Under 15 mins: Tofu Makhani

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Quick, easy & delicious. That is the mantra for my weeknight cooking. I am especially inclined toward Under 15 mins recipes and one-pot meals. Really, they are life-savers, especially for me where I have to get home, tired for an hour long ultra-fast (pun intended!) VTA train journey from work.

To freshen up my boring weeknight cooking, I ordered myself a couple of Tarla Dalal's recipe books. I like the fact they are tiny and the recipe is never more than a page long. That instantly gives me energy & echoes me back saying - Yes baby, this dish is doable.

One such quick-fix dinner is this absolutely yummy Tofu Makhani. The original recipe was for Paneer Makhani & I replace paneer with healthy tofu. You can very well use Paneer or Tofu based on what is lurking around in your fridge. Be adventurous, add potatoes or any other vegetables to the same sauce. *wink*.

The.Husband raved about this dish and finished the whole thing off. Ah! I love when I don't have left-overs as I generally hate to eat food which is more than a day-long. I wonder if that is good thing or a bad thing. Good becoz I am eating less stale food; Bad becoz I have to cook more often. Blah.

Everybody loves Paneer Makhani - "cubes of Indian Cottage Cheese simmered in a tomato gravy". Here is a healthy alternative to the same which tastes even better than the paneer version. Even the non-tofu-lovers will end up asking for a second helping. I promise. Compliments well with roti or biryani or just plain rice.

Tofu Makhani

Adapted from Tarla Dalal's Cooking Under 10 mins.

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup of extra firm tofu, cubed

1 medium onion, chopped (or 2-3 tbsp of onion paste)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

a pinch of turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder (or less - based on your desired spice-level)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between the palms

1/2 cup half and half (can use milk or cream instead)

2 tsp oil

a pinch of sugar

salt - to taste

Preparation:

Step 1 - Heat a tsp of oil in a skillet and lightly fry the tofu tubes, until light brown. Keep aside on a plate with a paper towel, to drain out the excess oil.

Step 2 - In the same skillet, add a tsp of oil and saute the chopped onions. Add ginger-garlic paste & stir for couple of minutes till the onions are slightly browned.

Step 3 - Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and tomato puree. Add a cup of water & cook for 3-4 minutes.

Step 4 - Finally add in crushed, dried fenugreek leaves, half & half and a pinch of sugar. Mix well and adjust salt, if required. The gravy will be a bit whitish as soon as you add in the half & half. Not to worry, it will blend in with the spices and the gravy will get that rich tomatoe-y color. :-)

Step 5 - Gently mix in the fried tofu cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Step 6 - Transfer into a bowl and Serve hot.

Sending this as my second entry to Simona's MLLA 31 event, originally started by dear Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

until next time,
Siri