Sauteed Vegetables With Chile Tamarind Sauce Recipes

SAUTEED VEGETABLES WITH CHILE-TAMARIND SAUCE

Steps:

• Place tamarind square in small bowl. Cover with boiling water and let stand until pulp softens, breaking apart occasionally with fork, about 45 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer tamarind pulp with seeds to strainer set over medium bowl. Press pulp through sieve, leaving seeds behind. Measure 2 teaspoons pulp for sauce (discard remaining pulp).
• Cook squash in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain squash. Return to same saucepan and mash to smooth puree.
• Cook guajillo chiles in medium saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, stem, and seed chiles. Place chiles in blender. Add 1/2 cup water, lemongrass, shallot, ginger, garlic, and lime peel. Puree until chile paste is smooth. Transfer paste to medium saucepan. Whisk in coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons tamarind pulp. Add kabocha squash puree and bring to simmer, whisking often. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened and flavors blend, whisking occasionally, about 4 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Bring medium pot of water to boil; salt generously. Add snow peas and cook just until crisp-tender, about 15 seconds. Using large slotted spoon, transfer peas to colander. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Repeat cooking, rinsing, and draining with each remaining vegetable in separate batches in same pot of boiling salted water until vegetables are just crisp-tender, about 1 minute for asparagus, about 3 minutes for eggplant and zucchini, and about 1 minute for bok choy leaves. Pat snow peas dry; cut on diagonal into thin strips. (Vegetables can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add vegetables and toss until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and pepper.
• Bring sauce to simmer. Spoon 1/3 cup in center of each of 6 plates. Mound 1/16 of vegetables on each plate and serve.
• *Tamarind is a legume with large brown seedpods. The pulp is used in Indian, Thai, Caribbean, and Latin American cooking. The pulp is sold in block form and is available at Indian markets.
• **Guajillo chiles are maroon-colored, fairly hot dried chiles up to 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Available at Latin American markets and some supermarkets.
• **Guajillo chiles are maroon-colored, fairly hot dried chiles up to 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Available at Latin American markets and some supermarkets. ***Found at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets.

VEGETABLE MEDLEY IN GARLIC-CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• First prepare the vegetables: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Also, have ready a large bowl of ice water, with more ice in reserve. Add the potatoes and cook until barely tender, about 15 minutes (depending on their size). Lift out, drain, peel, and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Remove the strings from the green beans if necessary. Cut into short pieces (about 1/4 inch) and cook with the peas until barely tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop out the beans and peas with a strainer or slotted spoon and at once plunge them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Scoop out and drain. Peel the carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice, and cook until barely tender, about 3 to 5 minutes, chilling and draining in the same way. Separate the cauliflower into small florets; cook until barely tender, about 4 to 6 minutes, chilling and draining in the same way. Set the vegetables aside.
• Remove and discard the tops and seeds from the guajillo chiles. Rinse the guajillos under cold running water and shake off the excess moisture, but do not dry them. Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Place a few guajillos on the griddle and heat, turning occasionally with tongs, just until any clinging moisture is evaporated and the aroma is released, about 25 seconds. (The chiles should just become dry, hot, and fragrant; do not allow them to start really roasting or they will have a terrible scorched flavor.) Remove from the griddle as they are done, and repeat with the remaining guajillos.
• Place the guajillo and amarillo chiles in a deep bowl, cover generously with boiling water, and let soak for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, grind the canela in an electric coffee or spice grinder.
• Drain the chiles and place in a blender with the ground canela, garlic, thyme, vinegar, and enough water to facilitate blending (about 1 cup). Process to a smooth purée, about 3 minutes on high. With a wooden spoon or pusher, force the purée through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl.
• In a large non-reactive bowl, toss the cooked vegetables with the pruéed chile mixture and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably longer. It will be better if left overnight - or even better after two days.
• When ready to serve, combine the cheese, sliced onion, and oregano in a small bowl and toss to distribute evenly. Pour vegetable oil into a large, deep skillet to a depth of 1 inch and heat to 375° F. Fry the tortillas, 2 at a time, just until crisp (20 to 30 seconds on each side). Lift out to drain on paper towels as they are done. Top each with a few spoonfuls of the marinated vegetables and scatter some of the cheese-onion mixture over the vegetables. You may omit the fried tortillas and serve with fresh corn tortillas or fried tortilla chips.
• The chileajo mixture also makes a good side dish. Omit the fried tortillas and heap the marinated vegetables on a serving platter, topping with the cheese-onion mixture.

TAMARIND TOFU WITH VEGETABLES AND SOBA

Steps:

• Break open tamarind pods and scoop out flesh into a large bowl. Cover with hot water and let soften, about 1 hour. Push softened tamarind through a sieve with the back of a spoon to extract pulp, discarding seeds and tough fibers. Measure out a 1/2 cup of tamarind pulp; set aside.
• Slice tofu crosswise into 6 rectangles. Cut rectangles in half into 12 squares. Cut squares in half diagonally to make 24 triangles. Layer tofu on paper towels, pressing to extract excess liquid, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss tofu triangles with 2 tablespoons peanut oil; arrange on baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Combine peanuts and sesame seeds in a large skillet or wok over medium heat; toast until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add cucumber, carrots, green onions, and red bell pepper; saute just until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tamarind pulp, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, and red pepper flakes; simmer until sauce is combined, about 3 minutes.
• Stir baked tofu triangles, peanuts, and sesame seeds into the sauce. Fold in cucumber mixture.
• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add light and dark soba noodles; cook, stirring occasionally, under tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Top with tofu and cucumber mixture.