What an amazing sauce this is…the Chraimeh Sauce. It’s a blend of flavors that combines spicy, sweet, robust and citrus. Although this recipe is called Tofu and Green Beans with Chraimeh Sauce, it’s the Chraimeh Sauce that drives this dish…the tofu and green beans are just along for the ride.
Originating from Libya, Chraimeh Sauce is traditionally cooked with fish. It’s just too good though to eat only with fish. You can use it on just about anything for a fiery feisty flavor kick.
I’ve adapted this recipe from Ottolenghi’s cookbook, Simple. If you don’t have caraway seeds you can replace it with fennel seeds, and if you don’t have limes then lemons works just as well.
Enjoy this Tofu and Greens Beans with Chraimeh Sauce recipe as a side dish or serve over rice for a vegetarian main course. Make extra sauce though if you want to extend your eating pleasure because the Chraimeh Sauce is addictingly delicious when dipped with bread. Yum!
Tofu and French Green Beans with Chraimeh Sauce
Chraimeh sauce, originating from Libya, is a fiery, feisty flavor bomb of a sauce that is generally served with fish but it can also be served over vegetables to make a perfect vegetarian main dish or a perfect side dish. Use bread to wipe the plate clean. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 450g French beans (Haricots Verts), trimmed
- 400g firm tofu, cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 15g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- salt
- CHRAIMEH SAUCE:
- 6 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, dry toasted + freshly ground in a pestle and mortar
- 2 teaspoons hot paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 235ml (1 cup) water
- 70g (3 tablespoons) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 limes, 1 juiced (about 1 tablespoon) and the other lime cut into wedges for serving
Directions
- Step 1 PREPARE THE GREEN BEANS: In a medium pot fill water halfway and bring to a boil. While you wait for it to boil trim the stems off the beans. Add beans and 1 teaspoon of salt to boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the beans are cooked but still retain a slight bite. Turn heat off. Drain the water from the pot, refresh with very cold water, drain again. Set aside and let dry.
- Step 2 PREPARE THE TOFU: Pat dry, cut into 2-3cm cubes, pat dry again. Fill a large sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add tofu cubes making sure they are arranged in a single layer. Give a light sprinkle of salt over the tofu. Now turn the heat on medium-high and fry all sides of the tofu until they are slight golden brown in color, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. (NOTE: Turning the heat on after the oil and tofu is added to the pan helps avoid oil splatters.)
- Step 3 PREPARE THE CHRAIMEH SAUCE: In a small bowl mix together the finely grated garlic, hot paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ground caraway and sunflower oil. It should form a paste.
- Step 4 Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the paste that you just made and fry for a minute. You can add a little bit of oil if needed to loosen the paste and avoid burning the spices.
- Step 5 Now gently add the water and tomato paste. Stir and bring to a simmer allowing the sauce to start thickening, about 2-3 minutes.
- Step 6 Add sugar, lime juice, salt and black pepper. Let sauce thicken.
- Step 7 Add prepared green beans to the sauce, mix until beans are well incorporated with sauce. Continue to cook for about a minute or so. Sauce should be further thickened and the beans warmed.
- Step 8 Remove from heat and gently stir in the prepared tofu and chopped fresh cilantro.
- Step 9 Serve with lime wedges.