Cauliflower Conversion

Even though it's not Thursday, I have another great recipe to post because I got some great cauliflower at Fairview yesterday. This one has converted two cauliflower-hating friends into big fans, and Cari Stone has told me she cooks this regularly for her family after having it at my house. Look at all the spices in this recipe - fantastic!

CAULIFLOWER with GINGER & CILANTRO
serves 3-4

a piece of fresh ginger, 2 1/2 by 1 inch, peeled & chopped OR 2-3 tsp minced ginger
1 lg head fresh cauliflower
(1 c frozen peas if you want)
3-4 tb vegetable oil
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp red or green hot sauce, or 1 fresh hot green chili
1 packed cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tb lemon juice
2 tsp salt

Put the ginger into a blender with 4 tb water and blend until smooth.

Cut off thick, coarse stem of cauliflower & remove all leaves. Break large flowerets into smaller ones. Try to preserve as much of stems as possible.

Heat oil in wok or 10-12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add ginger paste and turmeric. Fry, stirring constantly; after 2 minutes add chile sauce or green chili and cilantro. After another two minutes, put in cauliflower (and peas). Cook and stir for 5 minutes. If necessary, add 1 tsp warm water at a time to prevent sticking.

Now add cumin, coriander, garam masala, lemon juice, salt and 3 tb warm water. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, then cover, lower flame, and let cook slowly for 25-35 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes. The cauliflower is done when it is tender with just a faint trace of crispness along inner spine.

Serve over steamed basmati rice or with any kind of lentils and raita.

Taken from "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" by Madhur Jaffrey. This is a hilarious old school Indian cookbook that I saw was just re-issued. It's worth getting.