Saag-ing Away

Okay, here's a little dark and dirty secret of mine. Something I really don't want people to know about me. Ready? Here goes it: I have no real desire to go to India.

Nothing against the country. I am just not a traveler at heart. Maybe it's because I love where I live so much, why bother with a trip that takes over 10 hours? And I hate to admit that. I do.

Why? Because I don't want to be this kind of person! I want to be a world travel lover! A woman whose passport is stamped beyond legibility. Who knows how to jauntily tie scarves around her neck and start fires with twigs. Who has a signature scent. (Chanel No. 5? Citrus and Basil? Confidence?) And when she has babies, they simply get tied to her back and get claimed in customs like a lamp or an animal head.

Also, I love so much about India. The culture is rich and fascinating. And not for nothing, but one of my best buddies when I lived in Japan was an Indian girl named Shashi. I met up with her when she was passing through NYC a few years back and she was every bit as sweet and charming as I remembered. I realize that she doesn't represent the entire nation, but hey-I jived with one of its citizens so that's something, right? Anyoneanyone?

And the food. Oh boy. You gotta love the food. Although I'm not sure if what I call Indian is actually real or Americanized. But I check in with Hungry Desi every now and then and it seems I'm on the right track. I shop at Kalustyans and order off the menu at The Curry Leaf. And the jar of garam masala in our spice cabinet had to be refilled last week to make a batch of this:



It's Saag Tofu. I know, it's not really real Indian because of the tofu. But good paneer is hard to find in my part of Brooklyn and I haven't worked up the gumption to make it myself. Yet.

This is delicious just the same, with a rich yogurt sauce spiced with a touch of heat, plus fresh spinach and tomatoes cooked to the edge of overdone. It's not as good as Saag Paneer because, well, when you put in bean curd instead of cheese it never is. But much like my travel inclinations, it's good enough.

So maybe my passport isn't stamped to death, but my palette-that's been all over the place.




I got the recipe from a CHOW email. You can find it and other recipes here.

SAAG TOFU, taken from CHOW website.

• 1 pound firm tofu, large dice
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 pound baby spinach
• 1/2 cup plain Greek-style whole-milk yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine tofu with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons of the garam masala, and the salt. Mix gently to coat tofu; set aside.
2. Heat a large (12-inch) frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When it shimmers, add tofu in a single layer and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Wipe out the pan, return it to the stovetop over medium heat, and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. When it shimmers, add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and ginger and cook until tomatoes just start to soften, about 2 minutes.
4. Add spinach in handfuls and stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate any browned bits. Cook until spinach is very wilted and liquid is cooked off, about 7 minutes. Stir in reserved tofu and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, stir together remaining garam masala and yogurt and add to spinach mixture. Stir until well mixed and serve.