Cashew - Coconut Croquettes

Cashew Coconut Tofu Croquettes

Its time to talk about another one of my favourite cookbooks. Well, its more than a cookbook, a culinary travelogue – Mangoes and Curry Leaves, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. The book take us through the Great Indian Subcontinent – India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The greatest success of this book is, in my opinion, the authors somehow manage to magically transport us to these places. Hoppers at the Sri Lankan roadside shop, sherpas in the Everest, mela(festival) at Ladakh, rickshaws in Dhaka, glass bangles and henna designs, are few (very few, actually) mentions that comes to my mind. They also introduce us to interesting characters like the Munasinghes, Sam, Dolma, etc. Though faceless, they give a glimpse of the ‘real’ life in these parts of the world. Did I mention about the inspiring photos?

Each nation is unique in her own self, even quirky. Her lands, her people, their culture and food reflect this unique spirit. Superficially, there may be many elements, like traffic, pollution, poverty, that may appear uninviting, or downright repulsive. A real traveler should be able to look through this chaos and appreciate the real beauty and life of a country. Coming from a different background, he/she should be open to think things differently. That is the true spirit of traveling and seeing places; and I should say that I am pleased with this book in that regard. Even if cooking is not your thing, this book is a good read.

Talking about travelogues, I immensely enjoy Vegeyum’s Travel Thursday. Her enlivening posts and photographs, unbiased accounts and perception on things generally, only add to my respect towards her.

Cashew - coconut croquettes, that I chose to showcase from this book, are delicate, but rich. The original recipe calls for lamb and eggs. I veganized by substituting tofu for lamb and corn flour for eggs.

Cashew Coconut Tofu Croquettes

Cashew - Coconut Croquettes
(Serves 4)

Ingredients

Croquettes

Firm tofu – 1 14 oz tub
Cashew nuts – ½ cup
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Green chillies – 3 or 4
Onion – 1, small
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Garlic – 1 clove
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Corn flour – 2 to 3 tbsp
Cilantro – 1 tbsp
Salt
Oil

Tamarind sauce

Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Onion – 1, finely chopped
Garlic – 1 clove, minced
Green chillies – 3, minced
Tomato – 3 cups, chopped
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Tamarind paste – 2 tbsp
Cilantro – ¼ cup, chopped
Salt
Oil – 2 tsp

Method

Drain the liquid from tofu, as much as possible. In a food processor, pulse cashew nuts, until coarsely ground. Add coconut, ginger, garlic, green chillies, fennel seeds, salt and grind until fairly smooth. Finally add tofu and cilantro; and pulse until everything comes together. Transfer to a bowl and add corn flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture holds together. Over medium heat, spray a skillet with oil. Take a lime sized tofu mixture, roll and flatten as shown below, and pan fry them. Repeat with the rest of the dough and make croquettes in batches. Alternately, you can also bake or broil the croquettes.

While making the croquettes, heat oil in a sauce pan. Splutter fennel seeds, sauté onion and garlic. When it turns soft, add all the ground spices and green chillies, sauté for a minute and then add chopped tomatoes, salt, tamarind and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let the gravy simmer for 15 minutes. The tamarind should not smell raw, and the sauce should be a thick and homogenous mixture. Check for seasoning, garnish with cilantro. Serve croquettes generously spooned with tamarind sauce.

Cashew Coconut Tofu Croquettes

I served mine with pulao. We also had the leftovers croquettes + sauce for tea, and we liked the stand-alone version better. Next time, I am thinking of adding sweet tasting vegetables like carrots or sweet potatoes to the croquettes.

A Fruit A Month - Coconut

This is my entry to AFAM – Coconut, the event I am hosting this month. You still have a week to send in your entries. This is also my entry to JFI – Tamarind, hosted by Sig of Live To Eat. Jihva is Indira’s conception.

On a separate note, I am still recovering from an awful flu. There may be delays in responding to my emails. Please bear with me while I recover.

32 comments:

amna said...

Yeah they do look a little dull without some veggies to color it up :) so, another tofu recipe from you. Looks delicious, though i still havent come to terms with tofu.

get well soon :)

sra said...

Very creative, Suganya, I will try this.

Anonymous said...

Hi Suganya, sorry to hear you've been unwell. Hope you feel better soon.

Guess what, Mangoes & Curry Leaves is one of my favourite reads - I liked it so much I even bought it for my boss as an anniversary present, because he loves Indian food and has travelled extensively in India/Nepal/Sri Lanka :) It makes a great present but is even better to own! :)

FH said...

