Cauliflower Curry

Tender cauliflower cooked in warm Indian spices.

This is probably not an authentic Indian curry, but I used the spices and cooking techniques I've seen/used in other Indian dishes.  I love the delicious spicy combination of ginger, garlic, chili, cumin, and turmeric found in Indian cuisine.  All the spices take a dish from bland to exciting and leave me feeling full and satisfied without meat or too many calories.  Not only does the spice combination taste amazing it's said to have many health benefits too.

Warm Indian spices make yummy #vegan Cauliflower #Curry  [Tweet this]

Cauliflower Curry

Cook time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4-5

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced pickled jalapeno (or fresh chili if you have it)
1/2 tsp turmeric
chili powder (to taste)
1 Tbsp coriander powder
Salt (to taste)
3-4 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
2 small carrots, chopped (optional)
1 tomato, pureed
1/4 cup water
1 tsp tamarind concentrate (optional)

1 tsp garam masala

Prepare all of the ingredients and have them at hand before cooking.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot.  Add the cumin seeds until they sputter then add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeno.  Stir and cook until fragrant.

Add the dry spices (turmeric, chili powder, and coriander)  and cook for a few seconds then add the vegetables (you can use all cauliflower if you prefer I added peas and carrots for more color) with a good sprinkle of salt.  

Stir and mix well then add the water mixed with the tamarind concentrate (I use the tamarind to add more flavor and because I have it).  Continue stirring until the water cooks off and cauliflower is tender.

Remove from heat and mix in the garam masala.  

Serve warm over rice garnished with cilantro (with naan and chutney on the side if desired).

I served this curry with a cilantro coconut chutney (I happened to have all the ingredients on hand).  It was delicious.  I'll post the recipe next week so stay tuned.

Makes about 4-5 servings.

Enjoy.

For more Indian recipes check out:

Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry

Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage & Peas)

Sambar           -

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Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

A flavorful vegetarian curry made with cauliflower, chickpeas, and spices.

This is a curry I improvised based on a few other Indian recipes and what I had in my refrigerator/freezer.  I had plenty of leftover cauliflower from another dinner and I didn't feel like going to the store so I used what I had on hand to make a very good, and nutritious, complete meal.

Delicious and #nutitious Cauliflower & Chickpea #Curry  [Tweet this]

I wanted to have some protein in this curry so I added chickpeas.  When I have free time I like to cook an entire bag of beans and then freeze them in 1-2 cup portions.  This is cheaper than buying canned beans and you don't have to worry about too much salt.  Usually, I don't add any salt to the beans.  So I always have beans ready to add to any meal.

Chickpeas add #protein to #vegan Cauliflower&ChickpeaCurry  [Tweet this]

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

Cook time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 Tbsp coriander
1/8 tsp ghost pepper masala, or red chili powder to taste
12 dried curry leaves, crushed
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
1/2 C water
1 tsp tamarind concentrate (optional)
2 C chickpeas, thawed
1 C coconut milk
cilantro

In a large skillet, heat the oil (any high heat oil is fine), over medium high heat, until shimmery.  Add the cumin seeds and stir until they sputter.  Then, add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant (all of this should take less than a minute).

Add the onion, stirring frequently, until softened then add the tomatoes.  Stir and let the tomatoes cook down just a little (just a minute or two).  Season with some salt.

Add the spices and stir and mix them with the onions and tomatoes and cook for a few more seconds until the spices become fragrant.  Add the cauliflower and water and tamarind paste, if you are using (plain water will work fine the tamarind adds more flavor and a slight sourness or you can use vegetable broth).

Cover and allow to steam for up to 10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender (I like mine to be more crisp so I didn't let it steam that long).  Add the chickpeas and coconut milk and stir until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required (add more salt or chili as needed).

Makes about 4 servings.  Serve over rice garnished with cilantro.  I had Aloo Paratha (a potato filled flat bread) on the side but any flatbread would be great.

