RECIPE: Curried Cauliflower With Peas

[Guest guest]

Made this for our mid-day meal. Photo on my http://beanvegan.blogspot.com

 

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER AND PEAS

 

This idea is one I found in Dr Neal BarnardÕs _Turn Off The Fat Genes_ (Recipes

by Jennifer

Raymond). I have adapted it slightly to suit our tastes, but I have left the

simplicity of it

intact - it would be foolish to try to make it more ÔauthenticÕ in cooking

style, when the

whole point would seem to be that it is quick and easy and requires little

preparation apart

from measuring the spices and chopping the oniion and cauliflower. Despite some

misgivings (we tried it at lunchtime today), it was remarkably good and I will

probably

make it this way again! So easy!!

 

The original would have made far too much food for us to eat up in several days,

so I cut

back the amounts.

 

1/2 large cauliflower, cut into mini-ÕtreesÕ rather than florets (ie.bigger and

longer)

1/2 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp whole brown mustard seed

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cuminÕ

cayenne to taste

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup water

1 small onion, chopped

1 cups frozen peas

salt to taste

 

After rinsing and sectioning the cauliflower, set it aside.

Measure the spices.

Put a small skillet over medium-high heat and roast the spices for about a

minute or until

they begin to darken. DonÕt let them burn. Set aside.

 

Put the onions in another skillet large enough to contain all ingredients. Add

the water

and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the onions become soft. Four or

five

minutes should do it. Stir in the spices.

 

Now at THIS point you might need to add a little more water so that the spices

and onions

are in a kind of gravy-like liquid that you can turn the cauliflower in so as to

coat the

pieces of cauliflower with all these flavours (I did). Put in the cauliflower

and keep turning

it until theyÕve taken on the yellow colour of the spice mix on all sides.

 

Reduce heat a little and cover and cook until almost tender. (Keep an eye on

them, stirring

now and then, because you donÕt want it to boil dry and burn. Add a tiny bit

more water if

you think it needs it.)

 

Then add the frozen peas, stir, and cook until the peas are hot - that should

take around a

couple of minutes at most.

 

Salt to taste.

 

Serve with brown basmati rice, dhal, and a small salad, kachumber or raita.

 

Love, Pat