Indian saag with tofu and roti

I recently attended a friend's wedding in Mumbai and was amazed at the number of people, the noise, street food and the colour and varieties of spices on offer. It certainly added a touch of excitement to my holiday and I think, food-wise, India is one of the most interesting countries in the world.

As we are in winter here in New Zealand and it’s spinach season, I am sharing this saag recipe from Deepika, one of the Indian chefs in Sachie’s Kitchen, to add a touch of spice to your life! I have used tofu but you can also use paneer which is like an Indian version of cottage cheese that is readily available at Asian grocers.

Saag tofu

250 g	Spinach (Main)
2 Tbsp	Vegetable oil
½ tsp	Cumin seeds
1 Tbsp	Besan (chickpea flour)
1 Tbsp	Garlic, crushed
½ tsp	Fresh ginger, grated
¼	Red onions, finely chopped
1	Green chilli, chopped
1 tsp	Garam masala
½ tsp	Turmeric powder
½ tsp	Chilli powder, use red chilli powder
½ cup	Diced tomatoes, from a can is fine
½ cup	Cream
200 g	Firm tofu
20 g	Fresh coriander, chopped

Roti

1 cup	Flour, use all-purpose flour
½ cup	Water
1 knob	Butter

Directions

Saag tofu

1. Bring some water to the boil in a pot, add salt and blanch spinach for 30 seconds. Drain, reserving 2-3 Tbsp of the water, put the spinach back in the pot, add the reserved water and blend it into smooth puree using a hand blender. Set aside.
2. Place another medium-sized pot over medium heat, add oil and cumin seeds and fry until fragrant.
3. Add chickpea flour and stir for 30 seconds. Add garlic and ginger and stir for a minute.
4. Add onion and green chili and stir until onion is soft. Add garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and salt to season. Add tomato and cook for couple of minutes.
5. Add spinach puree to the masala and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add cream and taste for seasoning.
7. Add tofu and coriander, stir well and cook for another couple of minutes. Serve with home-made roti.

Roti

1. Mix flour and water in a bowl and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth.
2. Divide the dough into 4 and form into small balls.
3. Dust the bench top with flour and flatten each dough ball using a rolling pin to 2mm thickness.
4. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat and place a roti in it. Cook for couple of minutes and turn over and cook the other side for another couple of minutes. If you press the dough using kitchen paper, you will feel the dough push back on your hand and start to raise a little.
5. Once the roti is cooked, butter one side and serve with saag. Repeat for all four roti.