broccoli and tofu in a hot , sweet n sour sauce .....

Who doesn't like color on the dining table ??
Choosing healthy colorful vegetables for a saucy indo-chinese vegetable dish is such a bright idea . Lowering the corn flour and eliminating the MSG ( soy sauce also has some MSG though ) doesn't make the dish bland and boring as many of us think . This dish was made for dinner and the night time pictures are so bright and shiny you can imagine how a little corn flour for glaze goes a long way if you choose brightly colored vegetables and cook them rightly..... 



ingredients...
( for 3-4 servings )

broccoli florets 12-15 nos.
slivered broccoli stalks 1 cup
tofu 100 gm cubed
spring onions 3 nos ( bulbs and lower halves only )
baby tomatoes 4 nos.
pineapple juice 200 ml ( i used from tetra pack )
white vinegar ( or any other of your choice ) 1 tbsp
tomato ketchup 1 tbsp
dark soy sauce 1 tsp
corn flour 1 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
ginger finely chopped 1 tbsp
garlic finely chopped 1 tbsp
green chillies finely chopped 1 tbsp ( or to taste )
whole dry red chilly 1-2 nos.
sesame or extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp + 2 tsp + 2 tsp


procedure...

Quarter the tomatoes . Slice the spring onions . Blanch the broccoli and keep everything aside.

Dissolve the corn flour with 2 tbsp of water , vinegar ,the soy sauce and tomato ketchup , add salt n pepper, keep aside.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a shallow pan and arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer to fry them , flip and fry on the other side too . It will absorb all the oil and get porous and spongy . This way tofu absorbs all the flavor of the soup or sauce . Deep frying is optional but i do this more often to minimize oil in the recipe.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep pan and throw in the broccoli stems first . I like the stems thoroughly cooked but if you like them crunchy you can add them later. After the broccoli stems start sweating add the chopped spring onions and toss to cook .Take care not to make them mushy as they need to remain firm textured . Add the blanched broccoli and toss and stir to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the quartered tomatoes , toss to mix and transfer the contents to a bowl.

In the same pan add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and throw in the broken red chillies first , wait for a second and then add the chopped green chilies , ginger and garlic . Wait till everything is fried well , then add the dissolved cornflour and the sauces ( stir it well before adding it to the pan as the corn flour tends to settle down )..

Let the mixture come to a boil , add the pine apple juice and all the fried vegetables ( cubed fresh pine apple pieces taste great with it too ) , mix well and let them come to a quick boil . Empty into the serving bowl and garnish with green coriander leaves if you must . I did not bother with it this time and it was a yummy dinner with some warm garlic bread .


Fried tofu is extremely spongy and soaks up the flavors very well , good news for tofu haters . Broccoli was crunchy and the tomatoes a bit squishy but undercooked and fresh inside . Spring onions and broccoli stems are well done and make a kind of base to this soupy saucy dish . Make it thinner and have it as a soup as we do it many times . Another variation is using just a lot of fresh cubed pineapples instead of the juice and making the dish dryish .... we love it any which way ........interesting textures dipped and wrapped in a yummy hot-sweet-sour sauce ...

Comments

  1. Sangeeta, U r right who doesn't like color on the dining table....dish looks beautiful...this is one of my fav. only I use red peppers instead of tomatoes & orange juice instead of pineapple...made it past friday only....

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  2. Thank you Lovelies....

    @ Poonam ...do try this and let me know how ddi you like it.

    @ Spice... i can't use any of the bell peppers as the husband is allergic to them , And i like it with orange juice too .

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  3. day before yesterday only saw a similar tofu recipe with cherry tomatoes on Kylie kwong but trust me your version is way much better. was planning to make that dish and was wondering what other veggies to add...here i get my answer. will make this soon. between I followed your method of steaming rawa idli and it was perfect...thanks. also your amla chutney is simply superb...Ushnishda vouched for the recipe and I also made that. simply delicious...my baby even loved licking it on my finger.

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  4. Thanks Sayantani... I love Kylie kwong recipes and while making any Chinese dish i feel like imitating her :)....but yes this one i love without any of the fish sauce n rice vine vinegar etc.

    About that amla chutny , i know it's so yummy n am glad that our kido liked it too. Did she like the idli too ??

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  5. This looks mouthwatering! I love "sweet and sour"!

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  6. this is very interesting! bookmarked!

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