Fesanjoon
Ingredients
60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
500g firm tofu, cubed
500g cauliflower, cut into large chunks
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 eggplant, cubed
½ tsp ground cardamom or ground cinnamon
2 cups stock
2 cups ground walnuts
160 ml pomegranate molasses*
2 tbsp brown sugar, to taste
lemon or lime juice, to taste
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. In batches, brown the tofu and set aside. Add the onion, eggplant, and cardamom or cinnamon and sauté until the onion is translucent, stirring frequently. Add the stock and walnuts. Return the tofu to the pot, along with the cauliflower. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the pomegranate molasses. Simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the vegies are cooked through and the sauce thickens. Add a little sugar if the sauce is too tart, or balance it with lime or lemon juice if it is too sweet. Season to taste and serve with rice.
*pomegranate molasses isn’t that easy to come by. If you don’t have it, try a combination of tamarind and dates, or better yet get some pomegranate juice and reduce it to a syrup.
