Indian Twist

Once upon a time I had a whole bunch of random, but delicious nonetheless, ingredients in my fridge at school. I wanted to make something with all of them because I knew the various ingredients could combine to make something delightful. Because I had made Samosas (recipe for that later) earlier in the week - I had a bunch of fresh Indian and Indonesian spices. Hence - the dish that I made was very reminiciant of Indian food - but all the ingredients you can get at your local grocery store! I never wrote this recipe down and every time I have cooked it again, it changes. Here is my first attempt to write it down!

Ingredients:

- 1 lb of extra firm tofu

- Kale (a whole bunch), roughly chopped

- Tomato Paste (1 can)

- Chick Peas (1 can)

- 1/2 an Onion, chopped

- A little bit of fresh ginger, pealed and grated

- 3-ish garlic cloves, minced

- Hot Sauce (I recommend Harry's Habanero Hot Sauce from the PFC in Ann Arbor)

- Mustard Seeds

- Coriander

- Curry Powder

- Kosher Salt

- Fresh Ground Pepper

- Rice (I either use Jasmine rice or wild long grain brown rice)

- Peanut Oil

Assembly:

1. Prepare rice according to directions, then set aside.

2. Cut tofu into 1/2 in cubes. Heat 1/4 inch of peanut oil in a frying pan then slowly add the tofu. Cook until all sides are browned and firm.

3. While the tofu is cooking/frying, heat a LITTLE bit of oil in a sauté pan. Add in the spices (garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, curry powder, coriander) so they have time to infuse into the oil. Add the chopped onions and cook until translucent.

4. Then add in the kale and cook down until their is more room in the pan. Add in chickpeas and incorporate.

5. Add tomato paste to the kale mixture and incorporate until all ingredients are coated with tomato paste. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste. Continue heating.

6. Add some hot sauce to the kale mixture to add a little kick, also add more curry powder.

7. Incorporate cooked tofu into kale mixture, making sure not to 'smoosh' the tofu when mixing in.

8. Serve over a rice and enjoy!

(and for all you people like me who have a hard time cooking for just one or two people, this keeps VERY well in the refrigerator and reheats well too).