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Braised Tofu and Peas in Curried Coconut Milk
Difficulty Level Easy
My husband bought me a copy of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian last week and I've been enjoying dipping into it for dinner ideas. I like his no nonsense approach to cooking. He specializes in quick recipes that are simple to make and taste great. This, and his other book How To Cook Everything are good basic training books as well, with lots of clear explanation.
It's been extremely cold lately, so I really wanted to cook something that didn't involve me having to dress up in many layers of clothing and braving the elements to grocery shop. I found this recipe for Braised Tofu and Peas in Curried Coconut Milk and it sounded perfect. My husband, also known as the guinea pig, is very good about eating whatever I put in front of him, but he does get a little tense about eating peas. I blame too many canned peas and carrots as a child. I actually love frozen peas, but I usually indulge in that when he goes on the occasional business trip.
I had a huge head of savoy cabbage, so I substituted some of that instead. I'm leaving the recipe as it appears in the book, but if you use another vegetable, Bittman won't mind. Like lots of braises, this is one of those dishes that is even better the next day.
INGREDIENTS
| 3 | large onions, quartered |
| 1 28‑ or 35‑ounce | can tomatoes with their liquid |
| 2 tablespoons | neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste | |
| 2 tablespoons | garam masala or curry powder, or to taste |
| 1 1/2 to 2 pounds | firm to extra-firm tofu, blotted dry, cut in 3/4-inch cubes |
| 1 1/2 cups | peas |
| 1 1/2 cups | coconut milk |
| Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish | |
PREPARATION:
- Combine the onions and tomatoes in a food processor and puree; depending on the size of your machine, you have to do this in two batches. Put the oil in a deep skillet or broad saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion-tomato mixture, along with some salt and pepper and the spice mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it thins and becomes saucelike, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tofu and peas and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tofu swells slightly and the peas are tender; stir in the coconut milk and bring just about to a boil, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with cilantro, and serve as described above.
From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman or his website Bitten.