Ingredients – serves 6 as generous side dish, 4 as a main
Cooking time 30 mins
- 1 large cauliflower
- olive oil and/or coconut oil
- salt
- 2 large brown onions, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 6cm ginger peeled
- 8 cardamom pods, seeds extracted
- black pepper
- 2 tsp garam masala
- half tsp chilli powder
- 100g ground almonds
- 14oz can coconut milk
- either coconut milk drink or almond milk
- a handful of raisins
- a handful of flaked almonds
Heat the oven to 175°C (fan) 340°F.
Break the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and put into a large bowl. Pour over about 4 tbs olive oil and 1 tsp salt and mix with your hands until completely coated. Place in a single layer on a large baking tray. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the edges are browning and the cauliflower is beginning to tender. Check every 10 minutes to prevent it overcooking.
While the cauliflower is cooking put 3 tbs spoons of either olive oil or coconut oiling a large frying pan over a medium heat, when hot add the onions with a pinch of salt to stop them burning. Cook for 12-15 minutes until soft and browning then crush the garlic into the pan and grate in the ginger. Fry for a couple of minutes then add the cardamom seeds, several grounds of black pepper, the garam masala, chilli powder, ground almonds and half a teaspoon of salt. Stir fry for 3 minutes then add the can of coconut milk.
Once hot turn the heat down low and cook for around ten minutes. When the cauliflower is tender tip it into the sauce and stir to coat. Now add the milk alternative to thin the sauce to a consistency that you are happy with. Check for seasoning.
Finally put a small frying pan over a medium heat and when hot add the flaked almonds and raisins until the almonds are golden brown, keep moving them around, they burn easily. Now take off the heat.
To serve scatter the raisins and almonds over the top of the cauliflower and serve with rice. My favourite is long grain basmati. Maybe I’ll share the squash biriani with you next month. We had them together the first time, it was delicious.