Broiled Tofu in a Yoghurt Marinade with Jeera Wild Rice

1. Prepare a marinade of 1 1/2 cups fat-free yoghurt, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin powder (or cumin-corriander powder), 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and salt and sugar to taste (I prefer to add a little extra salt to this recipe). Add 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice. Whisk this until you have a creamy, slathery mixture.
2. Cut one block of firm organic tofu into rectangular strips. If you are using a tofu that appears to have a lot of water in it, squeeze the water out first (sandwich the block of tofu between two plates and squeeze out any excess water).
3. Place the tofu strips in the marinade, preferably in a shallow dish, so that each piece is covered in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge up to 8 hours, but a minimum of 1 hour.
4. Turn on the broiler function of your oven. Place a piece of parchment or foil (lightly oiled) on a baking sheet. Place the tofu strips with some marinade on the baking sheet. Broil in the oven for 5-7 minutes. KEEP AN EYE ON THIS, and make sure your smoke detector doesn't go off! Take out, flip (recoat other side with leftover marinade if you want), and broil again for the same amount of time.
5. Serve hot topped with chopped corriander. I prefer to serve this with a combo of brown/wild rice. Roast some cumin seeds in oil in a small vessel and add these to the rice while it is cooking.

Aloo Gobhi Mattar Masala

What's "new" about this? Serving it with a small mound of "sticky" Jasmine rice. I know that might be too radical for some of you, so I've kept the traditional chapati in the background!

1. Dice one small onion, and cut 2 small potatoes (very small pieces), and 3/4 head of cauliflower (florets). Also, dice about one cup worth of fresh tomatoes, or buy a can of diced canned tomatoes. Keep about 1/2 cup peas (fresh or frozen) on standby.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil and 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds in a wok with a lid, on medium heat. When the seeds sputter, add 12 tbsp of cumin seeds, a let them roast for a few seconds. Add onion, plus 1/2 spoon of garlic paste or 1 clove of fresh garlic and a small piece of fresh ginger. Let this cook for a few minutes, until onion appears translucent. Add turmeric, chili power, garam masala, and cumin power or cumin-corriander power to taste. Let this roast for a few seconds.
3. Add tomatoes and salt and sugar to taste. Let this cook for about 4-5 mins.
4. Add potatoes, cauliflower, and peas. Make sure these are throughly covered in the tomato mixture. Add about 1/2 cup water, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and allow to cook for about 20 mins or until potatoes are well cooked. Check and stir occasionally.
5. Add abt 3/4 tbsp lemon juice, and garnish with fresh corriander. Serve with Jasmine rice or even quinoa (or chapati, if you must).

Corn and Red Pepper Sabji with Short Grain Brown Rice

Thanks to my sister for this Punjabi favourite! My twist -- the red pepper!

1. Heat 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds in 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. When they sputter, add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them roast for a few seconds.



2. Add one small diced onion, and stir until the pieces of onion become translucent. Then add a 1/2 inch piece of ginger, and 3/4 teaspoon minced garlic (or garlic paste).



3. Let these cook for a few seconds, then add one small diced tomato, along with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or cumin-coriander mix), and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala.



4. Stir this mixture until the tomato no longer appears raw, and add about 1-1 1/4 cups of corn (for this recipe, I prefer to use organic frozen corn). Then add one small diced red pepper.



5. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cook (covered, stirring occasionally) for a few minutes until corn and peppers are tender, and watch that the sabji does not become too watery. Garnish with lots of fresh corriander. I prefer to serve this with a short grain organic rice that complements the texture of the sabji.

Tofu and Mushroom Masala on a Bed of Quinoa

Welcome

Welcome. This is admittedly the blog of an amateur cook. Among the aims of this blog is to enable bold risks in vegetarian cooking and to share new ideas.

The title of this blog, Nava Paka Shastra (नवपाकशास्त्र "New Culinary Knowledge") is inspired from two Marathi manuscripts produced in colonial Thanjavur (Tanjore) in South India. During the rule of King Serfoji II ( 1777-1832) a number of cultural innovations were given shape in Tanjore, and the culinary arts were no exception. The two Marathi manuscripts that document the culinary experiments under his rule are entitled Sarabhendra Paka Shastra (शरभेन्द्रपाकशास्त्र , "Serfoji's Culinary Knowledge"), and contain traditional Maharashtrian, Tamil, and Western recipes together with some early examples of hybrid dishes and cooking techniques.

It is in the spirit of these early cosmopolitan culinary experiments that I share my urban, postcolonial, diasporic cooking with you.