Cauliflower Masala
My style of entertaining has decidedly mellowed over the years. Gone are the days of plated 3-course dinners and a la minute cooking. Now I serve (heavy) hors d’oeuvres followed by a family-style main meal, and everything is cooked in advanced. I’d rather sacrifice a little refinement in favor of enjoying my company.
Not feeling very creative, I decided on Tandoori Lamb. I like it because it’s easy to prepare, but still has a complex flavor that always impresses. Though I’ve made this dish many times for many occasions, no one in this group had had it before.
To shake it up a little, I served it with Cauliflower Masala, another traditional Indian dish…Oddly, I had only prepared this recipe with broccoli, favoring the bright green color and flavor that seems better suited to a pan sauté/steam. Because steamed cauliflower had little appeal to me, I decided to roast the cauliflower separately – to achieve the wonderful, caramelized brown flavor, and then top it with the roasted spices and tomatoes of the more traditional recipe.
From the garden: the last tomatoes of the season, garlic, chilies, scallions
(adapted from Singapore Food )
1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. butter or canola oil
½ tsp. brown mustard seed
½ tsp. cumin
pinch fenugreek
½ tsp. turmeric
3 slices fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 fresh green chili, sliced
Salt to taste
1. Toss cauliflower florets and olive oil together. Season with salt. Lay cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 425F oven for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is deeply browned on the underside.
2. Heat butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add mustard seeds cumin, fenugreek and turmeric. Continue cooking for 1 minute until spices are aromatic. Remove from heat and add tomatoes and chilies.
3. When cauliflower is cooked, toss with tomatoes and spices.
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