Cauliflower Curry
22
Ever notice how a simple Carrot And Lentil Salad is transformed into a fancier dish by just calling it Moroccan Carrot Ribbons And Black Lentil Crumbs? Maybe it is the dog eat dog world of food blogging that compels us to project and portray in a manner that is snootier and quite frankly, a tiny bit annoying especially if you are just an unsuspecting cook looking for quick and easy instructions.
As we head into yet another era of blogging about food, it seems to me that names of recipes get longer and longer. They appear to be winding sentences, not short phrases. They glorify what is not, they crowd and clutter, they boast and confuse. If a Chocolate Cake is just a Chocolate Cake and not Italian Chocolate And Cinnamon Cake With Chocolate Buttercream, then the Carrot And Lentil Salad should be just that. I might have on ocassions given in to the fad, but very rarely. Nowadays, I am making an even more sincere effort to simplify things that otherwise end up being lost in all the busy and all the noise of every day life.
In an ode to simplicity, instead of calling my recipe Cauliflower And Potato Curry With Spiced Green Peas And Coriander, I am simply calling it Cauliflower Curry. It is often nice to leave something to the imagination. I love cauliflower. It is one of my most beloved vegetables. I have been making this curry for so long now, I cannot even remember when I first started making it. It is a loose adaptation of my mum’s curry that I loved as a child. This curry is an exploration for me, because every time I make it from the top of my head (I don’t have it written down anywhere!), it turns out different. But equally delicious. At the end of the recipe, I have shared some variations and ideas to play around with this beautiful curry. Enjoy! To Simplicity!
Cauliflower Curry
A hearty vegetarian curry that can be toned down or spiced up for a family meal. Leftovers can be baked into a pizza or served on mini flatbreads at a potluck.
Preparation Time – 15 minutes
Cooking Time – 30 minutes
Serves – 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes
1 cup frozen or fresh peas
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground chili (optional)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup freshly chopped coriander leaves
Method
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the cauliflower florets and potato cubes to the water. Cook on high heat for 5 to 8 minutes until the veggies are just shy of tender. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the bay leaves, onions and tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add all the spices, seasonings, peas, potatoes and cauliflower. Mix well to combine. Add the water. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a vented lid and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with naan, flatbread or rice.
Notes & Ideas
The cooking time varies on the type of pan and potatoes used. It vaies even for me when I use different utensils. The rule of thumb I follow is to not overcook the veggies when I par boil them in water at the start. I also make sure that I have enough liquid in the pan during the final cooking to ensure that my curry doesn’t stick and burn.
This curry is dry as all the water cooks through. If I want a sauce, I like adding 1/2 a cup of low fat cooking cream towards the end. If I want a lighter and less creamy curry, I just add a cup of tomato paste during cooking.
I make variations to this curry by substituting green peas with canned chickpeas or canned lentils. Sometimes, I switch potatoes for carrots and add lemon zest and cardamom.
I have even served this curry on mini naan breads topped with a dollop of yogurt and chickpea noodles.
Leftovers can be scattered on a pizza base and baked. The pizza can be served with dollops of sour cream and leafy greens.
I love cauliflower and curry, this sounds hearty and comforting.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)´s last [type] ..cherry-mint sorbet
Scrumptious! Exactly the kind of dish I’d make.
Lovely clicks, as always.
Cheers,
Rosa
i love eating spicy cauliflower with a dollop of yogurt – so good !
shruti | a spoonful of yumm´s last [type] ..Photo Wednesday – Boat Ride to Sindhudurg Fort , Malvan
Ha, you’re totally right about long names. Totally unnecessary. Love your simple curry, thanks for the recipe.
Gaby´s last [type] ..Recipe: Paleo borsch
This is a beautiful dish. I love cauliflower….. I also love the snooty food as well as the simple stuff. I love it all and go to different blogs just like different menus or restaurants for what I feel like at the time. Keep up your beautiful food cause I like seeing it
tania@mykitchenstories´s last [type] ..no more bad photos….and a peek at Cambodia
I completely agree with you about ‘unnecessarily’ fancy sounding names! I do like them sometimes when it really helps me understand the dish a little more. When I am specifically looking for a ‘cauliflower curry with potatoes and peas’ for example
But unfortunately sometimes they are just used to make things complicated.
