I will also call this dish, "HOLY PEAS, BATMAN!"
I love Indian food. Love, love, love it. I could eat Southeast Asian food (Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and I'm sure anything else from the region) for the rest of my life and be completely contented. Okay, so I'd need a healthy helping of Japanese too. Can't miss out on my sushi.
Anyway, I don't cook it a lot because Charles "doesn't care for it". Which, for him, means he'll eat it, but he won't pick it out himself. So, I save it for when I'm alone or when there's a special request from a guest.
Also, I don't always eat tofu, but on the occasion, it's money-saving ($2 for 16 oz. of it) and healthy.
Paneer is an Indian cheese (much like cottage cheese in flavor...maybe more like feta in texture), but this recipe uses tofu instead as a healthier option, which I liked. You get a similar texture and less calories! Hooray!
Now, this is a stir-fry. Not in the, "OH GOD I HAVE 5 SECONDS TO THROW EACH INGREDIENT IN BEFORE THE NEXT!" like all the Thai dishes I cook, but in the you-can't-walk-away-while-it's-cooking sense. Be ready. Have all the ingredients measured, easily accessible, and ready to go.
Ingredients:
3-4 T. neutral-tasting oil (vegetable, canola)
16 oz. firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 t. salt
1-2 T. oil (if needed)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 t. ground turmeric
1 t. garam masala
3-5 Indian finger hot peppers, stem ends removed
3-5 red Thai bird chilis, stem ends removed (adjust the chilis to your heat preference)
3/4 cup canned whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup of plain yogurt
1 T. oil (again, neutral)
1 1/2 T. ginger-garlic paste (process an equal amount of garlic & ginger in a food processor if you can't find any at the store)
1 1/2 t. granulated sugar
3/4 t. red chili powder (I used cayenne, 'cause I had it)
2 16 oz. packages of frozen peas (NOTE: I thought this was way too much. I had almost no sauce to eat. Use to your discretion.)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 T. plain yogurt or sour cream
Instructions:
Heat 4 T. oil in a wok over medium-high heat (more on the high end). When hot, fry the cubed tofu in the wok until pieces are golden brown on all sides. This will take 5-10 minutes.
When done, place tofu on paper towels to soak up oil, and sprinkle with 1/2 t. salt.
If needed, add 1-2 more T. of oil (I didn't have any left because I didn't wait long enough originally for my oil to heat, so it soaked into the tofu) over medium-high heat (more in the middle this time). Stir-fry the chopped onion until it is translucent and a golden brown color (not burnt!). Add spices and chilis, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently (my wok was quite dry at this point). Turn the heat up to medium-high again, add tomatoes and yogurt, and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Once done, remove the chilis and set aside. Pour the masala sauce into a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth. Add 1-2 T. water if the mixture is too thick.
Pause time! Clean out your wok and dry it!
Heat the last tablespoon of oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic-ginger paste and stir-fry until fragrant (this usually takes about 1 minute for me--don't let it burn!). Add the pureed masala sauce, the sugar, and the red chili powder into the wok.
Add 1/2 cup of water (or more, up to 1 cup). Bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add your frozen peas (REMEMBER, ADJUST FOR YOUR TASTES). Allow the peas to cook, and simmer the sauce (stirring often, of course) until the liquid has almost completely cooked off. Once the sauce has reached its desired thickness, add in the fried tofu and reserved chilis, and simmer for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in 2 T. of yogurt or sour cream.
SEE? DO YOU SEE ALL THE PEAS?!
Serve hot, plain or with your choice of basmati rice, naan, or roti (if you're not low-carb, of course).
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SOME NOTES:
DO NOT USE OLIVE OIL IN A STIR-FRY. Olive oil has too high of a smoking point and will lead to you very easily burning your food!
Adjusting the heat during a stir-fry is something I've learned to do with experience. Something seems like it's not cooking fast enough? Turn up the heat. It's cooking too fast and burning? Turn it down and hold the pan off the heat for a minute or so. Be on top of it!
Indian finger hot peppers are about the equivalent on the Scoville scale of a jalapeno. I had them in my freezer and wanted to use them. The original recipe called for green Thai bird chilis and dried red chilis, but I changed it up and it was still hot and tasty.
If you don't want to wash out your wok in the middle of cooking, use another (large) pan.
This has the potential to be vegan, which is why I labeled it so. Just sub in soy yogurt and/or cream.
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Hope you all enjoy!
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