Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Cauliflower Curry with Coconut Milk

cauliflower-coconut-curry

This dish is quite unassuming. It's simple, both in ingredients, and in execution. It's warm, comforting and subtly rich, and I LOVE it. It's very comforting - I love one-bowl dishes, and I especially love that the rice is cooked in the curry, rather than on the side.

I came across a recipe at Closet Cooking, but decided to omit the chili to make a gentler dish. I used a bit more coconut milk as well, and added some other spices. It turned out to be a real winner for me, even though the rest of the family was less enthusiastic. No problems - that meant more leftovers for me - and the leftovers were very, very good indeed!

As I was cooking, it occurred to me that this is actually a vegan dish. Not by intention, but perhaps a happy coincidence.

Cauliflower Curry with Coconut Milk

1 yellow onion, diced
1 small head of cauliflower, divided into florets
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
250 ml basmati rice
250 ml water
400 ml coconut milk (one can)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of cinnamon
salt
oil for frying
to serve: toasted almonds, fresh coriander

Fry the onion in a little oil until slightly softened, and transfer to a medium saucepan. Fry the cauliflower in some oil until browned - five minutes or so - and add that too to the saucepan. Fry ginger and garlic in oil very briefly - 30 seconds perhaps - and then add to the saucepan. Now add the rice, water, coconut milk and all the spices. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and lower the heat. Let the pot simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is soft and the cauliflower is cooked through.

Serve in bowls, with toasted almonds and fresh coriander.

Recipe in Swedish:
Blomkålscurry med kokosmjölk

6 comments:

Cherry said...

Well, this recipe you called as "Cauliflower Curry with Coconut Milk" is really a unique one. I haven' tasted cauliflower with coconut milk yet and I guess this is another recipe I should try.

Three-Cookies said...

I love cauliflower curry but never tried with coconut milk. I imagine it would be really nice - rich and creamy! Interesting to serve with toasted almonds

alena said...

If you are frying the cauliflower and simmering it for 20 minutes, doesn't it turn to mush?

Anne said...

Alena - nope, not for me! I fried it on fairly high heat to brown it, but it didn't really cook. The 20 minutes was just right to make it fully softened. If you want it less soft, don't add it at the same time as the rice, but a few minutes later.

alena said...

Thanks for your response! It looks like a nice change. I will be trying soon!

Kenon Thompson said...

Conceptually the flavors look to work together. Does the pinch of cinnamon leave sort of a hint of taste to the palate?