Showing posts with label cauliflower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cauliflower. Show all posts
Cauliflower masala curry Introducing the Non vegetarian flavors to the vegetarians
Monday, May 12, 2014
Cauliflower is my all time favorite vegetable. When ever Im tired or not in a mood to cook, Ill put cauliflower in my refrigerator to work. It is because it cooks fast and tastes wonderful. I personally like cauliflower manchuria very much, since it is a deep fried food I prepare it occasionally. My hubby who is not a big fan of manchuria also began to like this recipe. Now coming to the cauliflower masala recipe, this is for those people who started practising vegetarianism and carve for non vegetarian flavors. It is a rich flavorful and spicy curry prepared almost in a similar way you prepare chicken curry in Indian style.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW CALORIE CHART
Ingredients:
Cauliflower separated to medium size florets-2cups
Green peas-1/4cup
Grind 1tbsp of dry roasted Corianded seeds+ 1/2tbsp of cumin seeds dry roasted + 2 tbsp of dry coconut dry roasted+ 2pods of Garlic
Garam Masla-1/4tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-1 and 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric-1/4tbsp
Red chili powder-1tbsp or to taste
Yogurt/curd-2tbsp
Tomatoes finely chopped-1 cup
oil-4tbsp
Green chili - finely chopped
Onion-1/2cup Finley chopped
Coriander/cilantro leaves Finley chopped
Method:
Heat 4tbsp of oil in pot/thick bottom non stick pan. Add onion and green chili and saute them till they are nice and transparent. Then add turmeric, ginger garlic paste, coriander seeds grind mixture, garam masala, red chili powder and mix well. Cook till the raw smell of ginger garlic paste goes away. Now add the cauliflower and green peas and mix well. Add 1cup of water and mix well. Cook this mixture under high flame for 10min and medium flame for 10 min while stirring in between. Then add tomatoes, yogurt and salt. Mix well and cook under medium flame till all chicken is well cooked. Check for taste and adjust it. If it is too spicy then add 2tbsp of lemon jucie. Finally garnish with cilantro and serve hot with bagara/pulav/rice/roti. Hope you like my recipe.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW CALORIE CHART
Cauliflower separated to medium size florets-2cups
Green peas-1/4cup
Grind 1tbsp of dry roasted Corianded seeds+ 1/2tbsp of cumin seeds dry roasted + 2 tbsp of dry coconut dry roasted+ 2pods of Garlic
Garam Masla-1/4tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-1 and 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric-1/4tbsp
Red chili powder-1tbsp or to taste
Yogurt/curd-2tbsp
Tomatoes finely chopped-1 cup
oil-4tbsp
Green chili - finely chopped
Onion-1/2cup Finley chopped
Coriander/cilantro leaves Finley chopped
Method:
Heat 4tbsp of oil in pot/thick bottom non stick pan. Add onion and green chili and saute them till they are nice and transparent. Then add turmeric, ginger garlic paste, coriander seeds grind mixture, garam masala, red chili powder and mix well. Cook till the raw smell of ginger garlic paste goes away. Now add the cauliflower and green peas and mix well. Add 1cup of water and mix well. Cook this mixture under high flame for 10min and medium flame for 10 min while stirring in between. Then add tomatoes, yogurt and salt. Mix well and cook under medium flame till all chicken is well cooked. Check for taste and adjust it. If it is too spicy then add 2tbsp of lemon jucie. Finally garnish with cilantro and serve hot with bagara/pulav/rice/roti. Hope you like my recipe.
Cauliflower chops Hotel Style
Saturday, April 12, 2014
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| Cauliflower Chops Hotel Style |
This cauliflower kurma aka cauliflower chops in some hotels is a perfect side dish for chappati, parotta and idiyappam varieties.
Ingredients
Cauliflower florets coarsely chopped - 2 cups
Onion medium sized chopped - 1/2 no
Tomato medium sized chopped - 1/2 no
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Water required
Coconut Masala
(Grind below ingredients to fine paste adding little water)
Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 3 to 4 nos
Aniseed / Sombu - 1 tbsp
Method
Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds to the oil in low heat and allow to crackle. Increase heat add onion, cauliflower and tomato one by one and saute for 3 mins. Once cauliflower is sauted well, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and required water to the pan. Mix well and bring the cauliflower to boil, cover pan with lid and cook on low heat for 5 mins. When the cauliflower is tender add the ground coconut paste and required salt to the cauliflower and mix well. Again cover pan with lid and cook until the gravy slightly thickens. Serve hot cauliflower chops with chapati, parotta etc.
