Mom's Tofu Curry in a Hurry

1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 lb firm tofu
1 tbl canola oil
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbl freshly grated ginger
1 small hot red chili pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
2-3 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbl finely chopped cilantro or parsley
soy sauce
Press the tofu for 10-15 minutes. You do this by putting the block of
tofu on a plate. Place another plate on top and weight that plate with
something heavy like a big can of tomatoes. Drain the liquid. You can
skip this step but it makes the tofu a little meatier and less watery.

Cut the tofu into 1/2" cubes.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Stir in cumin seeds and cook for a
second or two. Stir in the ginger and chili pepper and saute for another
few seconds.

Add the tofu and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until
the tofu is lightly browned on most sides, about 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, 2 tsp curry powder, and the turmeric. Cook for 3
minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and add more curry powder if the
curry taste isn't strong enough.

Stir in the peas, cilantro and tamari to taste. Continue to cook,
stirring frequently until most of the liquid released by the tomatoes has
evaporated and the peas are cooked, about 1-2 minutes.

Some variations listed are
- add 1-2 cups shredded raw cabbage with the tomatoes
- saute 1 large thinly sliced onion before adding tofu
- use 2 large cloves of minced garlic instead of, or in
addition to the ginger.