Tofu Pepper Manchurian

Last time when we had dinner at Thai restaurant I had the idea of making a tofu  dish with a Chinese twist to it. Here tofu is cooked with pepper and sauces to give a hot and delicious recipe.

Firm tofu-25 1 inch cubes
Pepper powder-1 tbsp
Lemon grass powder-1/4 tsp
olive oil-1 tbsp
Salt a small pinch
Capsicum-1/4 cup(Chopped to small cubes)
Soya sauce-1 nd 1/2tbsp
Tomato sauce-1 tsp
Pepper powder-2 tsp
Salt to taste
Garlic-1 clove(cut to thin slice)
Ginger-1 inch pice(minced)
Shallots-5 nos(sliced thin lengthwise)
Olive oil-1 tbsp
Corn flour-2 tsp
Green onion-1 tbsp(chopped)

Method of Preparation:
1.Dry the tofu using kitchen tissue to absorb max water from it. Slice it and mix tofu,pepper,lemon grass powder,salt, olive oil and set aside for 30 mins.
2. Heat little oil in  a pan and shallow fry turning them till it turns golden brown on all sides.Drain and set aside on kitchen paper.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and fry the minced ginger, garlic in it for a second. Add the sliced shallots and fry till it turns translucent.
4. Add capsicum and cook till it gets soft but still crisp for few minutes.
5. Then add pepper powder, soy sauce, salt and tomato sauce,  mix and cook on medium high heat for a minute.
6. Mix the corn flour in little water and add to the mix. Cook it for a minute and then add the tofu into it and continue cooking till the cornflour thicken a bit and tofu is completely coated with masala.
7. Garnish with green onions and serve with rice.

 Notes:
1. Pat tofu before use to reduce its tofu smell.
2. Frying tofu helps to reduce the tofu smell again.
3. Instead of lemon grass powder you can use a small piece of fresh lemon grass.
4. Be careful while adding salt...sauces,fried tofu everything has pinch of salt in it. so add only a small pinch.