Healthy Vegetarian Recipe # 8
Veggies in Hot Garlic Sauce

Ingredients
•    100 gm tofu or paneer - cut into ¼” thick triangular pieces - sprinkled with ¼ tsp salt & white pepper and 1 tbsp cornflour, 4-5 florets of broccoli or cauliflower, 4 tbsp oil
•    4-6 babycorns - cut into 2 pieces lengthwise
•    1 carrot - sliced very diagonally and then cut into 2 pieces
•    6-8 leaves of bokchoy or spinach
•    1 tbsp of dried black mushrooms or 3-4 fresh mushrooms - cut into 2 pieces
•    1 capsicum - cut into 1" pieces

Garlic Sauce
•    20 flakes garlic and 2 dry, red chillies (soaked) - crushed to a rough paste
•    3 tbsp oil, ½ onion - cut into 4 pieces and separated, 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
•    2 tsp red chilli sauce, 2 tsp soya sauce, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tsp salt, a pinch sugar
•    2 tsp vinegar, 1½ cups water, 3 tbsp cornflour mixed with ½ cup water

Method
1.    If using dried black mushrooms, put them in a pan. Cover with water. Boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from fire. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Wash several times to remove dirt. Break off any hard stem portion and discard. Cut into smaller pieces. If using bokchoy or spinach, trim the stem, remove any discoloured leaves. Tear into 2” pieces.
2.    Boil 4-5 cups water with 1 tsp salt. Remove from fire. Add broccoli or cauliflower, baby corns, carrots and bokchoy or spinach. Leave veggies in hot water for 1-2 minutes and strain. Refresh in cold water and keep aside till serving time.
3.    Heat 4 tbsp oil in a pan. Shallow fry the tofu till golden. Remove tofu from pan.
4.    Heat 3 tbsp oil. Remove from fire. Add garlic and red chilli paste. Stir till garlic starts to change its colour. Add onion cubes, stir for a minute.
5.    Add tomato ketchup, red chilli sauce, soya sauce, pepper and salt. Cook for 1 minute on low heat. Add sugar and vinegar.
6.    Add soaked mushrooms, blanched vegetables and capsicum. Stir.
7.    Add water, give one boil. Add cornflour paste, stirring all the time. Cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat. Keep sauce aside. At serving time, add fried tofu to sauce & boil for 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

*Image and recipe courtesy: © Nita Mehta