is a yummy dish with rotis or parathas.