Dish of Cauliflower Kurma
(click to enlarge)

Cauliflower Kurma


India, South   -   Gobi Kurma (Korma)
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/4 #
***
1-1/3 hr
Prep		 An excellent Cauliflower dish, mild chili heat, and plenty of sauce for rice. Cauliflower is a prestige item in India, the largest grower.

1
4
10
6
1/4
2
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1
1
1/2
2
1/2
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1/2
2
3/4
1/2
12
the
1/3
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2
1/2
1/2
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2
2
2/3
#
oz

oz
t
T
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T
t
t
in
in2
----
c
cl
in



c
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t
t
----
T
c
t
Cauliflower (1)
Onion
Curry Leaves (2)
Tomato
Turmeric
Cilantro
-- Spices #1
Chana Dal (3)
Poppy Seeds (4)
Fennel Seeds
Cinnamon (5)
Stone Flower (6)
-- Paste
Coconut (7)
Garlic
Ginger root
Chili Serrano (8)
Cashews raw
Spices #1
Water
-- Spices #2
Cloves
Mustard Seeds (9)
Fennel Seeds
-------------
Oil
Water
Salt
PREP   -   (25 min)
  1. Break CAULIFLOWER into moderate size florets. Weight is for trimmed florets.
  2. Chop ONION fine. Strip CURRY LEAVES from stems and add to Onions.
  3. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Chop fine.
  4. Add Turmeric to Tomatoes.
  5. Chop Cilantro small.
  6. Grind all Spices #1 items to powder in your spice grinder and mix all.
  7. Grate COCONUT if not already grated. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Slice GINGER very thin. Cut slices into very tin strips and chop fine. Chop Chili small.
  8. Place all Paste items, including Cashews and Spices #1, in a Mixie, Food Processor, or Blender and run to a smooth paste adding just enough Water as needed to get the paste.
  9. Mix all Spices #2 items (all whole spices).
RUN   -   (35 min)
  1. In a coverable sauté pan or similar, (3-1/2 qt) heat Oil. Stir in Spices #2 mix for a few seconds until the mustard seeds start to pop, then stir in Onions and Curry Leaves. Fry stirring until Onions are translucent.
  2. Stir in Tomato mix and fry stirring until well softened and most liquid is evaporated.
  3. Stir in Coconut Paste and fry stirring for about 4 minutes.
  4. Stir in Cauliflower until well distributed.
  5. Stir in 2 c Water and add Salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer covered, stirring a couple of times, until Cauliflower is just tender.
  6. Adjust Water and Salt if needed.
  7. Stir in Cilantro.
  8. Serve warm with Steamed Rice or Roti of choice.
NOTES:

  1. Cauliflower:

      Measure is for trimmed florets. In India, Cauliflower was developed from European varieties, but is now somewhat different. It tends to be light yellow to cream colored, and has a stronger flavor. Cooking qualities, however, are similar, and European types work well in Indian recipes.

  2. Curry Leaves:

      These fresh leaves are necessary for the true flavor of southern India, and are now reasonably available in Indian and Southeast Asian markets, at least here in California. Dried ones aren't of much use (unless you force dried them yourself within a couple weeks). If you don't have them you will have to leave them out - there is no acceptable substitute. For details see our Curry Leaves page.

  3. Chana Dal:

      This is Indian Chickpeas, split and peeled. Any Indian market will have plenty of it. For details see our Chickpeas, Bengal / Desi type page.

  4. Poppy Seeds:

      In India, white Poppy Seeds are always used, and are available in markets serving an Indian community. Some older recipes call for a lot of them as a thickener, as they were cheap and plentiful. Today, due to poppy growing restrictions, they are expensive. If you have only black, use them.

  5. Cinnamon:

      This should be real (Ceylon) Cinnamon. It is easily found in the Mexican spices section of many grocery stores (Canella). If you can't get it, use about half the length of Cassia Cinnamon. For details see our Cinnamon / Cassia page.

  6. Stone Flower

      [Dagad Phool]   This is a Lichen, an important flavoring in some regions of India. It is available on-line, and probably from some Indian markets. If you don't have it, leave it out.

  7. Coconut:

      Measure is for freshly grated or frozen grated. If all you have is dried (fine sugarless), use about 6 Tablespoons. You will need a little more water in making the Paste.

  8. Chili Serrano:

      Hot Indian green chilis are very scarce, even here in Los Angeles, so we use commonly available Serranos. A half will give the Kurma a light bite. Use a whole one if you want hotter. For details see our Indian Chilis page.

  9. Mustard Seeds:

    The Indian temperature gage. In India black mustard seeds are always used, but yellow will work if you don't have black.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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