Chinese Style ~ Tofu & Minced Meat Curry

Tofu is a highly nutritious, protein-rich food that is made from the curds of soybean milk. Off-white in color, it is usually sold in rectangular blocks. It a very versatile ingredient for cooking as it does not have any particular taste of it own but easy absorbs the taste of the spices, meat and gravy in which it is cooked. Tofu & Minced Meat curry is a flavorful dish and can be served with steamed Chinese Flower Buns or with plain rice. Enjoy 🙂 ~ Kamakshi

Prep Time : 10 mins                                                            Cook Time : 25 mins
Serves : 6

INGREDIENTS

• 300 gms Tofu
• 3-4 Big Green Chillies or 1 Green Capsicum, sliced and cut diagonally
• 5 Dry Red Chillies, chopped into pieces
• 1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Sauce
• 1 tbsp Soya Sauce
• 1 tsp  Szechuan Pepper ( Timmur)
• 1 tbsp Cornflour
• 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 Green Spring Onions, finely chopped

• 500 gms Minced Meat ( Pork/Chicken/Beef/Lamb)
• 2 Green Onions, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Soya Sauce
• 1 tbsp Ginger, finely minced
• 1/2 cup Red Wine (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Aginomoto

METHOD

1. In a bowl, add the mince meat and chopped green onions, sauce sauce, ginger, red wine and aginomoto and mix well. Let it marinate for 10-15 mins.
2. Meanwhile, gently squeeze the Tofu to take  out as much water as possible and dry the tofu using paper kitchen towels. Dice the tofu in desired size of cubes.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in  pan and add the minced meat and salt and cook it for 15 mins to the mince is nicely browned. Remove the mince from the pan into a separate dish.
4. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and add the chopped onions, minced garlic, half of the chopped green onions, chopped dry red chillies, soya sauce, szechaun pepper  and chilli sauce and stir fry for 2 mins. Add the chopped Green Chillies or Capsicum and fry for another 1 min.
5. Add the cooked mince to the pan and mix it well . Fry for 3-4 mins and add 1 cup (150 ml) of water and cook for couple of mins. Now add the tofu pieces and gently stir it so that the pieces do not break. Let it cook for another 2-3 mins.
6. Mix cornflour in half a cup of water and add it to the pan to thicken the gravy. Cook for a minute and serve hot with rice or steamed Chinese flower buns , garnished with chopped green onions.