Meat Or Tofu Dhansak Recipes

Steps:

• In a small thick bottomed saucepan (with a lid), rinse and cover the lentils with water to twice their depth. Bring to a simmer, and cook on very low heat until all the water has been absorbed and the lentils can be crushed into a paste.
• After starting off the lentils, place the oil in a large heated frying pan (with a lid). Add and fry the onion on medium-high for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until glassy. Add the spice mix, stirring it into the onion, and continue to fry until the oil is seeping out of the spices (add a little water if sticking).
• Add chicken, lamb, or (partially pre-fried) tofu pieces and fry until lightly browned. Add the tomato paste or crushed tomatoes, and stock, and stir them in. Put the lid on the pan, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Now add and stir in the mashed lentils and the yoghurt, and continue to simmer with lid on for 10 minutes.
• Finally, add the lemon juice, sugar (or sugar substitute), and crushed fenugreek, mix in well and simmer for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving with boiled Basmati Rice.

Steps:

• Place the tofu (still in its packaging) into the freezer for at least 24 hours. Keeping it in there longer doesn't hurt it.
• Remove the tofu from the freezer and defrost by bringing a pot of water to a boil and placing the frozen block of tofu (still in its packaging) in the pot for 10 minutes or until defrosted.
• Remove the tofu from the packaging (finally!) and cut the block laterally in half so you have two block-sized slabs that are half the width.
• Slice each slab lengthwise into three and place on a clean dish towel or paper towels. Cover the six pieces with another dish towel and place a cutting board or baking tray or other flat object on top. Place heavy cans or books onto the board and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
• Cut the tofu lengths into cubes and place into marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Remove from the marinade and dust the tofu cubes with flour.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Shallow fry the cubes until all sides are golden brown and crispy.
• Serve hot with rice or couscous and a puddle of the marinade as a dipping sauce.