Description
A tasty side-dish with Tofu and a host of spices that promises to tingle your taste-buds.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Tofu - 200grams
- Onion - 1 large - finely chopped
- Tomatoes - 2 medium sized - finely chopped
- Coconut Pieces - a fistful - roasted
- Oil - 2 tbsp (30 ml), for sautéing
- Salt, to taste
Green Masala Paste for the marinade
- Green Chillis - 5 - to taste
- Ginger - a small piece (washed & peeled)
- Garlic - 1 large pod
- Coriander leaves - a small bunch
- Water - as required
For the Ground Masala Paste
- Coriander Seeds - 1 to 2 tbsp
- Green Chillis - 5 - to taste
- Cloves - 6 nos
- Cinnamon - a small stick
- Black Peppercorn - 2 tbsp - to taste
- Aniseed - a very small piece
- Mace - little
- Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
- Nutmeg - little
- Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Cardamom - Seeds of 3 pods
For Garnish
- Caramelised Onions - a few pieces
- Coriander leaves - as required
Instructions
- Immerse the block of tofu in hot water for 5–10 minutes. Drain well & cut into small cubes.
- Grind the ingredients for the marinade with a little water into a fine paste.
- In a bowl, mix the marinade paste with the cubed tofu and refrigerate for an hour. This allows the bean curd to absorb the spices well.
- In a small pan, add a drop or two of oil & roast the ingredients for the masala/spice paste. Once it cools down, grind the paste with the required water to a fine paste. Set it aside.
- In the same pan, dry roast the coconut pieces to an aromatic brown & grind them to a coarse powder.
- In a kadai/pan/wok, add the oil and sauté the onions for a few minutes. As it turns pink, tip in the chopped tomatoes and let it cook for a while. Add salt and mix well.
- Add the ground masala paste & the coarsely ground coconut powder and mix well. At this point add a cup of water and bring it to a boil. Let the mix simmer for a while and the spices blend thoroughly. The medley of flavours along with onions & tomatoes need to come to a gravy-like consistency.
- Drop in the marinated & refrigerated tofu. Mix & let it remain on the flame for a few minutes.
- Garnish with caramelized onions & coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with rice/rotis/bread.
Notes
- Marinating the tofu for a full hour makes a real difference — it draws the green masala deep into the bean curd.
- Freshly roasting and grinding the spices is what gives xacuti its distinctive punch.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 190