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| Cauiflower Kurma |
Cauliflower Spinach Pasta Casserole
Monday, March 10, 2014
Its been a month since I last posted and the hubby has been constantly reminding me about it. The last week, whenever I made anything interesting, he nudged me to take pictures encouraging me to resume blogging saying Come on, dont abandon your blog!. I have been quick to respond saying Im not abandoning, just on a break - break being the key word here. Truly speaking, Im not comfortable with such a long break either, which can quite tend to abandonment. My slow come back is completely thanks to hubbys push and the readers who have kept me going since Saffron Trail took off...
It was after a long time, I managed to cook something new and elaborate - last night. Cauliflowers are totally in season in India now, which you might have noticed on Mad Tea Party too. While browsing through Food Network, they had highlighted some of Ina Gartens recipes, among which was a Cauliflower Gratin - a side dish baked with cauliflower and plenty of cheese. I wanted to bake something similar but heartier and not as a side dish but as a one pot casserole. So it had to involve some carbs in the form of pasta, some more veggies like peas and spinach to make it heartier and spices like garlic and chillies to satisfy our palates. Thats how yesterdays dinner was conceived.
Casserole going into the oven to be bakedCauliflower-Spinach-Pasta Casserole
Time taken - Under 1 hour
Makes 3 generous portions or 4 regular portions
Ingredients
1 cup dry pasta like penne, macaroni or short spirals, cooked as per directions kept aside
2 cups large cauliflower florets
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
4 cups finely shredded spinach
5 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
2 red or green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 recipe white sauce (recipe given below)
Preparing the cauliflower and peas
In a small saucepan, take ¾ cup of water. Salt it. Put it in the well washed cauliflower florets and cover with a tight lid. Let the water boil for 5 minutes. At this point add the frozen peas and cover, let boil for 1-2 more minutes. Keep the cooked florets and peas aside.
Bring it all together
In a large wok, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable / olive oil. On a medium flame, lightly saute the chopped garlic and chillies for a minute. Put in the shredded spinach, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute till wilted. Add the steamed florets and peas, the cooked pasta. Give it a good stir. At this stage add the white sauce and stir lightly to coat all the contents of the wok.
Add the dried herbs and any salt /pepper if needed at this stage.
Baking it off
It is ready to be dug into at this stage, but you can take it up a level by proceeding to sprinkle some bread crumbs and cheese over the top and baking it off in a hot oven for 15 minutes till the top is golden brown.
Making the white sauce
Recipe adapted from here
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
In a glass measuring jug, heat the butter for 30 seconds till melted. Stir in the olive oil. Add the flour one tbsp at a time, mixing vigourously with a fork or whisk. Incorporate all the flour into the fat until it is a smooth lump-free paste. Next, add a few tablespoons of milk, beat till well incorporated into mixture. Gradually add upto 1 cup milk, whisking continuously so that it is a smooth mixture. Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, till the fat separates out the mixture has thickened well. At this point, whisk vigourously to smoothen it out. Add remaining one cup milk gradually and then microwave on HIGH again for a minute till thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered.
The dish was a delicious alternative to making pasta in white sauce - much heartier and filling, the bread crumbs giving the crisp texture, the cheese giving the rich taste and saltiness - it was a perfect dish which will be made often in our kitchen, with whatever veggies are in season.
Since Ive used fresh crisp, very-much in season cauliflower, fresh spinach into this hearty casserole, this is my entry for Homegrown Gourmet # 4 - Stews and Casseroles
Time taken - Under 1 hour
Makes 3 generous portions or 4 regular portions
Ingredients
1 cup dry pasta like penne, macaroni or short spirals, cooked as per directions kept aside
2 cups large cauliflower florets
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
4 cups finely shredded spinach
5 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
2 red or green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 recipe white sauce (recipe given below)
Preparing the cauliflower and peas
In a small saucepan, take ¾ cup of water. Salt it. Put it in the well washed cauliflower florets and cover with a tight lid. Let the water boil for 5 minutes. At this point add the frozen peas and cover, let boil for 1-2 more minutes. Keep the cooked florets and peas aside.
Bring it all together
In a large wok, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable / olive oil. On a medium flame, lightly saute the chopped garlic and chillies for a minute. Put in the shredded spinach, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute till wilted. Add the steamed florets and peas, the cooked pasta. Give it a good stir. At this stage add the white sauce and stir lightly to coat all the contents of the wok.
Add the dried herbs and any salt /pepper if needed at this stage.
Baking it off
It is ready to be dug into at this stage, but you can take it up a level by proceeding to sprinkle some bread crumbs and cheese over the top and baking it off in a hot oven for 15 minutes till the top is golden brown.
