Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Now, the recipe below for tofu and rice is fine if it's just you, but if you're having company you'll want to make it extra-special with these three super-easy accompaniments. Seriously, they are really easy; two of them are just "throw stuff in the blender and turn it on" and the third is "toss some chickpeas and spices in a bowl and then put them in the oven for an hour."
Recipes from Voluptuous Vegan. My comments are in bold.
I would at least triple the chickpea recipe if you're having more than two people. They're good to eat with your fingers for a snack, but they're also good with the whole meal. Put some rice on your plate and a large helping of the tofu, with some cuke sauce on the side; add a dollop of chutney and sprinkle on the chickpeas for some crunch.
Cucumber Raita
1 medium cucumber
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (I just use ground cumin)
1 pound silken tofu
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar (a white vinegar makes it look more like yogurt, though)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (I once substituted cilantro when the store was out of mint and it was almost as good)
Peel and cut the cucumber lengthwise down the center and scoop out the seeds. Slice into 1/4-inch half moons and place in a medium bowl.
Toast the cumin seeds in a small skillet for a couple of minutes over medium heat, until fragrant, stirring constantly. Grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Like I said, I skip this step.
In a food processor (I use my blender), combine the tofu, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cumin and process until smooth.
Stir the mixture into the cucumbers along with the chopped mint. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Tastes better if left longer so the sauce can absorb the cuke flavor.
Herbed Coconut Chutney
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 1-inch piece of peeled ginger, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, stem and seeds removed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Place all ingredients in a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. Be patient; allow the ingredients a few minutes to descend into the blender while blending. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
Roasted Chickpea Nuts
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
Salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
Generous sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the oil, a sprinkle of salt, and the lemon juice, ginger, and cayenne. Spread on a parchment-covered (tin foil works for me) baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes (longer usually), stirring 2 or 3 times, until the chickpeas are shrunken and browned. They can be eaten hot, warm, or at room temperature.
As long as we're apparently getting media attention, I should post a recipe or two, eh?
Spicy Tofu
Adapted from Diet for a Small Planet
2 pounds firm or extra-firm water-packed tofu
1/2 cup or more vegetable oil
2 t. turmeric
1 T. curry powder
1 T. cumin
1 T. dried basil
1 T. dried thyme
Lots of soy sauce
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup pine nuts
Remove all the excess water from the tofu: There are two ways depending on how much time you have. Either you can take a big towel and throw the tofu in it and then squish it to death, or you can take the same big towel and cut each brick of tofu in half and wrap the towel around the bricks and then put them underneath some heavy books or cans for half an hour, and then slice into small cubes. Either way, make sure you remove as much water as possible.
Heat the oil on high heat in a big frying pan. When hot, put all the tofu cubes or crumbles in. Cook until chewy and golden brown. It will take longer than you think. Stir very often.
When it's of the right consistency, drain any excess water in the pan, of which there should not be any if you followed the squeezing directions carefully, but no one's perfect. Reduce the heat to low and add a bit more oil if necessary to prevent sticking. Stir in the turmeric until the tofu is evenly colored. Add the other spices and keep stirring. Pour in a bunch of soy sauce, stir for a couple of minutes, and taste. Does it taste delicious or do you want more soy sauce? If so, add more and then taste again. Repeat until perfect.
Add the pine nuts and nutritional yeast and cook a couple more minutes. Add more soy sauce if you want, but just a little.
Serve over coconut rice (make arborio rice according to package directions except substitute one can coconut milk for the equivalent amount of water. "Lite" coconut milk is just coconut milk mixed with water, so don't bother with that shit).
You might also want to make the following three recipes with it, all lifted directly from Voluptuous Vegan....oh wait, Morag wants on the computer so I will post the others later.
