Curried Apple and Onion Pan Sauce

A pan sauce is usually a quick sauce that you can whip up in the same pan you cooked your main dish in. Multitasking with two pans is a lot faster if you can manage it, though :)

I served this spooned over Mashed Tofu Cutlets, but other baked or sauteed tofu dishes would work too.

Curried Apple-Onion Sauce

Curried Apple and Onion Pan Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large apple

1 medium onion

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2-3 tsp oil

1 tsp curry powder

1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

salt & pepper

Sauce:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar or sweetener

2 tsp cornstarch

6 Tbsp water

1/8 tsp turmeric

Directions:

Sauteing the apples and onions

Slice the apple and onion into 1/4 inch strips, then halve the strips down to a more manageable length. 

Saute the garlic in the oil over medium heat until fragrant and very lightly browned. Add apple and onion and saute until softened and browned. A minute or two before the apple and onions are done, stir in the curry powder, ginger and cinnamon and let them toast but not burn.

Whisk together all the rest of the ingredients (lemon juice through turmeric) in a small bowl, making sure to mash out any clumps in the cornstarch.

When the apples and onions are done, pour in the lemon juice mixture. Stir continuously as it thickens to your liking; this should happen quite quickly (possibly less than a minute). Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Spoon over tofu or seitan.

Curried Apple-Onion Sauce over a Mashed Tofu Cutlet

 

Variations:

If you'd like a juicier sauce, you could double the lemon juice mixture while keeping the amount of apple and onion the same.

You could dice the apple and onions finely and add a little dried fruit or crystallized ginger for a chutney-like effect.

Other fruits and vegetables could be used in place of or in addition to the onions and apples. I think a red bell pepper would add a nice splash of color.

The sugar free version of this recipe, using stevia or splenda in place of the sugar, works very nicely.

A good sauce can really round out a nice meal