Quick Cauliflower Curry
This is my mom’s lightening-fast cauliflower curry, which uses almost entirely pantry and freezer ingredients (e.g. no fresh ginger or garlic or onions). Despite its simplicity, it’s an excellent version of a traditional Americanized cauliflower curry. I like it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, plain or served with dal or a grain. This recipe is quite forgiving, so if you’re missing a spice or vegetable, you can probably just leave it out without changing the flavor of the dish substantially.
Yields: 4 cups
Serving size: 2 cups
Servings: 2 main-dishes or 4 side-dishes
Heat over medium heat in a large, heavy pot with lid:
- 2 Tbs. oil
When hot add:
- 1.5 tsp. dark mustard seeds
When the mustard seeds starts to pop (it should be just a few seconds), take the pan off the heat and stir in:
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. coriander, ground
- 1/2 tsp. cumin, ground
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. curry powder
Add, and stir until coated:
- 3/4 cup diced, red potato (1/3 inch cubes) [about 1 medium red potato]
Meanwhile prepare the cauliflower and add to the pan:
- 1/2 head medium cauliflower (about 1.25? lbs after removing leaves and core), sliced
- 1/4 cup water
Stir to mix, then cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, adding more water if needed. Add and cook for 1 minute:
- 1 cup frozen peas
Shake on:
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- a shake or two of crushed red pepper
- 1.5 Tbs. lemon juice
Stir in:
My Notes
The colors of the peas and tomatoes contrast beautifully with the golden cauliflower, and they add some sweetness. The potato adds its own great earthy flavor. I sometimes add two or three potatoes and decrease the cauliflower amount, but the recipe calls for only one potato so that the cauliflower is really the center of attention. The cauliflower is “sliced” into pieces rather than being broken into florets, because when you slice it you’ll cut through the cells, and the cauliflower will absorb the spices better.
There are still a number of question marks in this recipe, since my mom tends not to measure things. I need to double check all the amounts, but the basic recipe is an excellent quick vegetable dish.
After I posted this my mom emailed me that this isn’t quite the recipe she uses nowadays. She said she uses 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. turmeric, and no coriander or cumin. She always precooks the potato and adds it after the cauliflower is cooked, then the peas last.
Regarding curry powders, I find that there’s a huge variation in quality among different brands. Lately I’ve been using Penzey’s, which is very good. If you’re not liking the one you have, try some different brands.
Rating: B
Derek: B+
Brigitte Pientka said,
February 7, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Hello Rose,
I just tried your curry, and we really like it. It was very quick, and delicious. I added some Mango chutney in the end.
Rating: B+
Dirk: B+
I hope you are enjoying Germany!
Brigitte
captious said,
February 28, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Thanks Brigitte. I’m glad that you liked it, and I was very excited to see that you even rated the recipe. A true scientist!