CAULIFLOWER CURRY WITH PEAS
This Indian Recipe Serves 2-4
Cauliflower Curry With Peas is a vegetarian meal. The peas may be omitted but when added gives the curry a sweet like taste. This curry is meant to be braised dry & should not be drenched in oil.
This meal is great for those Indian cultured families during fasting time (Purtassi / Pithar Paksh).
Cauliflower is one of a few vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea in the class Brassica, which is in the family Brassicaceae. It is a yearly plant that duplicates by seed. Ordinarily, just the head (the white curd) is eaten.
Cauliflower Curry With Peas Ingredients:
- salt to taste
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon jeera powder (cumin)
- 1 teaspoon dhania powder
- 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chillii powder
- ½ tablespoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 jam/rosa tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon ginger & garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 small or ½ large cauliflower
- ½ cup peas
- 1 sprig thyme
Method:
- Dice the tomatoes & set aside.
- Chop onion & set aside.
- If using frozen peas as I did, then place peas in a bowl of water to defrost.
- Carefully break off florets of the cauliflower, discarding of the bottom stem & leaves.
- Rinse & set aside in a bowl/dish.
- Heat the oil in a pot, preferably a wide pot so that when the cauliflower is added, it will cook evenly.
- Add in the onions, curry leaves & thyme. Saute until onions are translucent.
- Now add in the ginger & garlic paste, garam masala, dhania powder, jeera powder, turmeric powder, curry powder & the chilli powder.
- Mix & allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add a dash of water if the spices tend to stick to the surface of the pot (I prefer using boiled water).
- Add in the diced tomatoes.
- Mix well & cook tomatoes on medium heat until soft. (±10 minutes). Add water if necessary.
- Once the tomatoes have cooked, add in the cauliflower florets.
- Mix well, coating all of the florets in the spices.
- Add a little more boiled water & cover the pot with the lid. Leave on low heat & allow for the cauliflower to cook.
- When the cauliflower is almost soft, drop in the peas.
- Mix well & allow to cook further until the peas & the cauliflower florets are soft & cooked throughout.
- When the cauliflower is soft, add salt to taste & give it a gentle mix. The water should also be dried up, not leaving the curry too wet.
- Do not over mix as the cauliflower can break & end up mushy.
- Serve this Mince & Cauliflower Curry with rice, bread or roti, along with salads or pickles.
- I served mine with fresh white bread.