Tofu, ever the chameleon, lends itself to pairings with a multitude of sauces for nutritious and easily prepared meals. This is a favorite.

SERVES 4

TIME: 30 MINUTES

2 cups chopped onions

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1½ tablespoons grated peeled ginger root

2 tablespoons Curry Powder or commercial curry powder or garam masala

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cake firm tofu (about 16 ounces), cut into ½-inch cubes

1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes

black pepper or hot sauce

In a large saucepan with a lid, cook the onions, peppers, and salt in the oil on medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, Curry Powder, cinnamon, and tofu. Cover and

cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Occasionally stir gently. Add black pepper or

hot sauce to taste.

serving & menu ideas

Serve at the table with pappadams and toasted cashews, chopped cilantro, and plain yogurt. This dish matches well with Coconut Rice or Yellow Rice. Remember to start cooking the rice before you

Rice or Yellow Rice. Remember to start cooking the rice before you make the curry. If you’d like dessert, Caramel Custard is a nice choice.

SERVES 4TIME: 45 MINUTES 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon fennel seeds 1 minced fresh chile or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1½ cups sliced onions 2 pounds potatoes 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups chopped tomatoes 2 tablespoons lemon juice 10 ounces fresh baby spinach

SERVES 4


TIME: 45 MINUTES

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

1 minced fresh chile or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1½ cups sliced onions

2 pounds potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons lemon juice

10 ounces fresh baby spinach

Heat the oil in a pot on medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds.When they start to pop, add the cumin and fennel seeds. Stir for a few seconds and add the chile or red pepper flakes and the onions.

Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes.Meanwhile, scrub or peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges (about 6 cups). Add the potato wedges, salt, and 1 cup of water to the onions, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just tender. Stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice and cook, covered, until the potatoes are done, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and simmer

until the leaves are wilted.

INGREDIENT NOTES 

Use ground cumin and/or fennel if seeds aren’t available.

In place of fresh tomatoes, you can use a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes.

serving & menu ideas Top with yogurt and cilantro. Serve with naan bread or pappadams

or on a bed of rice. Serve with chutney or fresh mango slices on the side.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

6 green bell peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (14¾-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup cooked long-grain white rice
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cut off the top of each bell pepper and remove the seeds. Put the peppers in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
3. Set a skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, onion, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up any lumps with the back of a spoon, until the beef is browned thoroughly, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.Add the Worcestershire sauce, allspice, and rice; stir well.
4. Coat a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Stuff the peppers with beef mixture and place them in the prepared casserole dish. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bread crumbs. Scatter the bread crumbs over the peppers and place the dish in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the meat is heated thoroughly.

Tomato Sauce

stuffed peppers with a rich tomato sauce.

MAKES 4 CU PS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups diced canned tomatoes

½ cup finely minced celery

1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic; sauté for about 8 minutes or until

tender. Add the tomatoes, celery, vinegar, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper and cook about 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the peppers before baking.

Ingredients 

3 cups chopped spinach  2 large onions chopped fine 
2 large potatoes boiled and peeled 
1 tomato grated 
2 green chillies 
1" piece ginger 
1 tsp. lemon juice 
1/2 tsp. wheat or other flour 
1 tsp. red chilli powder 
1 tsp. cinnamon-clove powder 
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder 
1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
2 pinches asafoetida 
1/2 tsp. garam masala 
1/2 tbsp. butter 
4 tbsp. ghee  
salt to taste











METHOD: 


Put the washed spinach in a pan, add very little water (just a sprinkle) and a pinch of salt. 
Cover and boil over a high flame for 2 minutes. Cool quickly, or hold under running water in a colander. 
Put in a mixie, add green chilli and run for a minute. Keep slightly coarse, do not make very smooth. 
Keep aside.  

Cut the potatoes into big pieces. Heat ghee and fry potatoes till light brown. 
Drain the potatoes, keep aside. 
In the same hot ghee add the cumin seeds. 
Add the ginger, onions and fry till very tender. 
Add the tomato and further fry for two minutes. 
Add all the dry masalas and fry till ghee separates. 
Add spinach and potatoes. 
When it resumes a boil sprinkle the flour and stir well. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice 
Just before s erving heat butter in a tiny saucepan and add the asafoetida. 
Pour over the vegetable and mix gently. 
Serve hot with naan or parathas or even rice. 

Note: You may use boiled peas, boiled corn kernels or paneer chunks in the above dish, instead of atoes. 