Enjoy.

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Lemon Grass Curry

A coconut milk based curry flavored with lemon grass.  It's what's for dinner.

I originally got the idea for this recipe from a website called Asian Spicy Recipe, but unfortunately this website is gone.  At least I got a few great recipes from it before it disappeared.

I love the scent and flavor of lemon grass.  Lemon grass is used in many South East Asian recipes.  I have tried many of these recipes, but the lemon grass flavor is hidden amongst many other great flavors.  I was excited about this recipe because it uses a lot of lemon grass.  Even though lemon grass is a subtle flavor it really shines in this curry.

This curry can be made vegetarian but I used the last of the smoked marlin.  Any kind of fish, chicken, or tofu would also work in this.  All in all it makes a very filling dinner.

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
2 Thai chilies, minced
1 large zucchini, chopped
2 cups cauliflower florets
1/3 cup minced lemon grass (about 2 bunches)
2 cans coconut milk
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1 cup shredded smoked marlin (optional)
Juice from 1 lime
Thai basil and sprouts (garnish)

In a large pot gently heat the coconut oil (medium-medium low heat).  Add the garlic, ginger. and peppers.  Cook until tender and fragrant then add the zucchini and cauliflower and cook until just tender.

Add the lemon grass, coconut milk, and shrimp paste and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Finaly, add the fish (if using) and cook until heated through.  Take off the heat and stir in the lime juice.

Serve over sticky rice with Thai basil and sprouts.  Makes 4-6 servings.  Enjoy.

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Tofu Thai Green Curry

The sweetness of coconut milk, the sourness of lime, and the saltiness of fish sauce. A Thai green curry made with tofu and vegetables.  Delicious.

Green curry is the spiciest of the Thai curries and my husband's favorite.  He doesn't even mind that I use tofu in it sometimes (and he actually enjoys it).  I like to try to make things from scratch as much as possible.  Since I live so close to Chinatown, I can find most of the ingredients to make my own green curry paste and it is awesome.  Another good thing about making it yourself is that you can adjust the spiciness to your own taste.  The curry paste I make is probably not authentic, I found the recipe on thaifood.about.com, but it is simple and tastes wonderfully fresh and is better than many restaurant versions.  I love this recipe and make it frequently.

Green Curry Paste

Ingredients:

Modified slightly from about.com Thai Green Curry
**Makes 1 serving, enough for 4 servings of Green Curry**

 
4-5 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos (or Thai green chillies)
2 shallots (about 1/4 cup)
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro (use the roots too if you can find them)
1/2 cup Thai basil
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp shrimp paste
2 Tbsp lime juice (2 limes)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk

Puree all of the above ingredients together in a blender until smooth.  Pour into a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tofu Thai Green Curry

Ingredients:

the rest of the can of coconut milk
1-2 Tbsp lemon grass, minced
1 block tofu (12 oz), chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 hand full long green beans, 1 inch pieces

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium low heat.  Add a little oil, then all of the curry paste (it's not really paste like, there is enough liquid in it that it pours easily), lemon grass and the rest of the coconut milk.

Cover and allow mixture to come to a gentle boil then add the the tofu (I used deep fried tofu because I like the texture the best) and cover.

Reduce the temperature and let the tofu simmer in the sauce for a few minutes and then add the veggies.  Cover again and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

Remove from heat and serve over rice with more cilantro, basil, lime, and jalapeno.  Makes 4 servings.

This meal is delicious.  The ingredient list is long, but it doesn't really take very long since most of the ingredients are being blended you could even make the sauce a day or two before you plan to make the curry.  This time did not turn out very spicy at all, I kept the seeds in one jalapeno and removed them from the other, next time I may use more jalapenos and keep the seeds in them all.  My husband (who likes a lot of spice) just loaded his with sliced, raw jalapenos as the garnish and he was happy.  Enjoy.

I made cocktails to  accompany the meal too.  I will post about this cocktail next time.

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