Tofu bhurji
Crumbled tofu cooked Indian street-style with onion, tomato, green chili and warm spices until fragrant and a little crisp at the edges, spooned over rice.
- 35 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.38 a serving
- 670 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 package firm tofu, drained
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp paprika
Each serving has about 670 calories, 28 g protein, 92 g carbs and 22 g fat, and costs about $2.38 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it in a small with the water and ¼ teaspoon salt over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 18 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Meanwhile, the tofu dry and it with your fingers into small pieces.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Heat the oil in a large over medium heat. Add the cumin and let it sizzle 30 seconds, then add the onion and jalapeño and cook about 5 minutes, until soft and at the edges.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: The cumin should darken and smell nutty. If it goes black, start again: it will taste bitter.Add the garlic and ginger and stir 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heat
Add the tomatoes, turmeric, paprika, garam masala and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes soften into a thick paste.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Add the tofu and stir until it’s evenly yellow. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until hot and a few bits are .
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Stir in the cilantro, taste for salt, and spoon over the rice.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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