Seasonal local food recipe No.304 – Cauliflower, potato and pea curry
My husband has just made this delicious, warming curry for tea. The recipe is from Michael Pandya’s Complete Indian Cookbook which Frank bought back in the 1980s.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients
25 g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cauliflower, cut in florets
450 g potatoes, peeled and quartered
100 g peas
1 medium onion, finely chopped
450 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
450 ml water
salt to taste
Spices:
pinch of asafoetida powder
2 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 brown cardamom
For the paste:
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2.5 cm piece garlic, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
To garnish:
1 tsp garam masala
2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Method
Heat the butter and half the oil in a saucepan and add the asafoetida powder. Stir for 5 seconds then add the cauliflower, potatoes and peas. Fry for 5 minutes over a moderate heat. Remove the vegetables to a plate and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil and add the onion, cloves, cumin and cardamom and fry until the onion is golden brown. Make a fairly smooth mixture by blitzing the paste ingredients in a blender. Add the paste to the onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes.
Mix in the fried vegetables and tomato and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the water and salt and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the cloves and brown cardamom before serving hot, garnished with the garam masala and coriander.
