Stir-Fried Tofu With Beans Recipe

The Ingredients

I was so tempted to hold on to this recipe and post it a couple of weeks later, what with all the emails and comments asking for the recipe, when I posted the picture of the ingredients for Click. I was loving the attention! You guys are so cool, you know, making me feel so loved and wanted. I have asked TH to contact you for some lessons on that.

However, as much as I loved hearing from you all, I thought I shouldn't make you good people wait any longer. This is one of the few dishes that I buy for lunch from the local hawker centers near office. It seemed so simple yet tasted so good that I had to try it at home. I did ask the aunty at the food stall what they add to it but she just waved me off after saying "tofu, tomatoes, tomato sauce.." so I was thinking I'll pretty much improvise on my own. The recipe is inspired by Hooked on Heat with some minor changes from my end.

But first things first. Huge thanks to Delhibelle for helping me identify the right tofu to buy in Singapore. If anyone else here has had trouble finding firm tofu in Singapore, please look for 'Tau Kwa'. Any brand will work, the most popular one being Unicurd. I used the NTUC housebrand here though.

Ok on to the recipe now.

Stir Fried Tofu with Beans

What I Used:

Firm tofu - 1 block, cubed
Beans - 1/2 cup 1" pieces
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Tomato paste / ketchup - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 3 pods, crushed
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander / malli / dhania powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Spring onions - 2 stalks for garnish (optional)

How I Made It:

1. Lightly fry the cubed tofu in the oil until golden brown on all sides. Make sure you keep the flame on medium-low. Drain on a kitchen napkin and set aside.

2. In the same oil, add the onions and garlic. Fry lightly until the onions turn soft and transparent. Take care not to burn them by maintaining the heat at medium-low.

3. Next, add the turmeric, coriander, chilli, salt and tamarind paste and fry for about a minute. Then add the chopped tomatoes and beans and cook till the tomatoes break down and the oil separates from the sauce. The beans will be more than half cooked at this stage.

4. Finally add the fried tofu and mix well. Simmer for a minute or so, remove from fire, garnish wtih cilantro / spring onions and serve warm with steamed rice or roti.