Chilli Tofu

I am not a big fan of tofu. To say I dislike it is safe. However, recently I took a guest of mine to HMart, the Korean Superstore (note to self: write a post on HMart).. He saw tofu there and he said that it reminded him of his days in China. So I bought some tofu to see if I can make something with it. After hunting for some recipes online, the one thing I wanted to try was Chilli Tofu (original recipe here). It looked really good so I decided to try it out. Result? I went back to the store and bought some more tofu...we have made this dish about 3 times in 2 weeks. Yes..it is that good!

We start by making a marinade. 

(For the marinade)

• 1 block extra-firm tofu cut into cubes.
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp soy sauce. I use the low sodium version.

Mix the ingredients and make a paste. Toss the tofu into the paste and coat tofu blocks with it. Set aside. The first time I left it for 20 minutes. The next time I left it for longer. I do not think it matters how long you leave it. Once done spray some oil in a non-stick pan (the first time I made this I used a heavy bottom pan...did not work. Non-sticks are made for a reason. LOL). Saute the tofu until the sides brown. Set aside.

Now for the next part. The things you need are

• 1 large green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green chili, minced
• 3 tsp canola oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp ground coriander powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp garlic-garlic paste
• 2 tbsp soy sauce.
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed into 1/4 cup water
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
• Salt to taste
• Green, leafy coriander for garnish.

Heat some oil in another pan. When hot add the cumin seeds and wait for it to sputter. Then add ginger garlic paste and onion. Cook till the onion becomes translucent. When done add coriander powder , black pepper powder and chilli. Toss around and then add green pepper. Cook till the bell pepper softens. Then add the tofu and stir. Finally add the soy sauce and the cornflour mixed with water. Stir and mix well. Remove from heat and serve garnished with coriander.

Tastes best with rice.

Kumato

Today we went to Safeway and were looking for tomatoes when I saw these interesting looking tomatoes known as Kumatoes. We bought them. It didnt taste very different...maybe a teeny tiny bit sweeter.

I found a lot of interesting things about Kumatoes online so I thought I would share starting with the pictures.

Kumato was developed in Spain. It is a hybrid tomato.  sales started off in Europe and Australia. But I guess now its available in America as well. 

A lot of information is available on its website...But here is a gist..

• Kumato® is grown in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and Canada, where the fruits ripen under optimum climatic conditions to ensure the highest fructose level and perfect firmness.
• The expert growers selected follow strict protocols and crop management procedures that respect the environment.
• As a result of rigorous quality controls from the moment they are harvested through to display at the point of sale, only the highest quality fruits are selected.
• All handling, packaging, storage and transport is carried out in temperature controlled hygienic environments, using methods that comply with international health standards for industrial premises (Eurepgap/BRC/IFS)is truly exceptional. Try it and you will experience authentic tomato flavour. Intense and sweet. Welcome to a world of sensations all the year round. Welcome to Kumato®.

One thing about growing Kumatoes is that it seems you cant! 

"Kumato seeds are not available commercially, and the company that produces Kumato, Syngenta, has said they will never make the seeds available to the public".

Did I like the tomato? I dont know..I could make out that it was MAYBE a tiny bit sweeter. Would I buy it again...absolutely. It looks pretty. Would it be a regular thing on my table? Probably not...Aren't our kitchens flooding with genetically modified food already?

Egg, bacon and tomato sandwich

Ok so now that I am officially on the South beach diet, I am looking for low glycemic food options. And on their website they have this egg,bacon and tomato sandwich which I really wanted to try.

As usual though I had to tweak things a bit. The big one being I did not use the oven to make my tomatoes. I did not want to turn on the oven for two tiny bits of tomatoes. Being green and all that. Here is my version of the recipe, which turned out delicious. I think its going to be a big fav in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

• Fat slices of tomatoes. 2 for each person.
• 2 teaspoon fresh chopped coriander (for every 2 tomato slices).
• Mustard. The recipe called for Dijon, but I used regular. About 1 teaspoon (for every 2 tomato slices). Just to coat the top of the tomato.
• 1 slice low fat turkey bacon (for every 2 tomato slices)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 1 egg.
• The recipe called for white wine vinegar to poach the eggs. It seems that putting in white wine vinegar in the boiling water before you put in your eggs help the eggs stay together. I need to try that one out. Today though I used normal water to poach the eggs.

Method:

• Put in a saucepan of water to boil for the eggs.
• Spray a little oil on a skillet and put in your tomato slices. Medium heat works fine. Since I did not turn the tomatoes over to cook I just had to make sure the heat was high enough to cook the tomato slices thoroughly but not high enough to burn the slice underneath. 
• Once the tomato slices are in sprinkle the chopped coriander on top of it. Also spread about a teaspoon of mustard over the tomato slices. Cover and cook.
• If you have a big enough skillet you can use the same skillet to make your bacon. Else, cook your bacon in another pan and when it is done crumble it and spread over the tomato slices. Cook thoroughly. About 10 minutes in medium heat, covered.
• In the mean time poach your eggs to the desired done-ness.
• Once all are cooked, transfer the tomato slices with the toppings onto a plate. Top off with the poached eggs.