3 Mulligans

Curry From The Morning Of The World

I had intended to follow a specific tofu curry recipe, but when I couldn’t find black and green cardamom pods, fenugreek leaves, and coriander leaves at the store, I ended up butchering the list of ingredients. This translated into some drastic changes to the preparation. And since words like “handful,” “several,” and “some” were used to describe certain amounts, there was guesswork involved. Even so, it all turned out okay. There’s some zip here in the flavor, but not enough to send you away screaming. It’s the kind of spicy that swells after you’ve been eating for a while. Serve with basmati rice. Makes 6 servings.

2 lbs. firm tofu
4 t. olive oil
2 leek, rinsed and chopped
2 med onions, chopped
2-3 cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
6 cello carrots, sliced
1 med turnip, chopped
3” ginger root, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 ½ cups strained tomatoes
1 ½ cups water
1 t. fennel seeds
1 t. crushed red pepper
1 t. cumin
1 ½ t. coriander powder
1 t. tumeric
½ t. ground clove
1 T. curry powder
1 ½ t. garam masala

Drain tofu, cut into ½” to 1” cubes. Gently squeeze out moisture between paper towels and set aside to dry.

Over medium heat in a large deep skillet add 2 t. of oil and chopped vegetables. Stir often. Cook until tender-crisp. Add ginger and garlic. Cook about 2 minutes and continue stirring. Add 1 cup tomatoes and ½ cup water. Add fennel, red pepper, and cumin. Cook another 2 minutes. Add coriander, tumeric, clove, curry powder and continue stirring.

In a separate hot skillet, add remaining oil and tofu. Brown all sides of tofu but don’t overcook. Combine tofu with vegetables and spices. Add remaining tomatoes and water, and garam masala. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.