Indian Tofu with Spinach

Ingredients

2 boxes of frozen spinach, drained (I used one chopped, and one whole leaf)
1 lb of extra firm tofu
1 yellow onion, diced
3 smashed and chopped garlic cloves
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
2 inches of ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp kosher salt (and then more later to taste)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
1 Tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup water

cornstarch (to coat the tofu)
butter (to fry the tofu)

Directions

Use a 3 or 4 quart crockpot.

Drain your tofu. Squeeze it in between some paper towels or a clean dish cloth if need-be to get as much of the liquid out as you can.

Cut it into 1-inch cubes and toss it with corn starch. Fry in butter until golden brown--resist the urge to flip; tofu takes a while to brown.

While the tofu is browning, squeeze out all of the moisture from the spinach and dump it into your crockpot. Dice up the onion, and mince the garlic. Add that, too. Drain your garbanzo beans, and pour them in. Add all of the spices.

Stir in 1/2 cup of water.

Add the tofu to the very top of the spinach.

Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. This doesn't take very long to cook. Serve over basmati rice, and scoop up with naan, pitas, or corn tortillas.

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower
4 Potatoes
1/4 cup Oil
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 in. stick Ginger
3 cloves Garlic
3/4 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
3 Tomatoes
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
2 teaspoons Coriander powder

Directions

Cut cauliflower into florets. Cube potatoes. Heat oil and saute cumin seeds for about a minute. Add garlic and ginger, stir and add potatoes. Bhoona*, add turmeric and chili powder, and bhoona again. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and high heat for about a minutes. Lower heat, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Curry should be damp-dry.

* Bhoona is a technique that is essential to Indian cooking. The bhoona technique means that the mixture is cooked over medium-high heat, with constant stirring to avoid scorching, until all liquids are reduced and the spices coat the meat like a paste. About 1/2 cup of water can then be added, the dish covered, and a gravy created as the dish becomes liquified again.

From CDKitchen