Vegetable gratin with tofunaise, tomato sauce, and coconut milk is an unusual vegetarian gratin that breaks away from traditional gratins by using a healthier sauce made from tofunaise mixed with coconut milk, exotic spices, and tomato sauce. This dish is cooked in a clay pot, which gives the plate a beautiful earthy taste. This recipe takes much more time, but the pleasure of eating a meal cooked in a clay pot feels so natural and worth all the wait. Click on the link for Tofunaise sauce.
Vegetable Gratin
Ingredients
- Tomato Sauce
- 8 medium-sized fresh tomatoes
- 8 sundried tomatoes soaked in olive oil
- 1 tsp of broken fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp of caraway seeds
- 1 tsp of mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp clear sesame oil
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp of curry leaves (optional)
- Vegetable gratin
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp of ginger powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 medium carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces of your preferred shape
- 2 medium zucchini, chopped into bite-sized chunks of your desired shape
- 250 grams of flat green beans, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 400 grams of organic tofu
- 1/2 cup of grated coconut
- 1/2 cup of sweet peas to use or garnish
- Tofunaise
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 250 grams of organic tofu
- 1 cup of coconut milk cream
- 1 tbsp coconut butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp sifted tapioca flour or rice starch.
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
First, we prepare the tomato sauce.
In boiling water, blanch the tomatoes, remove the skin, and roughly chop.
In a medium pot over medium heat, add sesame oil and sauté the spices for the tomato sauce for a minute. Then add the blanched and sundried tomatoes and cook well until the tomatoes have softened and cooked down into a thick sauce. The sauce will be used for the top layer of the vegetable gratin.
Now we prepare the vegetables for the gratin.
In a pot over high heat, add coconut oil and sauté all the spices for vegetable gratin for 30 seconds.
Next, add the vegetables and sauté till the vegetables are half-cooked.
Add the tofunaise coconut milk sauce to the vegetables and mix to combine the sauce with vegetables. Spread the vegetables tofunaise mix to a clay tray evenly and set the tray aside.
Finally, we prepare the tofu topping.
Cut the tofu into cubes and sauté with a bit of oil in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown.
Add in the grated coconut and continue to sauté a minute more, then remove from heat. Remove and keep aside about a cup l of the tofu coconut mix to be used later as a garnish.
Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the vegetables in the clay tray.
Evenly pour the tomato sauce over the tofu and vegetables.
Garnish with the rest of the tofu-coconut mixture over the tomato sauce and spread some sweet peas over the whole dish.
Place the tray under the grill for twenty minutes until the surface is golden brown, remove it from the oven, and serve the vegetable gratin hot from the oven. To have a gratin effect on the surface, you may pour some coconut gravy on the top before grilling.
Notes
While you sauté the vegetables, it's better to keep them all half-cooked since you will bake the dish in the end again for 15 mins. Plus, the heat of the vegetables will allow it to cook itself.
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