photo by Kristin
I chopped both purple and white cauliflower, carrots and green beans and tossed them in about 1/4 c. olive oil and about 1 1/2 Tbs. garam masala and 1 tsp-ish salt. 20 minutes on a parchment lined sheet in a 400 oven was the longest step in this lunch, so it wouldn't be so bad to make the same day either. The baked curry tofu was a store bought item, for such an occasion. ( I'm not vegetarian, but I do like tofu.) Anyway, to assemble the rest of the dish took 5 minutes when I popped over from the studio this afternoon. I cubed the tofu and tossed it with the veggies, which were room temp. What I hadn't planned ahead for was the dressing to pull it all together. Initially I was thinking a little olive oil and lemon, but then I saw the yogurt in the fridge when I was grabbing the tofu. I simply mixed yogurt, salt, pepper and enough fresh lemon juice to thin the yogurt to a dressing consistency. Depending on the yogurt, you may only need a squeeze of lemon for flavoring. I only use the real deal, full fat European style yogurt and it takes about 1 small lemon to thin it out enough. If you prefer low or non-fat yogurt, I know it will be just as good.
The surprise of this whole endeavor was the unexpected full flavor. Tangy, toothsome, earthy, spicy and slightly sweet. Indian/style cuisine is not something that comes intuitively to me and whenever I attempt it it's usually just ok. Not terrible, but not that exciting either. So it was an even more satisfying lunch to have something so tasty. I will definitely be making this one again!
*As I was re-reading this just before publishing, I realized that I'm not entirely sure of my terminology. Curry? Is garam masala a curry or a component of? If you know, please leave a comment. I will put it on my list of things to investigate...
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2 comments:
ok... I'm laughing, I know so little about food terms! but I sure love beautiful photos and tasty food. I'm gonna make this one.
The dressing sounds yummy...
This blog is a TREAT! I know I'm going to learn a lot!
from what i understand, both "curry" and garam masala refer to spice mixtures, though neither term tells you the specifics of what said mixture is actually comprised of, as mixtures vary. which is to say, garam masala is curry and curry is garam masala, in that they are both spice mixtures of varying components, but i would also suggest that "curry" doesn't actually exist in the way it's often talked about. i wish i knew more about it myself - as all i know is that i don't know enough. :)
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