Tofu in Indian Spiced Tomato Sauce
Difficulty Level Easy
Mondays are always busy for me and fitting in the time to cook dinner was always a problem. I'm sure many of you live this way all week. You get home from work and have to get something on the table quickly because a family member has to rush off to sports practice or a lesson. My husband and I both work at home and our kids don't live here anymore, so Monday is my only panic day.
I used to do quick stir fries a lot, but I always seemed to be putting the last bite of dinner in my mouth as I was going out the door. I thought about leaving things to cook in the afternoon while I was out, but my husband, lovely as he is, can't be trusted to check the stove until the smoke detector goes off.
My crock pot has changed all that. I can get dinner started in the morning or early afternoon and leave for my piano lesson knowing that dinner will be waiting for me when I arrive home. This recipe isn't entirely done in the crock pot so there is a bit of last minute cooking, but nothing too onerous. Add a green vegetable and some rice or naan and you have a great Indian dinner. I didn't have any caraway seeds, so I substituted coriander and it worked just fine. It's not in the recipe, but I added a bit of salt to the tofu mixture, because it was a bit bland otherwise. I didn't cook mine for more than 3 hours on high.
INGREDIENTS
| 1 tbs | vegetable oil |
| 2 | onions, finely chopped |
| 2 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1/2 tsp | minced ginger |
| 1 | long green chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped |
| 6 | whole cloves |
| 4 | white or green cardamom pods |
| 1 | cinnamon stick, about 2 inches long |
| 1 tsp | caraway seeds |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1/2 tsp | cracked black peppercorns |
| 1 28 oz can | tomatoes, including juice |
| For Tofu | |
| 1/4 cup | all purpose flour |
| 1 tsp | curry powder |
| 1/4 tsp | cayenne pepper |
| 1/2 tsp | salt |
| 1 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 8 oz | firm tofu, cut into 1 inch squares |
PREPARATION:
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, ginger and spices and cook, stirring for one minute. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Transfer to a slow cooker stoneware.
- Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours.
- Tofu: On a plate, mix together flour, curry powder, cayenne and salt. Roll tofu in mixture until lightly coated. Discard excess flour. In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add dredged tofu and saute, until nicely browned. Spoon tomato mixture into a serving dish. Remove cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Layer tofu on top.
From 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson.
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