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It’s appalling to see the cookery programs like ‘America’s Test Kitchen’, and others still touting and using nutrient-nil, all-purpose flour for sauces. There are many natural and quality ingredients readily available at the market place right now for cooking purpose.
Almonds, cashews, coconut, chestnuts, dalia, sunflower seeds, peanuts and poppy seeds, to name a few.
Cost-effective and nutrient rich, just few tablespoons of any of the above in paste form would be enough to thicken the sauce or gravy and turn them to tasty. It’s 21st century, and proven information is out there on how harmful the all-purpose flour diet can be to a human body. Still, these so called chefs posing as cookery educators seem to relish falling back on the faux traditions. They won’t hesitate to leave their spouses and relationships behind when they become unhealthy. It’s puzzling why they continue to enjoy and propagate this dreadful all-purpose flour abuse on humankind.
If you are one of those struggling to break away from all-purpose flour addiction, the following recipe will work wonders to train the taste buds fearlessly boo the bland bechamel.
Spinach and Soy Bean Curd (Palak and Tofu)
Recipe:
For Palak (=Spinach) Puree:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 cup, finely chopped onions
4 green chillies, Indian or Thai variety- finely chopped
2 cups, finely chopped tomatoes (2 large tomatoes)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 bunch, fresh spinach, cut to big pieces, about 6 cupsFor Palak Tofu:
1 teaspoon peanut oil
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ cup poppy seeds (or ½ cup cashews), powdered
2 tablespoons kasuri methi (livens up the Palak Tofu)
½ teaspoon each – garam masala, salt and turmeric
15 tofu cubes, about 1 inch sized
Palak Puree Preparation :
Heat oil in a wide skillet to a smoking point. Add onion, green chillies and tomatoes. Cook them to soft brown mush. Remove the contents to a plate.
Add the spinach to the skillet, and saute until the leaves collapse. Remove to a plate and wait for at least 5 to 10 minutes for them to cool down.
Take the cooled onion, chillies, tomatoes and spinach in a blender. Add a pinch of salt. Blend to thick puree. Set it aside.
Palak Tofu Preparation :
Clean or wipe the same skillet and then add and heat oil. Add and toast the cumin. Add the spinach-tomato puree. Sprinkle the powdered poppy seeds, kasuri methi, garam masala, salt and turmeric. Along with about a cup of water. Stir well. Add the tofu cubes. Simmer on low heat for about ten minutes. Serve warm.
Palak Tofu, as you can see is a very easy preparation, takes about 20 to 30 minutes. That’s all, and makes a memorable meal when eaten with chapati, paratha, rice, pasta, or millet.
Palak Tofu, to Satiate the Sharp Hunger Pangs ~
Meal Today, and for Rajitha’s WBB: Soy Event
note:
Calorie count – poppy seeds
~ Indira
I’m ashamed to confess but I’m an all-purpose addict, and my new year resolution is break the addiction.
I made this recipe yesterday, with spinach, tofu and cashews. It came out excellent, Tofu never tasted this good before.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Comment by Jennifer — February 9, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
I made a saarson ki saag version of this with tofu instead of the paneer. amazing. Indira, I must say, I’ve never been disappointed with your recipes.
Comment by Nilam — February 14, 2008 @ 10:56 am
Wow..that looks healthy and delicious..am preparing it tonight for dinner
Comment by divya — March 18, 2008 @ 4:30 pm
Excellent recipe! I didn’t have time for a grocery run, so I made it with a 10oz package of frozen spinach and a 14.5 oz can of whole tomatoes (discarded the juice) and followed the rest of the recipe. It was great. Oh, and I didn’t have paneer or tofu, so I used pearl oninons instead that I sauteed.
Indira, your recipes are wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing.
Comment by c. — March 20, 2008 @ 7:17 pm
Hi Indira,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been looking for a recipe exactly like this! I can’t wait to try it this weekend. I know it’s going to be awesome!
Comment by Terresia — April 18, 2008 @ 5:31 am
I made palak tofu this evening. It came out really good. thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
Comment by Jailakshmi — April 30, 2008 @ 10:18 pm
Hi Indira,
Thank you so much for this recipes.Which kind of tofu will be good for our indian curries…pls suggest if it is firm/extra firm/medium…
Comment by namratha — October 21, 2009 @ 7:01 pm
Thanks for this recipe! I made it today and it turned out great! Now I can have a healthy palak “paneer” at home instead of the fat version at the restaurant… Thanks again!
Comment by Myriam — December 6, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
It was wonderful to eat palak in this preparation. It is cooking and smelling yumm..
I cant wait to eat this…
This is the my highest rated preparation of palak-tofu.
Thanks,
Prachi
Comment by Prachi — February 20, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
Thanks so much for this recipe! It helped me cook up something in a jiffy. I didn’t use extra firm tofu, but had medium tofu and it turned out fine as well. Also, I used milk instead of water to get some extra calcium in 🙂
Comment by Sidrah — March 15, 2011 @ 10:09 pm
I tried this and it came out amazing
It’s gonna be my all time fave !
Keep giving us these creative recipes
Can’t wait to try everything . Iam pretty much
Doing recipes from ur blog literally every day
Thanks
Comment by Shobana — April 12, 2017 @ 8:27 pm