Brocolli-Tofu Massaman - non-blogger entry

Dear foodies,

As I round-up all the lovely recipes you guys cooked up for IAVW -Thai, I am going to let someone else indulge you in one more delicious Thai recipe. Anita is a non-blogger, and she will be filling in the void for Mussaman Curry after the penang curry fried rice and red & green curries. Below is a little intro and recipe (along with a photo) that Anita sent to me through email.


Brocolli-Tofu Massaman - by Anita Ayela

"Massaman Curry (gaeng matsaman) is a Southern Thai curry which has a lot of Indian influence. Massaman is an old way of saying "Muslim", for many of the dry spices were carried to Thailand by early Muslim traders. Like Indian curries, this curry is heavy on dry spices and very aromatic. It’s typically served with rice or roti"

Brocolli-Tofu Massaman

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons curry paste (method below)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil/sesame oil
• 1 cup tofu cubes
• 1/2 cup boiled potato pieces
• 1 cup Broccolli florets
• 1 cup onions or peeled whole shallots (sambhar onions)
• 4 cardamom pods whole
  
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 1" piece of cinnamon stick
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste

Curry paste

• 10 big dried chilies
• roasted, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• roasted 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• roasted 1 teaspoon cumin seeds,
• roasted 2 cloves,
• roasted 2 cardamom pods,
• powdered nutmeg (not roasted)
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 cup coconut cream / 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
• 1/4 cup onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic

Method of preparation

1. Dry roast the dry spices in a pan on medium heat until fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. It’s best to roast each thing one at a time until fragrant. The chilies should be browned.
2. Grind all the curry paste ingredients including the roasted spices into a paste.
3. Cut the potatoes and onions into bite-sized pieces and wash the broccolli and break the florets.
4. Add the oil to the pan and turn on to medium high. Fry 4 tablespoons of the paste until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
5. Add the Broccolli pieces.Then,add Tofu pieces. Fry about 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes, and onions . Simmer for a few minutes.
7. Add the cinnamon, cardamom seeds, bay leaves. Mix well.
8. Simmer (and stir well) until the mixture browns and a good deal of oil comes to the top. About 15-20 minutes. If it gets too dry, add some water.
9. Add the soy sauce, palm sugar and tamarind juice at the end.
10. Serve with rice or roti.

Thank you Anita! Do let her know how you like the recipe in your comments :)