Vegan-A-Day: Pan Fried Tofu Triangles with Soy-Sesame-Ginger Sauce

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'Now I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you anymore.' ~ Franz Kafka, while admiring fish in an aquarium

Almost every cuisine in the world boasts of many dishes that revel in their beautiful flavours of various veggies, fruits, seeds, beans and aromatic oils. Indian cuisine is no different, where for every 3 people, 1 is vegetarian. For ages, eating a satisfying plant cuisine is strongly imbibed into our traditional, every day food along with complex spice combinations.

Now, being a vegan is like taking a step further - living without meat or any kind of animal products. It is often a misconception that Veganism is like depriving yourself from what you love to eat. I think, all it needs is a little creativity to think beyond a plate of calorie-rich proteins.

When Harini threw the 'One Day Vegan' challenge at us, I wondered  What it’d be like to be a vegan, just for a day?. I was curious to know how does it feel like to live without eating any animal products (in my case, it is just milk with cereal for breakfast & yogurt/buttermilk at the end of every meal)? - A challenge that would put all my ideas to test and it really did!

I asked TH to do this challenge along with me, but let me tell you upfront: He is a die-hard-yogurt fan. With a lot of convincing, he agreed to this Vegan challenge with me. Our breakfast and lunch went well, just as planned, but by dinner time, he just couldn't stop himself from having that one glass of buttermilk! While, I went on to successfully complete my challenge. Yay! :-)

Here is our menu for the day:

Breakfast: Wholegrain Idlis with Sambar (Click here for the recipe)

Lunch: Pan fried Tofu Triangles with Soy-Sesame-Ginger-Sauce and rice (recipe follows)

Dinner: Roti and Nimbu Masoor Dal (made with Olive oil) (Click here for the recipe)

As a part of this challenge, Harini is also having a giveaway by collaborating with folks from Krya, whose main motive is to - "create natural, environmentally sustainable products that one can use around the home." Read more about them here, who they are and what they do. :-)

 Recipe: Pan Fried Tofu Triangles with Soy-Sesame-Ginger Sauce

Ingredients:

200 gms of tofu (I got mine from M K Ahmed, Bangalore - Ka Kim's variety)
2 tbsp canola oil
salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

For Soy-Sesame-Ginger Sauce -

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Preparation:

1. Place the tofu on a cutting board and a bowl with filled water on it (for 10-15 mins). Make sure the pressure is not too much which can crumble the tofu. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Cut into triangles.

2. Season the tofu triangles on both sides with salt and pepper and then spread each side with some garlic.  Lightly coat the slices with the flour.

3. Heat oil in a skillet and add these flour coated tofu pieces. Cook on both sides, until slightly crisp golden brown. Set them on paper towels, to drain off the excess oil.

4. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients listed for Soy-Sesame-Ginger sauce. Make sure you have a balance of flavours and neither of them is too over-powering.

5. Drizzle some sauce on the tofu triangles and Serve with rice on the side. Yum!

Verdict: One thing I realised is that, it is not that hard to be a vegan, especially for we, Indians. It is a way of life, once has chosen to live and I commend them for that choice. Truth to be told, I really really missed my tangy buttermilk with ginger & coriander, which I am so used to having at the end my dinner. Time to get inspired from Lataji and make her 'Vegan Moarkuzhambu' I guess. :-). Thanks Harini for this challenge, now I know, how & what it feels like to be You, even though it was just for a day! Kudos.

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until next time,

Chickpea Sundal

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Chickpea Sundal

Typically made on Navarathi days as 'neivedyam', Sundal prepared with any kind of legumes is a very healthy and highly nutritious snack cum side dish. It is interesting how you make a dish all-the-time but never care to blog about it. :-). Well, that happens to me all the time. Blame my laziness or the hectic life-style juggling between work & home. This is one such simple dish and Enjoy!

Preparation:

1. Open up 1 can of chickpeas. Drain the liquid and wash with water couple of times. Keep aside. (or soak overnight and pressure cook until 4-5 whistles).

2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a skillet and add 1 tsp of mustard seeds & asafoetida. Add minced ginger and finely chopped green chillies. (optionally curry leaves and red chillies can be added)

3. After a minute, mix in chickpeas. Season with salt and little amchur powder (raw mango powder). Cook for 5-6 minutes. Finally sprinkle 2 tbsp of shredded coconut. Cook for couple of more minutes. Serve warm as-is or as a side dish.

the same was also blogged by -

Nags
Raaga
DK

Before I say bubye, here is a song I heard recently and instantly loved it.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend ahead.

until next time,
Siri

Roasted Sweet Pepper Focaccia Bread

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I very vividly remember my first encounter with a Focaccia with some herbs & garlic. Absolutely delicious. Since then, I have baked this versatile bread with countless number of toppings. Focaccia starts with a simple dough, much easier than most of the bread doughs.

....Just place it in an oiled pan, press the dough out to the edges, dimple it with finger tips, flavor with any fragrant toppings, let it rise a bit and bake it. Done. :). To serve them as a simple treat to children, shape them into small focacce or focacine (little discs made just to fit the palm of our hands). When eaten warm, focaccia can be a one-dish meal, a snack or perfect picnic food.

Slit the bread and fill with onion, mushroom, clam or even creamy cheese fillings. Possibilities are just endless. The twist in this recipe is that I have used my 8 inch cast iron skillet to make the bread instead of the normal baking pan. The result is just spectacular as the little skillet is my new love these days :). I hope, I have inspired you guys to bake some fresh Focaccia bread for dinner tonight :D.

Skillet Banana Bread

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My recent priced possession is an 8 inch cast iron skillet. It is versatile, easy to use, durable and can go from stove top into the oven within seconds. Remember, this is how our old grandmas used to cook and that's why their dishes used to taste so delicious. :) From dutch babies to souffles to breads to cakes - anything & everything can be made in this ultimate, magical gourmet tool and with such fantastic results with my first attempt, I am determined to make them all.

Below are some notes for YOU and for ME that are important to know.