Cauliflower have such delicate taste and texture, why not give it an edge and spice it up a bit. Last week, I saw that nice recipe cauliflower-paneer-kofta-curry on the exquisite “Curry trail” blog, and I felt inspired, only problem is the balls are fried and since I’m on an eternal diet… I should cut out the frying, so I did a simplification and healthier version. I’m not an “extra spicy” kind of person, I like it in moderation… So I used only 3 tbsp of Garam Masala spice (which is spicy), but it’s totally up to you, just add 2 more of those spoons of Garam Masala spice and you’ll get a rock n roll cauliflower!
I saw other recipes and mix it to my taste, for exemple, I add a little green cardamom seeds, and a squeeze of lime at the end, it end up being a success. Also you can make it has a side dish as much as a main meal. Imagine a nice tandoori chicken with it! Mmmm…
I’m always searching for new vegetarian dishes or light meals, and indian food is heaven for it! The only problem is…it’s often ambiguous the terms they use to my ears, for example; “what is shah jeera?” It’s actually what we call in our world; caraway seeds. Other times, I have no clue about the ingredient… or they can’t be found in markets around you. But at the end of the day, we do with what we have and it ends up pretty good, although in India it would be perfect. I would say for any indian meal, the most important spice you need is the Garam Masala one, it’s like a popular mix of spices and watch out it’s spicy.
So let’s make those rock n roll indian cauliflowers.
Indian Cauliflower
Makes 4-6 portions (depends if your eat it as a meal or side dish)
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
- 300g natural yoghurt
- 3 tbsp of tomato paste
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp Garam Masala (more if you like spicy)
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp butter or oil of your choice
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp green cardamom seeds
- *If you like extra spicy add 1 tsp red chilli powder
- salt, pepper
- Limes as topping
Directions
Bring oven to 180°C (350F)
- Cut the cauliflower into big pieces
- Mix all the rest of the ingredients together
- Mix in the cauliflower, let marinate, minimum 30 minutes
- Add a baking sheet to a tray
- Add the cauliflower, cook for about 30 minutes
- Serve with limes
Enjoy it with a Lassi (yogurt drink) or warm water to calm down the spice effect, *never with cold water it will close up the pores and keep the spice in… while the warm or hot water dilate the pores and clean up the spices away.
