Scrambled Masala Tofu

If you go to gym, what works best for you to forget that you are working out? After all, it is a grind to work out anyway.

It works best for me if there is someone on the next machine who can talk to me. It can be anyone and they can talk about anything decent. I can complete my 50 minutes cardio without even realizing.

I don't get lucky all the time that way. I have made couple of friends but don't always get them on the machine next to me. Or they come late and I am done by the time they come.

One day, I got lucky because there was this old man (probably in early 70s) on the machine next to mine who started the conversation. It started from where I am from to what we eat. When I said I am a vegetarian, his question was "So, you eat chicken?". I said "No". "Fish?" next question. "No" same answer. "What about shrimp?". "No" my answer. It went like that for a while. I was seriously getting irritated. Then he asked "Then how do you get your proteins?". I had to tell him we eat lot of lentils and some tofu. "Tofu? that doesn't taste good" was his comment. My remark "Tofu doesn't have a taste. If you know how to cook good, you can make tofu taste good".
This dish is extremely tasty and is based on the meat dish that uses ground meat called 'Kheema'.

One Year back -  Dark Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
Extra firm tofu - 1 block drained weight 14 Oz
Red Onions -  4 medium divided use
Tomato Paste - 2 heaping TBSP
Oil - 3 TBSP
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Turmeric - a big pinch
Salt - to taste
Peas - 1 cup (I used frozen) - See Notes
Sugar snap peas - 14 Oz frozen bag - See Notes
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Green Chillies - 5 or more per taste - optional see Notes
Ginger - 1/2" piece peeled
Garlic - 2 cloves
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Cilantro - 3 TBSP chopped

Method:
Drain the tofu. Line it with couple of paper towels on the top of a clean kitchen towel and place a heavy object on the top. Let it drain completely, about an hour or so. Grate the tofu with a medium grater. Set aside.
Among the red onions, take three onions and quarter it. Place the quarters in a blender or food processor. Add green chillies if using, ginger, garlic to it and make a coarse paste. No need to add water to it. Chop the remaining onion finely.
Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add bay leaf and cumin seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the chopped onion and the ground onion, ginger, chilli and garlic paste. Add turmeric and some salt and stir. Let it cook till most of the water is absorbed. When the water is almost absorbed, add peas and sugar snap peas. Mix and let them cook. Keep stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the tomato paste and yogurt. Stir. Add garam masala, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix everything. Now, add the grated tofu and stir. It almost will be like a mush, but that is alright. Let the tofu cook for 4 - 5 minutes and then check the seasonings. Add salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve with roti, chapathi, pita bread or even plain bread. This makes a very good based for a sandwich.

Notes:
For a milder heat, omit green chillies. If you do not have tomato paste, you can add one chopped tomato. You might have to cook it a bit longer to remove all the water content from it. I was planning to use just the green peas. I didn't have more than 1 cup so I used sugar snap peas. If using any frozen peas or edamame or green beans, use about 1 pound of it. You can even use a mixed vegetable bag.

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