Ingredients
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rounds on a mandolin, if you have one, or by hand (60g)
- 600 ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying
- 2 blocks of extra-firm tofu (560 g), patted dry and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 2 onions (300 g), roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 60 ml olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar
- 10 g black lime powder
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 20 g parsley, roughly chopped
- 250 g baby spinach
- salt and black pepper
Directions
- Put the vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar, the red onion and ⅛ teaspoon of salt into a small bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside to pickle while you continue with the rest.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a medium high-sided sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Toss the tofu in a bowl with the cornflour until well coated. Once hot, fry the tofu (in two batches) until crispy and lightly browned, about 6 minutes per batch, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
- While the tofu is frying, prepare the sauce. Put the onions and garlic into a food processor and pulse a few times until very finely minced but not puréed. Put the olive oil into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, black lime powder and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more. Add 400 ml of water, the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1¼ teaspoons of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich. Add the crispy tofu, parsley and another grind of pepper and stir to coat. Add the spinach in increments, stirring until just wilted, about 3 minutes.
- To serve, transfer the mixture to a shallow serving platter and top with the pickled red onion (or serve straight from the pan).
Recipe adapted from: www.ottolenghi.com.au