Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Fusion Cuisine! Indian Kangaroo (or tofu) Saag

I love a good Indian meal but with the Gawler diet the butter chicken just isn't the same....mostly because both butter and chicken are off the menu. So a girl starts to search. My favorite dish is Saag Paneer. An easy one to adapt to a Gawler friendly lifestyle by swapping the paneer (cheese) for a firm tofu as they are almost identical in texture and colour.

However! If you are craving a piece of meat so bad that you would eat your own face rather than stomach another cube of tofu give yourself a break and just be smart about it. Kangaroo is brilliant! It is incredibly low in saturated fat and chemical free and organic in most cases. This is a great way to have it too as you don't have to have too much to get your fix. Make sure you cook the curry long enough to allow the meat to become tender, as kangaroo is so lean it can take longer than beef or lamb.

If you are happy with your tofu for the 14 billionth time, you are of stronger will than I my friend, and I applaud you.


Adapted from: http://www.punjabi-recipes.com/375.aspx

Ingredients:
1/2 Kilo Kangaroo (or Firm Tofu!) - cubed
1 Medium Sized Onion - chopped finely
2 Green Chillies - finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves - crushed
1 1/2 Tbls. Mustard Seeds
3 Tbls. Ghee or Oil - Saag usually needs more oil but if you are rockin' Gawler you can saute in water.
1 packet frozen spinach or 1/2 kilo fresh English spinach - washed and chopped
1 tbls. Fresh Ginger, grated
1 tsp. Turmeric powder (or fresh is best! grated)
1 Tbls. Coriander Powder
5 Cardamom pods, crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste (Gawler- just use 1 tsp. salt and add yeast flakes on top)
3 Tbls. Greek Yogurt (Gawler - Use soy yogurt or if comfortable use a small amount of goats yogurt as it has less saturated fat).
1 Tbls. Garam Masala

Method:

1. Heat Ghee (or water) on medium heat in a med-large heavy bottomed pot. Add the mustard seeds and fry until the seeds begin to pop. Add the Garlic and fry for a minute.

2. Add the kangaroo cubes and brown for 5 minutes. If using tofu just continue to step 3 this will come in at the last step as it just needs to heat through.

3. Add the ginger, chillies and salt to help tenderize the kangaroo (if using). Stir.
Continue to cook the kangaroo for few more minutes until evenly browned.

4. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add turmeric (great cancer fighter!) and garam masala and stir for 1 minute.

5. Add the spinach, cardamom, coriander and stir.

6. Take the pot off the heat and add the yoghurt, stir and return to the heat. Cook on low heat with the lid on for 1-2 hours. Keep cooking until the meat is tender. Kangaroo is extremely lean so it may take longer than a regular lamb or beef curry. I cooked this for 2 hours. If using tofu add it 15 minutes prior to serving to heat through thoroughly.

Serve with Rice, Roti or Naan.
Add a squeeze of lime juice or yogurt on top if you wish.

De-lish!

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