Cauliflower and tofu scramble

I am missing Mummy and the food she cooks. I am missing her cauliflower palya. Try as I might I never manage to cook the cauliflower fully - my definition of done does not match the family's. So I proceeded to grate the cauliflower (less chance of under cooking; that was my theory) it and make it into a scramble with tofu.
And yooo hooo !!!!
The result was a hearty scramble with cauliflower lending a creamy taste almost like fresh grated coconut.


Serves 8 easily as a side.
Keeps well refrigerated for up to 5 days.

1 head cauliflower
1 block tofu
1/2 red onion chopped into a fine dice.
thumb sized piece of ginger grated
2 thai chillies ( leave this out if you want a milder scramble)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp paprika (optional)
4 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 lime juiced.
6 stalks of cilantro finely chopped

Wash the cauliflower, cut into florets and grate . Use a food processor, doing this with a hand grater takes a long long time.
Wash and drain the water from the tofu and microwave it for 5 minutes. This will help extract the moisture. Drain the water from the cooked tofu. When it is cool enough to handle, mash the tofu.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan or wok. Add the cumin seeds and wait until they crackle. Add the onions and the thai peppers and saute until the onions are transparent. Add the mashed tofu and cook turning it around a little until it begins to brown in spots. Add the cauliflower and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook until the raw smell of the cauliflower disappears and the cauliflower softens ( at least 5 minutes). Add the chilli powder (if using) , cilantro and the lime juice and and toss well. Turn off the heat.

Serving suggestions
It was a taco filling the first night
It filled a panini for lunch the next day
It went into a pita pocket for a snack

Kosambri and Masoor Dal Tacos

This is a simple weekday dinner with very little prep time and some largely unattended cooking time. The lentils and the kosambri were served with brown rice for dinner. Left overs were packed separately  to be eaten with hard shell tacos and they made an excellent school lunch.
I spent some time every weekend communing with my pressure cooker. I usually cook enough lentils and beans to last me through the week.
The french lentils were cooked and ready and this dinner almost made itself.

Serves 4 to 6
inspired by this ppk recipe

For the lentils
2 cups French lentils (or whole masoor dal) cooked.
1 yellow onion diced
1 serrano pepper chopped fine
1 fresh Anaheim pepper chopped fine
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
salt to taste

Directions for cooking lentils
Cook lentils in a large stock pot using 3 to 3.5 cups of water per cup of lentils. Cook the lentils on a medium flame. It should take you about 25 to 30 minutes.
If there is too much water left in the pan after cooking the lentils, drain the lentils. Reserve the water and use it to flavor soup or stew.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the mustard seeds and cover the pan with a lid. Once the seeds have crackled nicley, add the peppers and the onion. Saute until the onion browns nicely. Add the cooked lentils and salt to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes for the flavors to meld. The lentils should not be too soupy or too dry.


For the kosambri
Kosambri is an indian salad typically made with a single vegetable (cucumber, carrots or cabbage), soaked moong dal , seasoned generouly with lime and salt and tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies.

6 large carrots grated ( I use the food processor)
Juice from 2 limes
salt to taste
1/4 c cilantro ( leaves and stems chopped finely)
2 serrano peppers or 4 thai chillie peppers chopped really fine
4 -5 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp asafoetida
3 tsps oil.

In a large bowl  mix the carrots, salt, cilantro and half of the lime juice. Taste and adjust as necessary. The mixture should be fairly tart. ( don't worry the tempering will balance it out).
Heat the oil in a small sauce pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard and the asafoetida. Wait till the seeds crackle and splutter. Add the curry leaves. Pour this hot oil over the carrots. Mix it in and taste. Add more salt or lime juice if necessary.

For the tacos:
Fill the hard shell tacos with the lentils and top with the kosambri.

Curry leaves+cumin+potatoes+roasted poblanos = Taco fillling

This post should really be titled,'Lazy taco filling' or  ' How to make people feel you have slaved hours in the kitchen'. There really isn't a recipe. You preheat the oven and chop up some potatoes into a baking dish. Then you swirl around some oil.  Toss spices over the potatoes, shake it about and put it in the oven. While the potaoes are roasting, you take a pobalno pepper (Pasilla pepper) and roast it directly above a gas flame. If you don't have a gas stove; put the peppers under the broiler. When it is nicely blackened on all sides, put it in a bowl and cover it with a lid allowing it to steam. After about 40 minutes or so, when your potatoes are ready, pull them out of the oven and then add the roasted, peeled and chopped poblanos.
For the recipe
Oven  - 375 degrees ( Convection Roast)
Russet potatoes  -4 diced
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaf powder - 1 shake around the baking pan
Chilly powder or paprika - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt

Variations: Substitute yams or sweet potatoes for the russet