Rougaille Express

Today is all about an easy and quick recipe using just what I had in the fridge along with the red lentils tofu that I made using Carleigh Bodrug’s recipe which I found on Facebook the other day. Of course, you can use regular tofu.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you will notice that I rave about this recipe because that’s how awesome it is! It’s cheap and easy and very healthy as red lentils are a great source of proteins. Plus, if you can’t have soy, this one is a great alternative. I gave the video a try because I was curious and I felt that it needed to be shared!

What is Rougaille?

For those who are not aware, Rougaille is a classic Mauritian Dish and the main ingredient is tomatoes. It’s an easy dish which is so versatile as you can make it with anything as long as you have some tomatoes and onions. Everyone has its own variation of rougaille. Some love a thick gravy-like rougaille with plenty of tomatoes while others may prefer something with less tomatoes and less runny/saucy. 

You can make a simple tomato rougaille or as we know it in Mauritius, Rougaille Touni (This literally translates to naked rougaille because it is a rougaille with just the tomatoes, onions and spices). 

You can also add anything in it. Usually, it would be some form of protein. Some non-veg favorites would be canned tuna, salmon, sausages, poisson salé, chicken, fish, octopus, etc. Some veg options will be peas, okras, soya chunks, paneer (cottage cheese), tofu, etc.

Rougaille will be served with anything, roti, dhol puri, rice, bread, boiled noodles and so on. It’s also common as street food. You will find roti or dhol puri vendors including rougaille among the different options. 

Foodwini’s Take on a quick Rougaille. 

Anyways, I needed a quick thing for lunch (perfect for those days when you’re working from home and don’t want to cook something complicated) and I still had some of this delicious Red Lentils Tofu which I cut into large chunks this time. I also had some okra (lalo) which my dad had just plucked this morning. So I wiped up this quick and easy rougaille tofu that’s perfect for a quick meal. I had it with some leftover couscous from the day before.

 I call it the Rougaille Express because that’s just how quick it is. I chopped most of the ingredients into large chunks to save time and I have a preference for a rougaille that is on the dry side instead of a thick gravy. 

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 okras 
• 1 cup of Tofu chunks 
• 1 onion 
• 2 tomatoes 
• 1 garlic clove (grated)
• Some oil for cooking
• Salt to taste
• 1 chilli (optional)

Preparation:

1. Chop the tomatoes, onions and the tofu into large chunks. For the okras, because mine were small, I just cut off the top but if you prefer, you can chop them into smaller chunks. 
2. In your saucepan, heat a tiny bit of oil and let the okras and onions cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add your tomatoes. Next, add the garlic and chilli.  When everything is cooked, toss in your tofu chunks and let them cook for a few minutes, stirring now and then  season with salt according to taste. 

Note: since this is a homemade tofu that has been cooked on the stove, I did not fry it. If you are using regular tofu, cook it prior to making the rougaille.