Nepalese Tofu And Pea Curry

I am always on a constant hunt for genuine ethnic recipes. So each time I go to a library or a store I am trying to grab a cookbook that would justify this hunger. I was pretty lucky on my last trip to our library discovering a cute little book on Nepalese cooking. I have tried several recipes so far, all of them yummy and spicy, somehow an interesting fusion between Chinese and Indian cuisine. Here, I would like to share my absolute favorite:

NEPALESE PEAS AND TOFU CURRY:
(Kerau Ra Tofu Tarkari)

• oil for frying
• 450 g firm tofu
• 2 cm fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 red fresh chili
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups peas
• 4 tomatoes
• 2 cups water or veggie broth
• 1/2 tsp ground chili
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala

Cube the tofu into 2 x 2 x 1 cm pieces and shallow-fry them until golden. Remove from the pan and pat dry with a kitchen towel to remove excessive oil. Grind the garlic, ginger, turmeric and cumin to a paste. Reheat the oil in a wok and fry the onion, cardamom and bay leaves until the onion are golden. Add the paste and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, garam masala and salt and cook until the tomatoes loose their shape and become compact with the rest of ingredients.

Add the water and boil down to a thicker paste. Carefully, add the tofu and peas and mix well with the sauce. Set off the fire, garnish with cilantro and serve.

My best choice so far with this unique curry has been mint pulao and apple or raisin pickle.

This one goes to Sunita´s Think Spice Think.... this time hosted by Simple Indian Food. Cardamom is the choice of the month.