A Mildly Spiced Supper of Cauliflower and Potatoes
If a cauliflower is happiest under a comfort blanket of cream and cheese, we can run with the idea, dropping the cheese and introducing some of the milder, more fragrant spices such as coriander and cardamom into the cream instead. With its toasted cashews and crisp finish of spiced fried onions, this is a mild dish, so I see no reason to soften the blow with steamed rice, preferring instead to eat it with a crunchy salad of Belgian endive and watercress (or some such crisp, hot leaf ), using it to wipe the sauce from my plate.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel the onions, chop one of them coarsely, then let it soften with a tablespoon or two of oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Halve and thinly slice the others and set aside. Peel the garlic cloves, slice them thinly, then stir into the softening onion. Continue cooking, without browning either the onion or the garlic. Peel the ginger, cut it into fine matchsticks, then add to the onion and garlic.
Step 2
Stir the ground coriander, cumin, cayenne, and turmeric into the onion. Let them fry for a minute or two, then coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add the water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Cut the potatoes into large pieces (as if for boiling) and add them to the pan. Decrease the heat and let simmer for fifteen minutes before breaking the cauliflower into large florets and adding to the sauce. Quickly toast the cashews in a small, nonstick frying pan until golden. Add them to the pot, cover, and continue to simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, fry the reserved onions in a little oil in a shallow pan until deep, nutty gold. While they are cooking, crack the cardamom pods, scrape out the seeds, crush lightly, and add to the onions. Continue cooking for five minutes or so, then, when all is gold and fragrant, remove and place on paper towels.
Step 4
When the cauliflower and potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, stir in the garam masala (the spices in it are already roasted, so it needs very little cooking) and the crème fraîche. Simmer for a minute, then serve topped with the reserved cardamom onions and the coarsely chopped or torn cilantro leaves.
