Tofu and Mushroom Molee

Molee is a light, fresh curry sauce, from the Keralan region of India, consisting of a delicately flavoured coconut sauce.

It’s quick and simple, shouldn’t be cooked for too long, and is open to all sorts of variations. I’ve used tofu and mushroom here, but I think it would be fantastic with all sorts of vegetables, such as finely sliced carrots, peas, baby broad beans or a traditional Indian vegetable such as okra.

Hope you enjoy 🙂

TOFU AND MUSHROOM MOLEE

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

4 tbs. coconut oil
1 large onion
125gms. mushrooms e.g. chestnut mushrooms
150gms. good firm tofu (I used a smoked tofu but plain is just fine)
400ml. coconut milk
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. mustard seeds
4cm. stick of fresh ginger
3 large garlic cloves
2-3 green chillies (not too hot)
8 green cardamom pods
0.5 tsp. black peppercorns
4 cloves
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. salt
juice of half a lemon
3 or 4 large fresh ripe tomatoes

Method:

Peel onion. Cut into quarters. Then finely slice.
Slice mushrooms approx: 3 ml. thick.
Slice tofu into strips approx: 1cm. x 1cm. x 3 cm.
Peel and finely grate ginger.
Peel and crush garlic cloves.
Cut tomatoes in half, and then slice into segments approx. 3 ml. thick.
Remove and discard seeds from green chillies and then finely slice.
Bruise cardamom pods and remove seeds.
Grind cardamom seeds, cloves and black peppercorns together.
In a wide pan, on a medium high heat: add 2 tbs. coconut oil.
When hot, sauté sliced mushrooms for 2 mins. on each side.
During the last minute of cooking, add tofu and combine.
Remove from heat and set aside.

On a medium-high heat, place a deep-sided casserole (with a lid) and add 2 tbs. coconut oil.
When the oil is hot, add bay leaves and mustard seeds. Allow to sizzle for 30 secs.
Add sliced onion. Sauté for 2-3 mins.
Add green chillies, crushed garlic and grated ginger. Sauté for 1 min.
Add spices: ground cardamom/cloves/black pepper, turmeric, and salt. Sauté for 30 secs.
Add mushrooms and tofu. Stir to combine.
Add coconut milk and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer. Avoid boiling.
Cover, and reduce heat to minimum. I used a heat diffuser.
Simmer very gently for 6-7 mins.
Remove the lid, and place the tomato segments over the sauce.
Replace the lid, and simmer gently for a further 3-4 mins.