 |
Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 3 |
|
For a long time it seemed to me that there was more than a superficial resemblance between the white Indian cheese called paneer and tofu. When I finally made the classic Indian dish of spinach and paneer using tofu, it tasted amazingly at home in the cumin, ginger, and chile-laced sauce. There's a little going back and forth between the skillet and a food processor, but this is an easy dish to make. I serve it over rice with a sprinkling of toasted black sesame seeds. Ingredients:
1 carton firm or soft tofu |
salt |
1 large bunch spinach, stems discarded, leaves well washed |
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and coarsely chopped |
1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped |
1-inch knob ginger, peeled and diced |
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped |
1 cup diced onion |
2 tablespoons ghee, butter, or vegetable oil |
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin |
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, plus a pinch |
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper |
1/2 cup half-and-half |
1/3 cup yogurt |
Directions:
1. 1. Dice the tofu into pieces about the size of a sugar cube or a little smaller. Bring 6 cups water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the tofu, turn off the heat, and leave for 4 or 5 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain. (If you've used soft tofu, remove it with a slotted spoon.) Set aside.
2. 2. Steam the spinach until wilted, then remove it to a cutting board and chop. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water.
3. 3. Put the chiles, ginger, garlic, and onion in a food processor, and process until finely chopped. Heat the ghee or butter in a nonstick skillet, add the onion mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
4. 4. Add 1 teaspoon salt, the cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, and 1 cup water.Simmer for 5 minutes, then return the mixture to the food processor, add the spinach, and puree.
5. 5. Return the mixture to the skillet, add the half-and-half and the tofu, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt. Serve over basmati rice.
6. Per serving: 117.5 calories, 43.9 calories from fat, 4.9g total fat, 1.2g saturated fat, 4.2 mg cholesterol, 288.2 mg sodium, 15.3g total carbs, 1.2g dietary fiber, 9.6g sugars, 3.8g protein Nutritional analysis provided by TasteBook, using the USDA Nutrition Database From This Can't Be Tofu! by Deborah Madison. Copyright (c) 2000 by Deborah Madison. Published by Broadway Books.Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and The Savory Way, each earned the IACP's Julia Child Cookbook of the Year award. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone also received a James Beard Award, as did Local Flavors, her most recent book. She is also the author of the James Beard Award nominee This Can't Be Tofu! and The Greens Cookbook, which is now a classic. She lives in Galisteo, New Mexico.
|
|