Saturday, March 13, 2010

Cauliflower: Edible or No?




Confession: I've always disliked cauliflower. It reeks in the refrigerator crisper and reeks again when you cook it. And it doesn't taste like, well, anything, does it? Aside from my father, I don't know anyone who can honestly say that they like cauliflower.

Except for my husband. He likes cauliflower. Specifically, he likes his mother's cauliflower. I must say, I was pretty dubious. But my curiosity was piqued, and when I was visiting my in-laws once, I asked my mother-in-law to make it. My mother-in-law hails from Southern India, and she made cauliflower in the method she learned back home.

And guess what? It was delicious! Because cauliflower is such a blank canvas, it really sings when jazzed up with Indian spices. This wasn't any bland lump of white stuff--this was cauliflower with personality. A little aside: my MIL happens to be a veggie genius. Any vegetable she cooks, I like. Even the dreaded okra. I don't know how she does it, but she makes delicious vegetables every time. She's the Veggie Whisperer.

After that visit, I bought a few Indian cookbooks. I've learned a lot, and am still learning. This particular cauliflower curry isn't as simple as the one my mother-in-law made, but it's delicious. It's actually several recipes put together; I don't know how I came up with it, really. I think I was just fooling around one day and this was the result. We like it with basmati rice or warm naan* to soak up the luscious sauce.

My days of cauliflower boredom are over. If you like Indian food, I encourage you to give this a try!

Indian Spiced Vegetables
serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side

1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerets
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds (yellow or black)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like it hotter, use 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Rice or naan, for serving

Heat oil and mustard seeds in a large skillet over medium heat until mustard seeds begin to sizzle and pop. Add onion, turmeric, cayenne, cumin and coriander and cook until onion begins to soften. Add salt, pepper and water and stir until combined. Add the cauliflower; toss until well coated with the spice mixture. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and steam 8 minutes, adding a little more water if mixture dries out. Add coconut milk and lemon juice; stir and re-cover. Cook 5 minutes more. Add bell pepper and zucchini; toss well and cook 4 minutes more. Top with cilantro and taste for seasonings.

*If you've never had naan, you need to. This Indian bread is Food of the Gods. And it ain't even fried. It's cooked in a screaming hot Tandoor oven and goodness, it's delicous. I think you could even wrap the M word in it and suddenly, it would taste good. It's impossible to make, but you can get it at Whole Foods or, oddly, I can get a bitchin' version of naan at my SuperTarget! No lie!

53 comments:

  1. Seriously? You can get a good naan at SuperTarget?? I need to check that out stat. The cauliflower looks marvelous! I hate cauliflower other than roasted, so need to give this a try!

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  2. Looks delicious, however, my husband feels for cauliflower what you feel for the M word...

    P.S. Spring Break Beach plans are for the West Coast of Florida...hoping the weather is nice and warm and I can get some color on these WHITE legs of mine...

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  3. I like cauliflower any way you can make it. My daughter has always liked it too...go figure, but then she likes brussel sprouts (not me). This sounds right up my ally, you clever girl. I love all thoses flavors you used.

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  4. I've just started eating cauliflower and I have to say I like it a lot better when it's dressed up with Indian spices =) I like the idea of eating this vegetable curry with naan. Sounds like an awesome lunch!

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  5. ok, now my curiosity is piqued! I'm not a cauliflower person at all. I avoid it whenever possible. I will have to try this - thanks for sharing!!!

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  6. Indian spices can make ANY food better. My favorite! Love this. =)

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  7. Oh yes yes yes! I love cauliflower in Indian dishes. So yummy!

    LOL @ Veggie Whisperer. Would be an awesome name for a cookbook srly!

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  8. I had something much like this at a Lebanese restaurant this week and thank my stars you posted this. Also, I've liked cauliflower since I was a kid because I was somehow convinced it was albino, crunchier broccoli and I felt sorry for it because I figured the green broccoli made fun of it. I was a strange kid, and am an even stranger adult.

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  9. i love cauliflower, but I'm glad you're coming around. ;) i like to roast it with olive oil and then puree it with some veg stock and a little cream to make soup in the winter. it's cheap and delicious.

