Air Fried Crispy Tofu in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Who doesn't like sweet and sour and spicy, so why not to make this healthy dish in using Tofu in sweet and sour sauce, it has perfect amount of sweetness from maple syrup and tartness from Pineapple juice. If you don't have pineapple juice you can use lime juice too but caramelized pineapple juice gives nice brown color to the dish. To make this sauce, its just take 2 minutes and you can add it to any protein or lots of vegetable and make it, I have used tofu which I Air fried it, you can do pan fried, deep fried, what ever works with you. Take your favorite vegetables along with  it and enjoy it with plain rice. You can adjust the quantities of the sauce as per your liking. 

Ingredients for the sauce

1 cup canned pineapple juice

3/4 cup light brown sugar or maple syrup

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 tbsp. ketchup

2 tbsp. soy  sauce or tamari sauce

corn starch slurry - 1 and half tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp. of water

Method :

Place all the ingredients except the cornstarch slurry in a pan and bring it to boil. 

Once its boiled add in slurry and cook till its thickens. 

Stir constantly to mix it. 

If you are using later, put it in air tight glass container and keep it in refrigerator, but since we are using it in this recipe I have kept it on side. 

Ingredients :

1 block of pressed tofu, cut it in triangles

Few florets of broccoli

5 Portobello baby mushrooms sliced in match sticks

1 red onion sliced in match sticks

half stick celery sliced

one carrot sliced

4 cloves of garlic sliced

1 inch of ginger finely sliced

2 tbsp. oil

Method : 

Put the aluminum foil on air fried plate, put the triangle tofu and spray it with oil.

Fry it on 350 for 15 minutes turning in between. 

You can pan fry it too or baked it in oven too.

I did air fried half and half shallow fry it. 

Once tofu is done, take it out.

heat the pan , add oil in it. 

when its hot, add ginger and garlic and cook it till its raw smell goes away , for 2 minutes on low to medium flame, make sure you don't burn the garlic.

Add your vegetables and cook it on high flame for 2 minutes. 

Add two to three tbsp. of sauce in it and mix it. 

Add more or less as per your liking. 

mix it nicely and cook it for 1 minute and done. 

Serve it hot with plain rice, I had with side of red curry too. 

You can sprinkle chopped green onions on top too. 

Nuchinunde with Hingu oil - Steamed Lentil dumpling with Asafetida oil

So This recipe is basically from Karnataka , and its healthy, less oil and steamed so what not to like about it. Its basically Gujju's deep fried dalwada answer by South in a Steamed version, Since it has lot of lentils, it usually eaten with Asafetida oil , you can have it with coconut chutney or Majjige huli , which is again curry based on coconut milk with vegetables similar process to Gujarati kadhi but added coconut milk and vegetables. I had it with hingu oil since it was fast and new way to had it. 

I was craving for dalwada but was not interested in deep fried version so this was so long on to do list so made it and enjoyed it, it was good while it was out of the steamer as well as cold too. 

To crush the dals, it totally up to you to finely crushed or coarse. I like it little coarse so I keep it that way. 

You can adjust the spice level as per your liking.

Keep in mind you are working with lentils since once you soaked it , it will double in size so you can adjust the quantities as per your need. 

Ingredients for lentil dumpling: 

1/2 cup Chana dal

1/2 cup split mung dal with chilka

1/2 cup coconut

2 tbsp. fresh coriander leaves

few fresh curry leaves

1 inch ginger finely chopped

2 green chilies slit

1 tsp whole jeera

pinch of hing

Salt as per the taste

Half white onion cut it in cubes

Ingredient for Hing oil

3 tbsp. oil

1/2 tsp hing

Method 

In a bowl take the dal and washed it nicely till the water is clean

then add enough water and soak for 4-5 hours.

Drain off the water from the dal and transfer to the grinder, along with all the ingredients mentioned in ingredients for dumplings

Without adding water make a coarse paste.

Now heat the steamer with water and grease the plate with oil on which you are going to put the balls.

Mix all the ingredients and make a cylindrical shape.

Place it in the steamer leaving enough space in between the balls.

Steam for 15 to 20 minutes or until its cooked completely.

When its done, take it out and enjoy with any chutney, majjige huli or the way I had it hingu oil 

Recipe for the hingu oil - In small pan, add the oil, when  oil is warm, add hing in it and mix it and shut off the gas and take the oil in bowl. and enjoy it with Nuchin unde.