Making the white sauce
Recipe adapted from here
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
In a glass measuring jug, heat the butter for 30 seconds till melted. Stir in the olive oil. Add the flour one tbsp at a time, mixing vigourously with a fork or whisk. Incorporate all the flour into the fat until it is a smooth lump-free paste. Next, add a few tablespoons of milk, beat till well incorporated into mixture. Gradually add upto 1 cup milk, whisking continuously so that it is a smooth mixture. Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, till the fat separates out the mixture has thickened well. At this point, whisk vigourously to smoothen it out. Add remaining one cup milk gradually and then microwave on HIGH again for a minute till thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered.
The dish was a delicious alternative to making pasta in white sauce - much heartier and filling, the bread crumbs giving the crisp texture, the cheese giving the rich taste and saltiness - it was a perfect dish which will be made often in our kitchen, with whatever veggies are in season.
Since Ive used fresh crisp, very-much in season cauliflower, fresh spinach into this hearty casserole, this is my entry for Homegrown Gourmet # 4 - Stews and Casseroles
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Saturday, February 1, 2014
After the excesses of Christmas and New Year feasting, I really want to make and eat meals which are less rich. So why dont you, I hear you say? Because the fridge is still full of Christmas and New Year food and as I cannot bring myself to waste food, we are going to have to eat it all up!
This compulsion is generally kept under control by careful menu planning to ensure that there is only what is needed in the fridge and cupboards. However, over the holiday season all this goes out the window and when I open the fridge I am staring at various half eaten packs of cheese, vacuum packed chestnuts and boxes of left over meats and vegetables which demand to be re-purposed into delicious thrifty meals. Unfortunately, they dont tend to be low fat or low sugar type foods so Im hoping I will have cleared the lot by the end of the coming weekend and I can eat in a more healthy way once more!
I started to make in roads into the New Year leftovers today, there was a litre box full of cauliflower cheese congealed in a way that did not invite reheating and eating in its original form and so it became:
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil
Approx 1 litre of leftover cauliflower in cheese sauce
1 litre vegetable stock
A little milk as required
salt and freshly ground pepper
bunch of flat leaved parsley, finely chopped
1. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan, add the chopped onions and celery and cook on a medium heat until the onion is soft and transparent and the celery has started to soften.
2. Add the stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the celery is soft.
3. Add the cauliflower in cheese sauce and cook for a further 10 minutes.
4. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for about 20 minutes.
5. Puree the soup with a stick blender or in a liquidiser, adding some milk if the mixture becomes too thick.
6. Season to taste and garnish with parsley.
7. Serve with crusty bread (I used Morrisons Cranberry, Walnut and Stilton bread - a gift from my sister-in-law)
It seems that others also suffer from the compulsion eat up everything left in the fridge, as the theme for Januarys No Croutons Required is to come up with a creative vegetarian soup or salad making use of your leftovers.
No Croutons Required is a blogger challenge alternately hosted by Lisa at Lisas Kitchen and Jac at Tinned Tomatoes, this month Lisa is hosting.
Helen at Fuss Free Flavours also suggested I add it to the new Credit Crunch Munch a linky devoted to money saving recipes. Credit Crunch Munch is replacing Frugal Food Fridays and is hosted alternately by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food for all
Read More..
This compulsion is generally kept under control by careful menu planning to ensure that there is only what is needed in the fridge and cupboards. However, over the holiday season all this goes out the window and when I open the fridge I am staring at various half eaten packs of cheese, vacuum packed chestnuts and boxes of left over meats and vegetables which demand to be re-purposed into delicious thrifty meals. Unfortunately, they dont tend to be low fat or low sugar type foods so Im hoping I will have cleared the lot by the end of the coming weekend and I can eat in a more healthy way once more!
I started to make in roads into the New Year leftovers today, there was a litre box full of cauliflower cheese congealed in a way that did not invite reheating and eating in its original form and so it became:
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Serves 42 medium onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil
Approx 1 litre of leftover cauliflower in cheese sauce
1 litre vegetable stock
A little milk as required
salt and freshly ground pepper
bunch of flat leaved parsley, finely chopped
1. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan, add the chopped onions and celery and cook on a medium heat until the onion is soft and transparent and the celery has started to soften.
2. Add the stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the celery is soft.
3. Add the cauliflower in cheese sauce and cook for a further 10 minutes.
4. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for about 20 minutes.
5. Puree the soup with a stick blender or in a liquidiser, adding some milk if the mixture becomes too thick.
6. Season to taste and garnish with parsley.
7. Serve with crusty bread (I used Morrisons Cranberry, Walnut and Stilton bread - a gift from my sister-in-law)
No Croutons Required is a blogger challenge alternately hosted by Lisa at Lisas Kitchen and Jac at Tinned Tomatoes, this month Lisa is hosting.
Helen at Fuss Free Flavours also suggested I add it to the new Credit Crunch Munch a linky devoted to money saving recipes. Credit Crunch Munch is replacing Frugal Food Fridays and is hosted alternately by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food for all
More re-purposed food coming soon...
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