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  10. The veggie whisperer? LOL! I'm weird. I love cauliflower....BUT it has to be roasted or in a soup. Steamed? Bleccch. I'm just learning about Indian food. Hubs would love this one.

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  11. Love Indian food so thanks for this recipe to make cauliflower palatable. Of course, when I'm at an Indian restaurant, I don't eat the vegetables, but maybe I should try...

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  12. I am totally picking up naan at Whole Foods next time I make curry. My husband has tried the version at Trader Joe's and has declared it an insult to the real thing.

    And I am totally with you on cauliflower -- it needs seasoning to make it tasty. Otherwise, no thank you.

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  13. My husband and I are seemingly the opposite of you and yours -- he hated it and I've always loved it. I can eat a whole head of raw cauliflower and be so happy. But my squeeze loved the curried cauliflower I made from an Indian cookbook I recently got myself.

    I'm glad you found a way to enjoy the stuff!

    Have you ever made naan? That's next on my to-do list!

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  14. I don't know, TKW. That's A LOT of work for a vegetable. A mealy white vegetable...

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  15. I like cauliflower and love Indian food and am so excited to try this recipe. Thanks, TKW!

    Any recommendations on an Indian cookbook for the relatively untutored chef? (Most Indian recipes I've tried have called for days in the kitchen.)

    BTW, Husband just bought naan at Walmart yesterday. I don't hold out much hope...

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  16. Cayenne pepper and coconut milk have a way of making anything better, don't they? (Another plus: Maybe my kiddos will actually eat this cauliflower and I won't have to disguise it in mac and cheese. Again.)

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  17. Baby is currently drawing on the glass coffee table, so this will be short... I LOVE cauliflower. Love it. One of my all-time favorite foods! Can we still be friends? :)

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  19. I love me some naan girl, but I still don't know if you could wrap the M word up in it and make it edible. Um, no. But I understand your love of the naan, and the Indian (in the flesh and on the table both).

    Snicker snicker. I love me some sauce-soaked cauliflower. But it's taken an adult palette to get there.

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  20. I love cauliflower, however you just made it sound better.

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  21. Cauliflower: No.
    You could cover it in bacon, and I still wouldn't eat it. Meal-breaker.
    jc

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  22. "The veggie whisperer" You crack me up!

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  23. I'm printing this one out, TKW! Going on my fridge so I remember to make it this week.

    I LOVE anything with coconut milk! And turmeric is my recently-discovered favorite spice. Yum.

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  24. I barely tolerate cauliflower, and usually choke down some if oven roasted in salt, pepper, and olive oil.
    This, however, I would probably love. Come on over and make it and I'll tell you. ;-)

    @jc, you're hilarious. meal-breaker, indeed.

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  25. I'm laughing hysterically about wrapping the M word in Naan bread - maybe that could work ;)
    That recipe looks yummy, I love cauliflower if it tastes like something.

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  27. I love naan, and Indian spices. Great idea to try cauliflower in curry. Love the spices!

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  28. The one veggie I cannot do. No way. Nope. Not. (Though I'm sure YOURS is wonderful. For those who love the stuff.)

    Um, Brussels Sprouts. That's my #2 "no way" veggie. Nope. Can't.

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  29. I used to hate cauliflower but can eat it now in my adulthood. So this recipe doesn't look bad to me at all! =)

    I agree with the above poster... Brussels Sprouts are MY #1 no-way veggie. ***gag!***

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  30. This is so timely - my hubby just said last night that he wishes we could eat cauliflower but I hate it and never learned how to prepare it. I will try the Indian recipe you posted and give it a gag - I mean go! (I WANT to like it!!!)
    xo
    Annica

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  31. Veggie whisperer! Love it! Can she come and whisper how good veggies are to my son. I need someone to work some magic on him.

    PS I admit it, I love love mashed cauliflower. How pathetic is that?

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  32. Wow, lot of ingredients! This looks great TKW I will be giving it a try soon.

