小紅莓合桃豆腐煲 | Walnut and Cranberry Tofu Stew
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小紅莓合桃豆腐煲 x 勇於自創
一開始要炮製豆腐煲，是因為想把聖誕節後剩下來的石榴用完。後來才發現香港並非全年有進口石榴，到初春時在市面上就再找不到了，便唯有用小紅莓代替。
三月，我獲朋友邀請去家中作客。我原本想跟著菜譜弄這道菜，但卻缺少石榴。我一向跟菜譜跟到十足十，但今次冒著會煮出一堆純素不明物體的險，就當是一次試驗。我小心地量度每一茶匙的香料，但仍然無法預料這個嘗試最後會否成功。
這道菜的味道紛陳，富層次感。烤香的核桃稍微帶點煙燻味，然後由肉桂粉、中東舒馬克（sumac）和楓糖漿引出淡淡的甜味。想增添口感的話，建議將合桃搗碎即可，不必磨成粉狀。
幸好，那晚上的製成品適當地揉合了不同味道。赴宴的人都即將要迎來改變。有人就快移居海外，有人找到了新工作。所以對新菜式的試驗只不過是眾多新嘗試之一。
一如以往，晚飯期間我們有講有笑，非常盡興。原來，當季節、食物，甚至我們的人生都處於變幻時，我們正正需要這種勇於自創的精神，擁抱意料之外的事情。
份量： 6
所需時間：45-60分鐘
材料：
橄欖油
硬豆腐 1 磚（切方塊）
紅洋蔥 2 個（切碎）
合桃 150 克
黃薑粉 1/2 茶匙
肉桂粉 1/4 茶匙
中東舒馬克sumac 1 茶匙（可用檸檬皮或中東綜合香料za'atar代替）
楓糖漿 3 湯匙
黑胡椒
鹽
水
古斯米 8 湯匙
小紅莓乾
香芹（切碎，伴碟裝飾）
步驟：
用焗爐或煎鍋烤合桃。冷卻，搗碎，備用。
將豆腐煎至金黃色，備用。
用鑊燒熱一點油。將洋蔥炒至半透明，大約5分鐘。加入合桃、香料、楓糖漿、鹽和胡椒粉。加200毫升水。把鑊蓋上，用慢火煮20分鐘，偶然攪拌。20分鐘後，大部分液體應該被吸收，合桃嘗起來應有點甜。
加入古斯米。添加同等數量的香料，或根據個人口味調整。加入中東舒馬克香料（或以其他酸甜材料代替）。慢慢加水；菜式看起來應濃而不乾。把鑊蓋上，用慢火煮10分鐘。
放入豆腐和小紅莓乾。加鹽和胡椒調味，攪拌均勻。灑上香芹即成。
你做過這道菜嗎？在下面留言，分享你的回憶吧！
Walnut and Cranberry Tofu Stew x An Unscripted Venture
This tofu stew came about because I wanted to use up some remaining pomegranate from a Christmas meal. Eventually it evolved to incorporate cranberries instead because Hong Kong was particularly seasonal in sourcing pomegranates (who knew!). By early springtime, the fruit was off the market.
When a friend invited me to dinner in March, I wanted to make this dish but couldn’t use the original recipe without the pomegranate. As someone who follows recipes religiously, I took the risk of presenting a socially unacceptable vegan mess at dinner and worked on the stew through trial and error. I added and recorded each teaspoon of spices carefully, but still had no idea how this unscripted venture would unfold.
The dish itself is a slow layering of flavours. The slight smokiness of the toasted walnuts gives way to a more subtle sweetness as the cinnamon, sumac, and maple syrup are folded in one after another. To add texture, the trick is to retain some bite to the walnuts and not crush them into a powder.
That evening, the stew turned out to be a fine combination of sweet and savoury. We were at the edge of change that night, with some of us moving continents and others switching jobs. This experimental recipe was only one of the many new things we were trying.
We talked and laughed through dinner as we’d always done. As it turned out, amidst changes in seasons, in food, and in our lives, being unscripted and open to surprises was exactly what we needed at that moment.
Serves: 6
Total cooking time: 45-60 mins
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 block firm tofu, cubed
2 red onions, finely chopped
150g walnuts
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sumac (can be substituted with lemon zest or za’atar)
3 tbsp maple syrup
Black pepper
Salt
Water
8 tbsp couscous
Dried cranberries
Parsley, chopped, to garnish
Steps:
Toast the walnuts in the oven or on a pan. Cool briefly, then crush them. Set aside.
Pan fry the tofu until golden. Set aside.
Heat oil in a deep pan or wok. Saute the onions until translucent – about five minutes. Stir in the walnuts, spices, maple syrup, salt and pepper, and 200mL of water. Cover and cook this on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. By the end of the 20 minutes, most of the liquid should be absorbed, and the walnuts should taste subtly sweet.
Add the couscous. Add the same amount of all spices or adjust to taste. Add sumac (or other acidic/tangy substitutes). Add water slowly so the stew looks thick and not dry. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the tofu and dried cranberries. Season with more salt and pepper. Mix well. Garnish with parsley. Serve!
Recipe based roughly on: https://kelliesfoodtoglow.com/2015/10/12/easy-pomegranate-walnut-stew-a-hearty-vegan-recipe-for-autumn/
Did you make this dish? Share your memory about it in the comment box below!