Cauliflower Coconut Curry

I don't know what to do with cauliflower except smother it in cheese sauce, which is delicious and comforting if not kind of unhealthy. Luckily, inspiration came through in the form of Indian food and Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook, a very hippie-ish cookbook full of veggies, grains, and good ideas. This recipe is super easy once you've got all the spices together - just whizz them up in a blender to make an aromatic sauce to simmer your cauliflower in. The resulting dish is not exactly Indian, but a very earthy-tasting, spicy approximation that goes best with basmati rice.


Cauliflower Coconut Curry

Sauce
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cloves or allspice
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion or shallots
1 teaspoon salt
1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 tomato, diced
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine the coconut, garlic cloves, ginger, peanut butter, turmeric, cloves, cumin, sesame, cayenne and water in a blender and puree to form a smooth sauce.

Heat the ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion and salt. Saute till lightly browned. Add the cauliflower and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the sauce and cook till the cauliflower is tender. Add water as needed to loosen the sauce and prevent the cauliflower from sticking. Add the mustard seeds and tomato and cook till the tomato is softened. Finally, take the pot off the heat and finish off the dish with a squeeze of lemon to pick up the flavour at the end.

Gorgeously rich, spicy cauliflower!