Pumpkin Curry With Tofu Food

VEGAN PUMPKIN CURRY WITH TOFU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (or 204°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the pumpkin in half using a large sharp knife and rocking motion. If it's too tough to slice, pop it in the microwave for 30 - 60 seconds to slightly soften. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.
• Roast the pumpkin. Drizzle the pumpkin halves with a bit of the oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Place the halves, flesh side down, on the lined baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, until the flesh is fork tender and lightly browned. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients.
• While the pumpkin is roasting, boil the tofu. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Drain the tofu and pat with paper towels to remove excess water. Chop the tofu into cubes. Add tofu to the boiling water. Once the water returns to a boil, boil for 90 seconds. Use a strainer to remove the tofu from the water and drain immediately, or gently drain over a colander. Set aside.
• Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, the skin should be easy to peel off. Take one roasted pumpkin half and use a knife to score the flesh into cubes. Set the pumpkin cubes aside. For the other half, scoop out all of the flesh using a spoon and add it to a blender.
• Make the Pumpkin Sauce: in the blender with the pumpkin, add 1 cup water, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Blend until smooth - the texture should be a relatively thick puree. If needed, a bit more water until it comes together.
• Cook the aromatics. Heat a deep, large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds and toast until fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer to a mortar and pestle and roughly crush, or grind the spices in a spice grinder. Add these to a bowl with the other ground spices - turmeric, cinnamon, and nutmeg.1. NOTE: if using pre-ground cumin and coriander, just toast the mustard seeds and don't crush them (leave them in the pan) and move on to step 7.
• Heat the same pan over medium-high heat and then add 1 ½ tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil. Once shimmering, add the onions with a pinch of salt and sauté until they just start to turn brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, green chilies and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing frequently. Add the ground spices-freshly ground or pre-ground cumin and coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and nutmeg- and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
• Pour in the Pumpkin Sauce and coconut milk, and stir until well combined. If the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat. Add in the roasted reserved pumpkin cubes, green beans, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the curry starts to thicken. Add in the boiled tofu and gently simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the green beans are crisp-tender and the tofu is heated through.
• Add the garam masala, lemon juice, and cilantro, and stir to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly, adding more salt, lemon juice, or garam masala as needed. Garnish with additional fresh cilantro, if desired.

THAI PUMPKIN AND TOFU CURRY

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook the cubed pumpkin in boiling water until it is just cooked through, about 6 minutes (or microwave with about 1 cup water for 6 minutes) Drain and set aside. Heat a large sauté pot over medium-high heat. Add the red curry and stir for a few seconds, then add the coconut milk and lime zest. Cook for five minutes, then add the cooked pumpkin, sugar, fish sauce, basil leaves, and lime juice. Bring to a boil again and cook until the squash is soft, about 10 minutes. Garnish with cilanto leaves if desired. Serve with rice.

PUMPKIN CURRY WITH TOFU

Steps:

• Wrap tofu in paper towels. Place tofu onto a plate and place another plate on top. Set a 3- to 5-pound weight on top. Press tofu for 20 to 30 minutes; drain and discard the accumulated liquid and paper towels. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes.
• Heat canola oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry tofu in the hot oil until golden on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.
• Meanwhile, cut pumpkin into 3/4-inch cubes.
• Place pumpkin in a large saucepan with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until pumpkin is just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure the rind softens, but not to the point the pumpkin is falling apart. Drain pumpkin, reserving about 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Set pumpkin and liquid aside.
• Heat a large saute pot over medium-high heat. Add curry paste and stir for 15 to 30 seconds, then add coconut milk and lime zest. Cook for 5 minutes. Add cooked pumpkin, tofu, basil, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil; cook until the pumpkin is soft, about 10 minutes. If you feel there isn't enough curry liquid, add the reserved cooking water. Garnish with cilantro.