By P.M. DEVLIN
Folks tend to get miffed by ethnic dishes. “I couldn’t possibly make that at home”…that sort of thing.
But ethnic dishes, particularly those of Asian countries, are remarkably simple, usually originating from peasant dishes.
The preparation is all in the ingredients that you use. They MUST be what the dish calls for.
Let’s get to it. This dish calls for:
- Red Curry powder
- Lemon Curry powder
- Chopped Garlic
- Extra Firm Tofu
- One onion, white
- Plenty o’ cilantro
- Can of bamboo shoots
- Fish sauce (available in Asian foods aisle)
- One head of broccoli
- Four peeled large carrots
- One can of coconut milk
- Hot sauce
- Basmati rice
Get the rice going in a pot or rice cooker. Remove your tofu from the water that it is packaged in and set on a few paper towels to let the water be drawn from it. Have all of your veggies chopped and washed and ready to go.
In a large pan, wok, or Dutch Oven, sauté all the veggies in olive oil except the broccoli (no one likes mushy broccoli).
When the onions are nearly translucent, add the contents of the coconut milk as well as ¾ of a cup of water. At this time also add a few shakes of salt and several grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil and then turn to medium-low simmer.
Now stir all the ingredients together and get an idea of what the dish is becoming. Add equal parts of both curry powders. Some like a mild curry and some like a bold curry, but about a tablespoon and a half of each is a good place to start.
Throw in the chopped garlic, some hot sauce to taste, and half of your chopped and washed cilantro. At this point it is basically curried vegetables, although the flavors will develop more deeply as the dish simmers. Turn the light down low and cover.
Now choose a non-stick skillet and warm about a quarter-inch deep of canola or vegetable oil. This is a good time to add the broccoli to the curry, allowing to steam on top of the other veggies.
Add cubed tofu to the skillet, allowing a bit of space between each morsel, as we want them crispy.
They will take about three minutes on each side, be careful not to over-brown. Remove tofu from the pan and set aside.
Now uncover your pot of curry and blend the nicely green broccoli in with everything else.
To plate this dish, I actually prefer a bowl.
Start with a layer of rice, then add the curry with a few shakes of fish sauce over each dish to liven it up and really get the most flavor out of what you’ve just created. Add the crispy tofu on top along with a few pinches of cilantro and enjoy all of the praise from your thoroughly impressed diner-guests.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
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Hungry for more delicious, gluten-free recipes? Check out the Gluten-free with PMD archive.
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Matt Devlin is a fishing guide in Missoula MT. He enjoys dry flies, “floating with the bros”, attempting to get his labradoodle to chase tennis balls, and writing.