White-girl curry tofu

I haven’t heard many other Aussies talk about this dish with the fervor my sister does- she is a true fan. When we were kids its was a big hit at our place, and the only point of tension would be the debate about using sausages, or barbecued chicken. I used tofu this time, after suffering from sausage-overload during a weekend away. I fully expect to bear the wrath of my sister for committing this atrocity 🙂

When I was a kid this was just called curry. Curry chicken, curry sausages. I learned to call it ‘white-girl curry’ after moving away from home and eatng a lot of actual curries. Its nothing – really nothing- like curries from anywhere else in the world. Turns out curry doesn’t usually have flour in it!

So, what is white-girl curry? It is basically just onion, celery and meat, in a white sauce flavoured with chicken stock and Keen’s curry powder. Its fluorescent green, and you eat it with white rice. Sound familiar?

It may have originaly been an Australian Women’s Weekly recipe (I’m almost sure it would have been), but I learned to make it from my Mum when I was a kid. Its one of those recipes that was never written down, and yet everyone makes it the same way.

Being a Monday night, the night I work and Mr and I don’t see each other, I didn’t get a good photo. I did manage to take a quick snap of some leftovers after work, which may not look great, but at least it gives you an idea of the colour.

A very small amount of curry tofu

So, without further ado, the White-girl Curry Recipe. Please note I don’t often measure, unless I’m trying to write up a recipe for you. I fell into bad habits last night, so the soy milk measurement below is a guess. Add more if you need, and add it slowly so as not to make it too thin.

This recipe serves 2-3

• 1 onion, small dice
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped into small pieces
• 300g firm tofu, cubed
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Keens curry powder
• 1/2 tsp Massel Chicken flavoured stock
• 1/3 cup plain flour
• 2 tbs vegan margarine
• about 1  1/2 cups soy milk, maybe more
• 1 tsp Keens curry powder
• 1 tsp chicken flavoured stock
• salt to taste
• White rice (we used basmati) to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the tofu, celery, and the first lot of curry and chicken stock powder. Cook for a few minutes, until tofu and vegies are coated with the curry powder (it will go yellow when it’s ready). Remove from saucepan, put tofu and vegies aside.
3. In the same saucepan (don’t wash it!) add the flour and margarine. Stirring, melt the margarine. The mixture will form a dough. Stir over medium heat until the dough starts to form crumbs.
4. Lower heat. Add a little milk, very slowly, whisking to form a paste. Continue until all the milk is added.
5. Add second lot of curry and chicken stock powder. Turn heat up to medium, and continue to stir until the mixture begins to thicken to about the consistency of pouring custard.
6. Turn heat to low. Add the tofu and vegies mixture, and stir until heated through (if they have cooled).
7. Taste now. Add salt, more curry or pepper if needed.
8. Serve over cooked rice.