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Foodline

PRADEEP KHOSLA

Cake icing

I am vegetarian and do not even eat eggs. I want to make a cake for my son's first birthday. I was looking at the butter icing recipe and it asks for meringue powder which is powdered egg white. Can you please suggest me something that can be substituted with Meringue powder to make the icing stiff enough for cake decorations like making rose flowers, etc.

Leena

Definitely, instead of using Meringue powder, cake decoration can be made using ganache, marzipan, or tempered chocolate garnish.

Tofu type

What are the preparations that can be made with tofu?

Rajkumari

Tofu or bean curd is food of Chinese origin made by coagulating soya milk. Following recipes are my personal favourite.

Chilli garlic tofu

Ingredients
Tofu, fried crisp: 250 gms
Onions: 30 gms
Capsicum: 20 gms
Red chilli paste: 10 ml
Garlic, chopped: 5 gms
Black pepper: 5 gms
MSG: 2 gms
Sugar: 5 gms
Spring onions: 30 gms
Salt to taste

Method: Season the wok with oil. Add chopped onion, garlic, capsicum, sauté it well. Add red chilli paste, black pepper, salt, MSG, sugar and fried tofu. Toss them well. Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Garlic pepper tofu

Ingredients

Tofu: 250 gms
Onions, diced: 15 gms
Capsicum, diced: 15 gms
Garlic: 15 gms
Veg stock: 60 ml
MSG (optional): 2 gms
Soya sauce: 10 ml
Sugar: 5 gms
Black pepper: 2 gms
Corn flour slurry: 10 ml
Spring onions, diced: 30 gms
Salt to taste

Method: Season the wok with oil. Sauté garlic, onions, diced capsicum. Add veg stock, black pepper, MSG, salt, soya sauce, diced spring onions. Add diced tofu and make a thick sauce using cornflour slurry.

Garnish with spring onions.

Goes extremely well with fried rice.

More gravy

Kindly let me know how to prepare spicy and rich gravy for veg or non-veg curries.

Bharati

Recipe for spicy and rich gravy is as follows.

Ingredients

Cashewnuts: 100 gms
Onions, sliced: 25 gms
Curd: 100 gms
Coriander powder:15 gms
Red chilli powder: 30 gms
Almonds: 50 gms
Saffron: 2 gms
Whole green cardamom: 8-10
Bayleaves: 5-6
Cloves: 5
Cinnamon sticks: 2
Coriander leaves: 10 gms
Ginger: 10 gms
Garlic: 10 gms
Vegetable oil: 50 ml
White butter: 30 gms
Cream: 15 ml
Pista: 30 gms
Silver leaves (varq): 2
Salt to taste

Method:

Fry the onions, cool and make a fine paste. Peel and wash ginger-garlic and make a fine paste.

Fry cashewnuts, blanch and peel almonds, make a fine paste. Blanch and take the skin off pista. Cut slivers. Take a heavy bottom vessel preferably a lagan. Heat oil and crackle cardamom, bayleaf, cloves and cinnamon. Add ginger garlic paste, bhunao it really well.

Mix red chilli powder, coriander powder in curd, add it and cook it. When the curd is cooked add brown onion paste, cashew and almond paste into it. Add water and cook the gravy till oil comes on top. Season it with salt and finish it with cream and white butter.

Garnish with saffron, pista slivers and silver varq.

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