Currying Flavor

It's rare that I make up recipes in my head and follow through to executing them in the kitchen. It's rarer still that I do so and feel compelled to share the results. I just don't have that kind of gift for cooking. Most of the time these great ideas I have all add up to meh. An ok meal, but loaded with woulda, shouldas. I'm an expert Monday morning quarterback of meal preparation. But last weekend, things came together differently--call it divine intervention or plain old dumb luck, but I made a really delicious curry without a recipe to follow.

I think it was pretty healthy, but I'll defer to my better qualified nutritionist friends to critique that. Except for the chicken bullion cube, which could be easily replaced by a vegetable broth option, it was vegetarian. Since I was throwing things together mad-scientist style, the measurements I'm providing are approximate. I have no picture since I had no expectation of success and we ate it all before I could think of photographing it. The mayor and the boy both liked it despite the obvious inclusion of tofu. Chicken could be substituted, but what's the sense in that unless you can't tolerate soy? This was tasty and hearty enough that I think that you could leave the tofu out altogether and put in a bit more potato. Anyway, I'll leave it to you to tweak to your heart's content.

Tofu Curry

2 tbsp. olive oil                                1 really large vidalia onion coarsely chopped

6 Baby carrots sliced thin                2 medium red potatoes diced

1 box firm tofu, drained & cubed    2 teaspoons curry powder

6 white mushrooms sliced               1 large green pepper cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 can of petite diced tomatoes         1 cup chicken or veg broth hot                    

1 tbsp garam masala                        1/2 packet Bartender's pina colada mix (hey, don't judge)

1 tsp corn starch                               red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet, toss in the onions, carrots and olive oil. Heat until onions start getting translucent. Throw in potatoes  and 1 tsp of curry powder keeping the heat high to medium. Let cook for a few minutes stirring often. Push all ingredients to one end of pan and put the tofu in in a single layer so that it browns. Turn tofu with spatula and try to brown on the other side. Add mushrooms, tomatoes and green peppers. Stir in red pepper flakes if using, cover and cook over medium heat while you prepare the sauce. To a cup of very hot bullion/broth add the remaining tsp of curry powder, the garam masala and the pina colada mix. Pour mixture over everything, boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix cornstarch in a little water and add to thicken. Serve with rice.

Take your time with each stage of this recipe. This amount served three with a tiny little bowl of leftovers. If anything was wrong, the amount of tofu was too much in proportion to the rest. Next time I'd cut it to half or 3/4ths. If you put this curry away and use it the next day, it will taste even better. I hope it comes out right for you if you try it!