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  33. Your cauliflower looks pretty darn good! I make it a lot, just blanching it and then fry it in some Pam with some seasoning salt and pepper. (Yeah, it caramelizes and is really good.) And some diet I was on once mashed cauliflower up and suggested it instead of mashed potatoes!

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  34. Indian food is where cauliflower shines. That's the only way I'll make it.

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  35. I hate cauliflower so much, that I don't know if it's worth the effort. I've had people swear by different versions and with each one, I still dislike this veggie. Poor cauliflower-don't mean to dis you like that.

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  36. I've always been rather disappointed about the appearance of cauliflower...for a veggie with "flower" in the name, it's a letdown.

    But I am happy to eat it, cooked and smothered in cheese. Then again, you could pretty much smother anything in cheese and it's my favorite.

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  37. I love mashed cauliflower (which has lots of butter and garlic) or eating it raw with dip. Otherwise, it's always too bland.

    Naan is one of my top favorite foods. Yum!

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  38. I am going to try this!! I actually made garlic naan for the first time over the weekend - its amazing!

    Hope you had a good weekend!

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  39. I love Indian food! I never had any until I came to England; up until then I got my spicy hit from Mexican food. For some reason, Mexican food is rare over here, but there's an Indian takeaway on every corner, at least. Naan bread is to die for, I agree, but I did always think somehow that it was fried. So pleased to hear it is not. Mind, one of the best things you get at an Indian restaurant is poppadums and I know they are fried - those and mango chutney. My mouth waters just to type those words.

    I love cauliflower with butter and lemon juice or with Hollandaise sauce or cheese sauce. I will also eat it plain, but you're right - it needs some added flavour to make it worth while.

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  40. I took a vegetarian Indian cooking course one winter when we lived in Wisconsin (You wouldn't believe some of the courses I took when we lived there!) and became a fan. We rarely go to Indian restaurants but I've made Alu Mater dozens of times.

    I can tell by the spices that I would love this, not to mention that nothing says loving like adding coconut milk.

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  41. Drowning it in cheese works well too. This recipe sounds much healthier. I don't like cauliflower, but the rest of the fam does, so I'm always looking for new ways to make it. Thanks for the idea.

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  42. I love indian food! Yum! Most veggies can be jazzed up with the know-how - glad cauliflower is having a new lease of life with you! :) xxx

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  43. I'm with hubs. I love cauliflower. Thanks for this recipe. I will certainly give it a try. And perfect for my veggie month!

    I have a great recipe for a cauliflower maque choux from an old Gourmet that I'll send you. My favorite prep is to roast it. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 for 20 min, flipping with tongs halfway through. It gets all caramelized and delicious!

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  44. You know, I like cauliflower and so do the kids! Maybe because its not too strong? We broil it with simple spices and pine nuts.

    But when YOU make cauliflower it sings. I've enjoyed it after TKW magic on a few occasions and it was just super yummy!!! This recipe will be worth a try, for sure!

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  45. Yeah, HATE it. but you sure did a great job at making it look yummy. I think its great you fix food your family likes but you do not.

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  46. I need to try this recipe. I love Indian food, but I have yet to attempt to make it. I think there's some fear involved. Maybe overcoming fear and cauliflower-dislike at the same time will be life changing?

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  47. To answer your question posed in your title - I love it, my kids? Not so much. But this recipe might change their minds!

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  48. I love cauliflower. And to give you one more cauliflower recipe - try this one http://www.runnerskitchen.com/2010/03/raw-tabbouleh-recipe/ I loved it!

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  49. I have to admit...the only time I even think of cauliflower is when I am dipping it into some sinful ranch dressing.

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  50. I really, really don't like cauliflower, but this makes it seem worth a try.

    However, if it's served with naan, chances are darn good I'm gonna fill up on naan before I go near the veggies.

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  51. Nope. No cauliflower. The only cabbage I like is the green and red variety. ;-)

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  52. I, amazingly enough, really like cauliflower. I am just getting into Indian food. Wish me luck. : )

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  53. How do you just whip this stuff up? You are a genius!
    And wait, okra can taste good?

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