Simply Cooking and Health: Fried spicy cauliflower with tamarind and coconut milk

Fried spicy cauliflower with tamarind and coconut milk

Cauliflower is a common vegetable found everywhere and throughout the year. It is a very versatile vegetable. It can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed, or eaten raw. It is loaded with an impressive array of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals. Besides nutrition, it gives many other health benefits. It helps in fighting cancer, boosts heart and brain health. It is anti-inflammatory and it provides digestive support.

You can read about its health benefits and nutrition here and here.

It is a cruciferous vegetable. Other vegetable in the cruciferous vegetable family are:
Arugula, collard greens, horseradish, broccoli, turnips, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok-choy, Chinese cabbage, daikon, watercress, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, mustard greens, rutabaga and wasabi. These vegetables will give you similar benefits that you get from cauliflower.

Today I am going to make a cauliflower curry. Cauliflower has vary mild taste. By frying the cauliflower first, its taste will be enhanced. Then adding spices will make it an extremely delectable dish. It is great dish for vegetarians

Recipe Summary
For
Fried spicy cauliflower with tamarind and coconut milk
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves : 4

1. Soak the 250 gram cauliflower, cut into small florets, for 15 minutes in salt water to kill any germs in it. Drain and dry it.

2. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a medium sized frying pan and lightly fry the cauliflower for 4 minutes in medium heat. Remove the florets from the pan with a slotted spoon. Set it aside.I did not do full deep fry . It is only half done as I did not want to loose the nutrition

Fried spicy cauliflower with
tamarind and coconut milk

3.To extract tamarind juice, soak 20 grams tamarind pulp it in ¼ cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Massage and squeeze the pulp. Strain the liquid, discarding any solids.

4. Use the same frying pan. Add one table spoon of oil if needed. Heat it. When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium. Add 2 dry chili broken into two and fry for one minute. Add 90 grams chopped coarsely onion ( 1 medium) and fry for 5 minutes.

5. Add 5 gram sliced green chilli and 5 cloves finely chopped garlic, 5 grams finely chopped ginger and fry for 1 minute.
6 .Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp fennel seeds and 10 curry leaves fry for 2 minutes.

7. Add 2 cups water, 1 tbsp curry powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp salt. Bring to the boil add tamarind juice and boil for 5 minutes. first you add only about ½ to ¾ of the juice. Add the balance after tasting and if necessary.

Cauliflower,onion,garlic,ginger,
curry leaves and tamarind.

8. Add ½ cup coconut milk cook another 5 minutes

9. Add the fried cauliflower and ½ teaspoon pepper powder. Simmer the cauliflower for ten minutes, covered.

10. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

11. Remove the cover to let the water evaporate. This will take about five minutes.
12. You don’t want watery gravy. You want this to be a dry curry.

13. That is it. The curry is ready. It can be served with rice or bread. This is really a nice curry that tastes like a meat curry.
Fried spicy cauliflower with tamarind and coconut milk is ready.

Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients
Main
250 gram cauliflower – cut into small florets
Others
90 grams onion ( 1 medium) – chopped coarsely
5 cloves garlic – finely chopped
5 grams ginger - finely chopped
10 curry leaves
5 gram green chilli
½ teaspoon salt
20 grams tamarind pulp – juice extracted
½ cup coconut milk
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups water
Spices
2 dry chilies
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon pepper powder
½ tea spoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds

Cauliflower,onion,garlic,ginger,curry leaves and tamarind.

Preparation
Soak the cauliflower for 15 minutes in salt water to kill any germs in it.
Drain and dry it.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower soaking in salted water.

Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan and lightly fry the cauliflower for 4 minutes in medium heat. Remove the florets from the pan with a slotted spoon. Set it aside.I did not do full deep fry . It is only half done as I did not want to loose the nutrition.

Fried cauliflower.

To extract tamarind juice, soak it in ¼ cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Massage and squeeze the pulp. Strain the liquid, discarding any solids. First you add only about ½ to ¾ of the juice. Add the balance after tasting and if necessary.

Method
Use the same frying pan. Add one table spoon of oil. Heat it. When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium.

Add the dry chili and fry for one minute.
Add onion and fry for 5 minutes.

Frying dry chili and onion.

Add green chilli and garlic, ginger, and fry for 1 minute.

Green chili, garlic and ginger added.

Add cumin seeds,fennel seeds and curry leaves fry for 2 minutes.

Adding cumin seeds,fennel seeds and curry leaves.

Add water, curry powder, turmeric powder and salt.
Bring to the boil add tamarind juice and boil for 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk cook another 5 minutes

Coconut milk being added

Add the fried cauliflower.

Adding fried cauliflower.

Simmer the cauliflower for ten minutes covered.

Cauliflower is simmering in slow fire

Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Remove the cover to let the water evaporate. This will take about five minutes.

You don’t want watery gravy. You want this to be a dry curry.

Curry is ready

That is it. The curry is ready. It can be served with rice or bread. This is really a nice curry that tastes like a meat curry.
I love this curry. I hope you will try this to see the result. It is fantastic companion for a fried rice.