Cauliflower Curry

When I have a craving for Indian food, I pull out my Moosewood Cookbook and make this curry. There are a lot of ingredients and you can go a little crazy with the condiments, but it is well worth it. You begin by grinding a fragrant curry paste with toasted seeds and nuts, spices coconut, garlic and ginger.

Here are all my seeds, nuts, spices, ginger and garlic happily waiting in the food processor to be ground up into a delicious savory curry paste.

The drink shown with the curry is a Green Apple Fizz. I also like to serve the curry with homemade pear chutney, but store bought chutney is just as good.

To toast seeds: place seeds, one type at a time (different seeds toast at different rates) in a small dry saucepan (no oil) over medium heat. Toast seeds, stirring and/or shaking intermittently, being careful not to scorch the seeds, until they are light brown and fragrant. Cumin seeds will darken a bit more than sesame seeds.

Cauliflower Curry
from Moosewood Cookbook
6-8 servings

2 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup lightly toasted peanuts
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
2 tablespoons toasted cumin seeds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water (more, as needed)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 large cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Condiments – any assortment:

chopped cilantro
thinly sliced oranges and/or lemons
sliced cucumbers and/or tomatoes
thinly sliced bell pepper, assorted colors
toasted nuts and/or coconut
raisins
chutney

1. Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Place next 11 ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until fairly homogenous. Add extra water, as needed, to form a soft workable paste.

3. Heat oil in a large, deep pot and add onion and salt. Saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add cauliflower and carrot and mix well. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, then add the paste. Mix well. Cook, covered over low heat until the cauliflower is tender, stirring every few minutes. Add more water if necessary, to prevent sticking.

4. Add the cooked potatoes, chickpeas and lemon juice and cook a few more minutes. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve hot with rice and condiments.