It was 11:30AM by the time we were done with Soha's doctor visit. I was hungry enough to eat a whole cow (although I would never eat a cow. I am a Hindu. My mom would do jumping jacks in heaven with sheer frustration if I ever sink my teeth in to a juicy steak. God bless her soul. I love her and miss her everyday but I DO NOT want her haunting me.). We went to one of my favorite places, "PF Changs". I came out feeling less than satisfied. Is Sichuan (or is it Szechuan) Shrimp supposed to taste sweet? I dont know. I do know that my taste buds were yearning for "heat" after that meal.
Dinner in this household is almost always an impromptu affair. I have tried meal planning before without much success. I hate schedules way too much. I find them boring. Where's the fun in knowing you need 2 onions and 3 tomatoes for lunch tomorrow? I like the challenge of tweaking recipes. There is a different sort of exhilaration in pulling Tuna from the freezer only to find out that we used up all our Cilantro for the Chicken I made on Monday (Yum!!! Tongue Tingling Memories!!!) and still going ahead with Tuna Stir-Fry. It kinda makes me feel like George Constanza's dad, "If I spice it just enough... " . But I can assure you the outcome is far tastier than anything Frank Costanza may have ever cooked and certainly not poisonous.
I did learn a few things from blogging this recipe. I am not a good food photographer and I must buy better serving ware if I am to keep updating this blog.
Tuna Stir Fry
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
4 large Tuna Steaks cubed in 1 inch pieces OR a large family pack of water-packed Tuna
1 medium onion: Diced as thin as possible
2 cups chopped tomatoes (I use Roma or Vine Ripened Tomatoes because they both make a mean sauce)
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste (equal quantities of ginger and garlic ground to a fine paste. I usually make a cup every weekend to use throughout the week. It keeps in the freeze for upto 2 weeks in an air tight container.)
1/4tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili Powder or 1-2 Green Chili (chopped fine)
1tsp Garam Masala Powder (Mine is a family recipe but store brought kind works just as well. Ofcourse different types of Garam Masala can alter the taste based on the dominant spice)
Oil Spray or 1tbsp Olive or Canola Oil
Salt to taste
2 tbsp cilantro for garnish
Marinate the cubed Tuna with about 1tsp of the Ginger Garlic paste.Water-Packed Tuna does not need marinating.
In the meanwhile, heat up a thick bottomed pot. Add the oil. When the oil is hot enough add the diced onion (to test the temperature add a bit of onion. It should sizzle but not burn). If you add the onions when the oil is not hot enough, the dish will have an oily after taste. Saute the onions for 5-6 minutes on medium heat until softened, but not browned (and certainly not burnt). If adding Green Chillies instead of red Chili Powder, add them now. Add the rest of the Ginger Garlic paste.
Saute for a minute and add the diced tomatoes, chili powder, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Cover the pot. Cook for aout 10 minutes. Tomatoes should have completely cooked with a bit of moisture starting to separate from the onion-tomato mix.
Add the Tuna. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with Cilantro.
Since I did not have Cilantro today, I sprinkled some dry Parsley flakes for the effect. I used Olive oil but you can trim the fat by using oil spray. Just make sure you dont burn the onions while frying. My mom use to make this dish with an ocean fish called Pomfret. Instead of tomatoes, she would use a fruit called Kokam as a sour. More on that later.
You can serve with Rice or Roti or Nan. I use the leftovers to make a sandwich with regular sourdough. Today I served it with Rice and Yellow Split Moong Dal.
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