VeganMoFo 07: Vegan Mauritian Stew

One dish that I don?t make often enough these days, and this because I?ve discovered so many vegan blogs with so many yummy recipes to try, is some good traditional Mauritian stew. This dish is originally made with meat, fish or seafood but here I?ve used tofu. Red kidney beans or butter beans are also nice substitutes.

One thing that I?ve noticed when cooking potatoes in tomato sauce is that they don?t cook very well in the sauce. There is some kind of chemical reaction with the tomato sauce and potatoes that makes them take longer to cook. So, my way of doing this and saving me a lot of time is to cook the potatoes first completely (or almost). Then add them to the tomato sauce.

Also I?ve decided to leave the skin on the potatoes this time but feel free to peel them if you prefer. Any potatoes are fine to use except floury ones.

Ingredients (3 - 4 servings)
4 rooster potatoes (580g)
1 block (250g) firm tofu
1½ cup (170g) frozen peas
7 ? 8 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste

Sauce blend:
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
2 bay leaves (or 5 ? 6 curry leaves)
2 green chilies (optional or leave whole in the sauce)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Oil as needed to shallow fry
Curled parsley for garnish

Cut potatoes into small cubes. Place into fry pan with a little oil (2 tablespoons).
Cook potatoes covered until soft and lightly browned of all sides. Stir occasionally. If potatoes start to burn instead of cooking, add a little water and cover, reduce heat and continue cooking until soft. Remove, set aside.While potatoes are cooking, cut tofu into triangles. Season with a little salt.Shallow fry until golden on each side. Remove, set aside.While tofu is cooking, place all ingredients for the sauce blend in a blender and reduce to a puree.Add 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep pan. Pour in sauce blend. Add cloves and bay leaves.Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding a little water halfway through (or as required).Add in potatoes and tofu. Stir and mix well in the sauce.Add 1 cup (200ml) water.Add frozen peas. Simmer for 10 minutes.You may add a little more water if sauce is too thick. Add salt to taste.Garnish with some chopped curled parsley.