Cauliflower Masala (VG) from Classic Indian Recipes

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“This is a stunning veggie dish, yet it’s easy to make and ready in a flash! Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables. It can be cooked in so many ways and lends itself to all sorts of spicing. For this recipe I add all the flavours from my spice box as well as some chilli-garlic sauce for extra depth. You can use any shop-bought chilli-garlic sauce, but if you don’t have any, substitute harissa or a chilli-tomato sauce – either works beautifully.” Chetna Makan, author of Classic Indian Recipes

Serves 4

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 onions, thinly sliced

2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 tablespoon shop-bought chilli-garlic sauce

1 cauliflower, cut into florets

8–10 mint leaves, finely chopped

Heat the sunflower oil in a saucepan over a medium–low heat. Add the fennel and cumin seeds and cook for 1–2 minutes until they begin to sizzle. Stir in the onions and cook over a medium–low heat for 8–10 minutes until golden.

Add the ginger, garlic and chilli to the saucepan, stir well and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Stir the salt and spices in, then add the chilli-garlic sauce.

Finally, add the cauliflower to the saucepan and mix well, then cover the pan with a lid and cook over a medium–low heat for 10–12 minutes until the florets are softened and cooked through. Take the pan off the heat, sprinkle over the mint and serve immediately.