Aw..!! Hope you will feel better very very soon. Hugs to you! You don't have to blog or blog hop girl, rest and recover first!:)
Croquettes look yum, Tofu makes it double nutritious. Good one.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Simply delish - the idea, recipe and the photographs!

sunita said...

Sug,those croquettes look delish.

Sorry to hear about your flu...take care and get well soon...hugs to you.

Sunshinemom said...

Lovely pictures to go with a yummy recipe!

Medhaa said...

These are lovely, Have bookmarked to try.

Unknown said...

Cashew and coconut...heavenly combo...hmmm..don't know abt tofu..as i have never tasted it before...Your platter says thpusnd words.Delicious....

Ranjani said...

GORGEOUS! I heart "mangoes and curry leaves" too...it's a great book.

Your blog is fabulous, all your pictures are brilliant:)

lakshmi said...

corn flour for eggs - now why din't it strike me earlier!!! i shall try this with paneer (warning: my bookmarks section is large but i almost try everything, so don't be shocked if i come back after a year :D )

i enjoy reading vegeyum too :)

Anonymous said...

those croquettes are yummy lookin dear ...
Awww, sad to hear u r down with flu ... get well soon ...

Srivalli said...

Suganya..you got to promise you won't torture me like this with your pictures...:(...each look more yummy than the other!

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

hey Suganya!! beautiful looking croquettes... Loved the way you modified the original recipe to make it vegan. I am really bad at substituting ingredients :(....
And I hope you are feeling better now. Get well soon dear!

Suganya said...

Nags, They may look dull, but the fennel, onion and coconut combo was divine. The vegetables may go well with this masala.

Thanks, Sra.

Shammi, Its a great gift, now that you have mentioned it. It offered a different perspective even though I hail from the same geographical area.

Asha, thank you so much. Its a relief to see you all here even though I haven't visited many of the blogs for more than a fortnight.

Thanks, Meeta. Nice to see you here.

Hugs back to you, Sunita. I am getting slightly better.

Thanks Sunshinemom, Medhaa.

Maheswari, I am surprised you haven't tasted tofu yet.

Ranjani, thank you. Nice to see so many M&CL fans.

Lakshmi, that is such an old trick. Don't you dredge your cutlets in cornflour gravy before frying them? It is the 'vegetarian egg' :D. Surprisingly, it works quite well.

Thank you Skribles.

C'mon Sri. You call this a torture. I guess I have to *really torture you by feeding what I cook ;)

Ramya, Substitution is not a science. Born more out of necessity. Some times it works, sometimes it flunks :D

Lucy said...

A book I've drooled over in stores (the images are stunning, I must say!) but never brought home.

Shall fix that this week, I think!

These look and sound fabulous, Suganya. Beautiful little mouthfuls.

Mansi said...

I agree, carrots and spring onions would be great additions! but I love the recipe though...cashews & coconuts sounds great together:)

I too posted mandarin tofu satay today:) let me send some over so you'll be up and out of bed in no time!:)

Susan said...

Beautiful, in recipe and photos. I am sorry you are still feeling unwell. The flu's a nasty thing. You've been ill too long, now. : {

Anonymous said...

The pics ares imply superb very professional. Love the recipe .

Kalai said...

First of all, my wishes to you for a very speedy recovery, Suganya. Hugs to you! These croquettes look really delicious!! Take your time getting back to blogging. Your health comes first! :)

Sum Raj said...

creative and delicious suganya..

Sia said...

get well soon sug. sending u warm hugs :)

Anonymous said...

They look exquisite! I can almost taste them already. Your photography and design is just stunning. Oh I am so drooling.

And thanks for the mention. I am so glad that you like my Travel Thursdays. I am so very busy at the moment I am not posting a lot but I will get back to it soon.

After your review of this book, I am going to invest. Not that I really need another cookbook, but, well, I can never resist.

SMN said...

Hey this is a very nice entry two in one :) new to me.. looks yum

Sig said...

Hope you get better soon Suganya!! Those are some creative adapation of the lamb croquettes... And the tamarind sauce looks delicious! Thank you for this entry.

@the_whisk_affair said...

those croquettes look delicious, suganya! oooh yumm!! :-)

test it comm said...

Those look good! Nice photos!

Chef Jeena said...

Fabulous entry!

Sailaja said...

Nice Entry . Please take care of your health.
Very Nice Pictures

Shreya said...

Hi Suganya, I am new to your blog, thanks to Nags, and I really love your pics! So beautiful, and arty. This dish seems delicate, and tedious to make. I am glad I visited, because I also got to read about travel books, which I never have been interested in before. Will keep visiting :-)

Kana said...

Would I be able to substitute tofu for panner?

Preeti Kashyap said...

they look so yummmm....great recipe!

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