VeganMoFo- Iron Chef Challenge - Vegan Mulligatawny

Well I only just realised that there was an Iron Chef Challenge - hence the second post today. This weeks challenge was posted by Katie - if you want more info you can get it here.

The ingredients for this week are Apple and Ginger. Now my Northern Hemisphere fellow bloggers are in Autumn and so they are in the heart of apple season - here - they are still around - but just not as nice as they are in say April or May.

I didn't really know what to do for the challenge - so I googled apple and ginger recipes and came up with Mulligatawny. It looked interesting - looked very different to anything I have ever eaten - so why not give it a try.

I have not yet ventured into the seitan realm so I thought that frozen tofu would be a perfect substitute for the chicken. Except I had no frozen tofu!!! This never happens. So I had to settle for extra firm tofu.

The results are awesome. Nat and I both love it and will make it for tea again very soon. I still think frozen tofu would be awesome to try - but I am not at all disappointed with this dish.

Vegan Mulligatawny

400g extra firm tofu (optional: freeze and then thaw/press out water)
1 inch fresh ginger - grated
2 tsp chicken style stock powder
400ml water
1 tsp sugar

1 medium onion - chopped
2 carrots - chopped
1 red capsicum - chopped
2 small or 1 large apple (I used jonagold - the recipe I found suggests Gala)
1 stick celery - chopped
1/2 cup green beans - trimmed

2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp curry powder (I used Madras)
1 tsp chili paste
1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp mango chutney
1/4 cup tomato paste

Directions

1. Cut the tofu into cubes - mix the stock powder with the water and add the ginger. pour the fix into a flat bottomed container and place tofu in to marinate - leave for a few hours.
2. When marinated, spray a heavy bottomed saucepan with cooking spray and fry the tofu for about 3-4mins - stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove tofu from the pan.
3. Saute onion, carrots, capsicum, apples, celery, and beans for about 5 mins.
4. Add flour, curry powder, chili paste and salt - stir to combine.
5. Add chutney and tomato paste - bring to boil and then simmer for about 10 mins.
6. Add tofu and serve over rice.