Imagine a pocket of nutty, toothsome wholegrain bread stuffed with a sweet-sour-salty-spicy mixture of velvety tofu and crisp carrots. Topped with a colorful salsa. All of it stuffed in your mouth.
Good, right?
It doesn’t really take a whole lot of imagination to get just how incredible these Curry-Glazed Carrot Tofu Tacos are. And, like everything else I post here at Holy Cow!, they are healthy. And kid-friendly, of course, because you can’t ignore the little ones in your life even when you secretly wish they’d just ask for a PBJ for dinner so you could take all of this goodness to the privacy of your bedroom and devour every last bit of it alone. In front of the TV. Mmmmmm.
You know I like recipes that come together quickly on weeknights with a minimum of fuss, and these Curry-Glazed Carrot Tofu Tacos definitely are all that. You pan-fry the tofu slightly, cook the carrots and onions, and then dump in a glaze that reduces to coat the tofu and vegetables with rich, silky, coconutty, gingery deliciousness. In fact, you’ll want to eat this glaze by the spoonful from the bowl as you mix it, so watch yourself.
I wrote this post earlier last week, before our small world was devastated by the passing away of my beloved dog, Opie. The wound is still raw: I wake up at nights thinking I heard his collar jingle on the stairs, or catch myself opening the kitchen door to see if he wants to come in from the backyard. But the healing has also begun, thanks in part to the overwhelming love you offered us in this difficult time and your own personal stories of losing beloved animals. Desi and I have loved and lost many animals too, and we know that in time the pain will be replaced by happy memories of Opie and the immense joy he brought into our lives.
On a happier note, as India celebrates the harvest festival, the Indian Supreme Court’s decided to stay Jallikattu, a gruesome “tradition” during the festival in the state of Tamil Nadu but actually just a horrible and senseless practice where men try to “tame” bulls by violently poking, kicking, stamping on, and beating them. The court banned Jalikattu in 2014, but the ruling Indian party, the Bharatiya Janata Party — which has gone to town trying to ban beef across India — rather hypocritically tried to reinstate it. Hello, guys, the bull’s just a male cow, or didn’t you know that? If anyone had thought that the BJP government was animal friendly, this should lay that notion firmly to rest.
The recipe.
- 1 14- oz package extra-firm tofu. Set in a colander to drain for about 30 minutes preferably with some weight on top. Then slice into four.
- 2 inch medium carrots cut into 1/8th rounds
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- For the glaze:
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tsp chili garlic paste
- 2 tsp curry powder or use garam masala powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger substitute with 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 6 whole wheat tacos or gluten-free tacos
- Heat the oil in a non-stick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.
- Place the slices of tofu in a single layer and cook until lightly browned on both sides.
- Remove from the pan and to a chopping board. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes or smaller, if you prefer.
- To the pan, add the carrots and onions and season with some salt and pepper (don't over-salt. You'll be adding the tamari later).
- Stir fry until the onions start to sweat. Cover the pan and let the carrots and onions cook over medium-low heat for about 5-8 minutes until the carrots are tender but still crunchy.
- Add the tofu cubes back to the pan and dump in the glaze. Give everything a good stir but don't mash down too hard on the tofu-- be gentle or you will break it.
- Let the glaze reduce over medium-high heat until it coats all of the vegetables and the tofu. The mixture should be quite dry.
- Turn off the heat.
- To serve, place the tofu-carrot filling in a taco, top with some salsa and some guacamole, and serve.
I am always grateful for the animal protection laws that are passed in India… I understand that they are not always upheld, but at least the exist. There are many laws to protect street dogs in India, and while some do fall on very hard times…. they have the chance for rescue and rehabilitation… compassion not offered to the 4-5 million homeless dogs that are killed every year in the USA…
The ethic of ahimsa forms a sound basis for moving forward with progress for animals….
I find the death row shelters in the USA very distressing… the function of an ethic that does not grasp the meaning of reverence for life…
It is most ironic when a ‘dog loving nation’ disposes 4-5 million of its most vulnerable homeless animals as if they were trash… It is the same hypocrisy of those who ban cow slaughter but allow for cruelty to bulls, as a cultural tradition.
I am happy to hear that you have begun to heal from the loss of Opie… When the time is right someone else will find you to help fill the sadness… No need to search…. your next friend will find you…. they always do.
Thanks, Ruth. It will take me a long time to get over Opie’s loss — in fact, there are times when I don’t think I can. For the first time our home is without any fur babies, and it feels really lonely. But I do want to adopt, sooner rather than later, not least because there are so many animals out there who need homes. This past week we were at the shelter to donate Opie’s medications and bedding etc., and seeing the dogs just made me want to take each one of them home.
I usually dislike cooked carrots, but this made me want to try. Any suggestion for an alternate to carrots?
Bharatiya Janata Party is more about power than righteousness btw. Glad about the court order, time to part with such “traditions” in every culture, every country.
Hi Amarthya, broccoli or cauliflower would be great. You can also try zucchini but don’t cook it too long or you’ll have a mush on your hands. 🙂
And yes, the BJP is all about power, for sure, and about divide and rule– a tactic that seems to be succeeding only too well because I am afraid not enough educated Indians question them. It’s amazing how much of their cultural “reform” targets minority eating habits, businesses and practices.
This looks amazing! I could eat a bowl of that filling. Suggestion to reduce time- to press water out of the tofu; wrap the block in a couple layers of paper towels and microwave for 4 minutes. Water just drains out and it is a breeze to grill. Hope you are feeling better.
Thanks, Ambica, the filling is quite delicious on its own. I was surprised how much Jay loved it– he isn’t a huge fan of tofu, but this went down fast. 🙂 Great tip about pressing water out of the tofu!