The title of this recipe is very
misleading: the dish contains no chicken or apricots and, actually, there is no
honey!
Quite a while ago, an online
article by Dr. Mao on the health benefits of apricots attracted my attention. He was touting the apricots as an anti-aging weapon. “Research
shows that of any food, apricots possess the highest levels and widest variety
of carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help prevent heart disease,
reduce “bad cholesterol” levels, and protect against cancer.” Certainly, my diet is filled with carotenoids
from carrots and winter squash.
The recipe
for “Dr. Mao's Honey-Glazed Masala Chicken with Apricots” was
included in the article. Something about the recipe enticed me to create the
dish using tofu instead of chicken, and I probably did not have apricots in the
house at the time.
Thus the
following recipe was born! It is one of my favorites as an easy dish to
prepare, served often with brown Basmati rice, or another whole grain. Please
enjoy!
Ingredients
- 12 oz or 16 oz package of tofu, extra firm
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped, or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoon masala spice
- 15 ounce can tomato puree
- Season with salt and garnish with parsley, if you wish
Directions
- Drain the tofu. Cut into cubes or rectangle slices. Bake tofu, or sauté in oil.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or Dutch oven pan.
- Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add tomato puree.
- Stir in ginger and cook for a few minutes.
- Add garlic and tofu and let tofu warm in the sauce.
- Stir in garam masala and continue to warm for only a few minutes.
- Serve with rice
Variation: I usually stir fry, along with the onions, some broccoli
florets. The broccoli seems to complete
the dish and add…beta-carotene in place of the missing apricots!
 |
| Dr. Mao's chicken with apricots, with green beans and no broccoli. |