Making time: 45 minutes  
Makes for: 6 
Shelf life: Best fresh 

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice 1 1/2 cups
Milk 2 tablespoons
Saffron (kesar) a few strands
Almonds 10
Pistachios 10
Cashewnuts 10
Raisins 10
Green cardamoms 5
Cloves 5
Ghee 1/4 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Kewra water 1/4 teaspoon
Mawa (khoya) 1 cup + 1 tablespoon

METHOD

Wash and soak rice in three cups of water for fifteen minutes. Heat milk slightly and dissolve saffron in it. Blanch almonds and pistachios in one cup of hot water for five minutes. Drain and cut into slivers. Roughly chop cashewnuts. Wash raisins and pat them dry. Boil four cups of water and add soaked rice along with half the green cardamoms and cloves.Cook till the rice is half done and drain away the excess water. Add the saffron dissolved in milk and mix. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and add the remaining cardamoms and cloves and sauté for two minutes. Add half cooked rice and sugar, cook over low heat for ten to fifteen minutes stirring at regular intervals. Add all the dry fruits and kewra water, cover the vessel and continue to cook. After the water has dried up, add khoya, stir well and cook for fifteen minutes or till done. Serve hot.

Ingredients For cover: 1 1/2 cup plain flour 3 tbsp. oil salt to taste cold water to knead dough

Ingredients  

     For cover: 
     1 1/2 cup plain flour 
     3 tbsp. oil 
     salt to taste 
     cold water to knead dough 

   

     For filling: 
     1 cup yellow moong dal washed and soaked for 1/2 hour 
     1 tsp. garam masala 
     1 tsp. red chilli powder 
     1/2 tsp. dhania (coriander) powder 
     1/2 tsp. coriander seeds crushed coarsely  
     1/2 tsp. fennel (saunf) seeds crushed coarsely  
     1/2 tsp. cumin seeds 
     1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 
     1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped  
     salt to taste 
     2-3 pinches asafoetida 
     1 tbsp. oil 
     oil to deep fry 
     1 tbsp. plain flour for patching 

Method 

     For cover: 
     Mix flour, salt and oil, knead into soft pliable dough. 
     Keep aside for 30 minutes. 

     For filling: 
     Put plenty of water to boil. Add dal. 
     Boil dal for 5 minutes, drain. 
     Cool a little. Heat oil in a heavy pan. 
     Add all seeds whole and crushed allow to splutter.  
     Add asafoetida, mix. Add all other ingredients. 
     Mix well. Do not smash the dal fully. 
     But enough to make the mixture hold well. 
     Remove from fire, cool. 
     Divide into 15 portions.  
                                                                                                                                                                  
     Shape into balls with greased palms. 
     Keep aside. 

     To proceed: 
     Make a paste with water, of flour for patching. 
     Keep aside. 
     Take a Ping-Pong ball sized portion of dough. 
     Knead into round. Roll into 4" diam. round. 
     Place one ball of filling at centre. 
     Pick up round and wrap ball into it like a pouch. 
     Break off excess dough carefully. 
     Do not allow cover to tear. 
     Press the ball with palm, making it flattish and round. 
     Repeat for 4-5 kachories. 
     Deep fry in hot oil, on low flame only. 
     If the kachori get a hole anywhere, apply some paste. 
     Return to oil and finish frying.  
     Turn and repeat for other side. 
     Fry till golden and crisp. Small bubbles must appear over kachori. 
     Drain and serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys. 

     Making time: 1 hour (excluding soaking and cooling times) 
     Makes: 10-12 pieces 
     Shelf life: 2-3 days  

     Note: Take care to fry on low. Hurried frying will result in soggy and oily kachories. 

Ingredients for dhum aloo:

900gms Aloo (Potatoes)

33/4th cups water

Salt To Taste

Ghee or oil for deep-frying

1 cup ghee

1 large Onion (finely chopped)

4 tbsp tomato puree

140 ml curd

4 tbsp hot water

1 green pepper (seeds removed and sliced)

1tsp garam masala powder

Spices

4 cloves

4 bay leaves

6 black peppercorns

4 green cardamoms

1 brown cardamom

1piece cinnamon stick

Paste

1 large onion (chopped)

12 flakes garlic

2 tbsp ginger

6black peppercorns

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 dry red chilies

1 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of ground mace

A pinch of ground nutmeg

DUM ALOO

How to make kashmiri dum aloo:

   * Scrape the aloo (potatoes), prick all over with a fork and soak in the water with little salt for 2 hours.
   * Dry the potatoes on a cloth and heat the ghee or oil.
   * Deep fry the potatoes until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
   * Heat the measured ghee in a flameproof pan and fry onions with all the spices until golden.
   * Grind the paste ingredients to a fairly smooth paste and stir into the onions.
   * Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, curd and salt.
   * Add the aloo (potatoes) and hot water and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes.
   * Sprinkle the dum aloo with pepper and garam masala and cook for few minutes.