Tofu bhurji

This is a great take on Egg Bhurji the quintessential Mumbai spicy scrambled egg breakfast paired with soft fresh buttered buns or Paav. mmyum! I made this version with extra firm tofu, but I guess one can make it with softer tofu as well.

Cumin seeds
Onion (chopped)
Ginger (small piece)
Turmeric
Red chili powder
Pickled peppers (chopped)
Green peppers (finely chopped)
Tofu
Peas (a couple tablespoons of frozen peas would work well)
Tomato (chopped)

In about a couple tsps of olive oil, add a tsp of cumin seeds, fry for a minute then add onion and ginger and fry until onion gets translucent. Add half tsp of turmeric, and red chili powder. Add green peppers, pickled peppers, peas. Stir for a couple minutes, then add crumbled tofu. Fry well on high heat. Add tomatoes. Stir well.
Remember to season with salt at every point right from the onions to the tomatoes.

This would be great as a bruschetta, on sliced, toasted french baguette, rubbed with garlic.

I'll post pictures the next time I make it again, which I suspect will be soon, judging from the way it turned out today!

P.S.  I thought I'd add this as a comment, since I saw this now. But I can't add links to comments for some reason. I saw a wonderful recipe using tofu, similar one, by my friend Vaishali. She pairs her bhurji with wonderful bagels as a breakfast item. Super! Here.

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.

Tofu jiaozi for Tuesday

Tuesdays are vegetarian days for me, my small shot at self discipline. So when Vaishali announced her vegan Chinese challenge, I though it would be a wonderful thing to try for Tuesday dinner. It would be a wonderful way to curb that Chinese craving I have been having ever since I read about the challenge.

During her trip to my place last month, Xiaoying had taught me to make pork dumplings (jiaozi)the way she used to, in Shanghai. It was just a simple matter of a proper protein substitute to veganize it. I must admit that it turned out really really well.
This dish goes to Its a vegan world: Chinese at Vaishali’s site.

Tofu dumplings

Wrapper: I used store bought wrappers, but I have made jiaozi wrappers with flour, and water, mixed to make a stiff dough, and rolled out into thin, 3.5" circles.

Filling (for about 10-12 dumplings):
1/2 cup Soft tofu
1/2 cup Cabbage (Napa is the best, but even the usual cabbage will work) chopped real fine.
1/2 inch ginger piece, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 serrano/thai pepper (optional and depends on how hot you want the dumpling to be)
1 tsp soy sauce
salt to taste

Mix the filling ingredients.

Take a wrapper, and place about a tablespoon filling to one side of the circle. Moisten the edge of the circle. Fold the other side of the circle and seal. You can either pinch the edges to make it nice and frilly or use a fork to press the edge.

Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a pot. Add a few dumplings to the water. Wait till the dumplings rise to the surface. Add cold water, bring it back to a boil. By this time, the dumplings should be ready to be taken out.

Serve hot with a mix of soy sauce and sriracha hot sauce.

If there are leftovers, you can refrigerate it, and then just pan fry before you serve again. Dont microwave.