Your curry looks perfect
chinmayie @ love food eat´s last [type] ..Vegan Double Chocolate Oat Bars (Oil-Free + White Sugar Free with Just 4 Ingredients)
yum! I can’t wait to try this recipe for Cauliflower And Potato Curry With Spiced Green Peas And Coriander
cauli is a fave veggie and this is just perfect. with all those long fancy names, the recipes will not show up in search results too.
Richa@HobbyandMore´s last [type] ..GF Pizza, topped with Tempeh curry and another with Lentil hummus and grape tomatoes. vegan glutenfree
Thank you SO much for coming out on the side of ‘simplification’! Surely we do NOT have to state half the ingredients in the name of the particular dish
! Now I know why I have not touched the cauli in my vegetable crisper for a couple of days: here we go tomorrow. No fresh peas at home [not actually my fave veg], chickpeas it will have to be 
! Almost wish it was tomorrow; love cauliflower too . . .
The versatility and the nutritional value of cauliflower…make it a very exciting vegetable to use in preparing amazing dishes in our household. I am loving its combination with curry. A new twist for me.
myfudo´s last [type] ..fudo finds: fathers’s day & spice rubs & many more
This looks gorgeous! I use cauliflower in curries all the time. The perfect vehicle for all those lovely spices. In fact, I’ve been on a huge cauliflower kick lately. I’m adding it to just about everything!
SarahKate (Mi Casa-Su Casa)´s last [type] ..Bread time!
I have to admit, I haven’t come across many cauliflower curries but this one looks absolutely fantastic. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Enda @ Spicybuddha.com´s last [type] ..Egg fried rice
Sometimes Sneh it gets hard to convey a dish, so I assume most people throw in every ingredient into the title. I’m guilty of that. However, let’s talk about this delicious cauliflower curry! Oh yes please! It looks magnificent…cauliflower is very underrated!
Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul´s last [type] ..Perfect Pork Cutlets-with Fennel and Apples
Love cauliflower, but always forget about the pure delight of it in a curry. Fantastic recipe and perfect for Winter.
Sara (Belly Rumbles)´s last [type] ..Marsala Poached Apple Recipe
I agree with Peter, sometimes it gets hard to explain the dish without adding extra words to the title, and as chinmayie said, sometimes it helps people find a particular dish they are looking for. But I do agree that sometimes the title of some recipes can sound overly complicated when in reality they aren’t. I’m all for simplicity wherever possible. Especially when we are all lacking time.
A gorgeous curry Sneh, cauliflower does not get the attention it deserves. This is definitely a dish to convert anyone to loving cauliflower.
Jennifer (Delicieux)´s last [type] ..Milk Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
I’m dying over that first comment… I see so many convoluted titles and sometimes I just want to slap people (but I don’t, because I’m a good boy).
I love this simple, but flavorful recipe. I’m going to ignore cauliflower for a few months and enjoy the tomatoes we are getting… but then I’ll make this. I promise.
Brian @ A Thought For Food´s last [type] ..Taste of Boston: Area Four
I was really inspired by the simplicity of this dish. I made it with a few changes, based mostly on what was in my kitchen right now (sweet pototoes and lime leaves subbed in). I was surprised just how good it was. My title is a little longer but I confess, it took restraint to not be even more! thanks for the inspiration.
http://kaleeats.blogspot.ca/2012/06/cauliflower-curry-with-rhubarb-chutney.html
kale eats´s last [type] ..Cauliflower Curry with Rhubarb Chutney
Loved the simple and unassuming curry. Loved the presentation as well
Nandita´s last [type] ..Date and tamarind chutney
Thank you for this. I’ve been making lots of cauliflower and needed something new. Now why I never thought of curry is beyond me. And the peas and potatoes will just be an added blessing.
I happened to stumble by your site by chance today…and I regret not having found this blog soon enough. Love love love your photographic skills….truly artistic!
Hi
I made this for my girlfriend a few weeks back. She is the one who taught me how to cook. So yes, she was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks
Deepro
[...] Cauliflower curry. GET THE RECIPE, via Cook [...]