„Mango-Curry-Tofu“

Choosing just one recipe from this book to present here was really not easy. But I think that with this recipe I have chosen an absolute crowd pleaser, i.e. a dish that will delight almost every palate. If you don’t feel like tofu or eat a soy-free diet, you can use a can of drained chickpeas or about 500g of diced vegetables instead of tofu.

For the tofu:

400 g firm tofu

2 tsp neutral vegetable oil

0.5 tsp garam masala

0.25 tsp each cayenne pepper, cinnamon and salt

For the curry:

115g red onion coarsely chopped

2,5 cm / 1″ ginger

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp water

1 tsp neutral vegetable oil

0.25 tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin if you don’t have seeds)

2 bay leaves

4 cloves

300 ml coconut milk

160 g mango puree or mango pulp (without added sugar or only slightly sweetened, you can also puree some ripe mango yourself. Frozen mango works as well)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 generous pinch of black pepper

0.25 tsp garam masala

0.5 tsp sugar or brown sugar (optional)

Fresh coriander / cilantro for garnish

Additionally:

1 large skillet with lid

Food Processor or blender; might also works with a hand blender

Optional: rice e.g. basmati rice; per person with 4 eaters approx. 100 g, with 2 eaters correspondingly less, + the double amount of water

Preparation:

1. Wrap the tofu in kitchen paper and weigh it down with a weight. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to squeeze out excess liquid.

2. Cut the tofu into cubes of about 1.5 cm (0.5″).

3. Heat 2 tsp neutral vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the tofu cubes in the hot oil for about 4 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Add 1/2 tsp garam masala and 1/4 tsp each cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and salt and mix well. Sauté for another 2 minutes, remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.

3. Next, puree the onion with garlic and ginger in the food processor with 2 tbsp water until smooth.

4. Heat 1 tsp neutral vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Toast the cumin seeds, bay leaves and cloves in the hot oil for about 1 minute. Add the finely pureed onion mixture and fry for about 13-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be almost dry and no longer smell like raw onions.

5. Now add coconut milk, mango puree, salt, and apple cider vinegar and mix. Mix in the tofu and all the spices it was fried in as well and season with black pepper.

Optional: If you want to eat rice with the curry, remember to put it on the stove now so that it is cooked in time. My favorite method is the skillet method, where the salted water and rice are brought to a boil in a 2:1 ratio and then simmer, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes.

6. Cover and heat the sauce and tofu until it boils, about 5 minutes. Then simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes so that the sauce thickens. If you used unsweetened mango puree, you can add about 1/2 tsp of sugar to taste.

7. Serve hot, e.g. with rice and freshly chopped coriander / cilantro, and enjoy.