A Fresh Spring Dish, An Indian Classic : Cauliflower and Potato

   Spring is one of my favorite times of year here in Sonoma.The Farmers Markets are filled with the delicacies one doesn't get the rest of the year and at our place, planning has begun for this year's crops. But first, the last of the Winter harvest needed to be brought in. My cauliflower came fashionably late. In fact, I didn't think I was going to get any cauliflower this year, but after the heavy rains we've had the last month...there they were! I waited for a break in the rain to go out and cut myself a beauty.

   Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables because there are so many ways one can prepare it that even the most die-hard cauliflower hater can find something they like. Because we've been pretty busy with launching The Chaunk I was looking for a very fast and easy recipe that would do the job for lunch. Good old Aloo Gobi to the rescue. I took my cauliflower and some fresh cilantro from my garden (it started raining again) ...

...and combined it with organic fresh peas (cheap and good this time of year) a few Yukon gold potatoes, and a red pepper.....Luncheon is served!

                               Cauliflower With Potatoes and Peas aka Aloo Gobi

Here's What You Need:
1 cauliflower
2 Tbs coconut oil or other vegetable oil
5 fresh green serrano chilies (I grow my own during the Summer then vacuum seal and freeze them for later use)
1 Tbs finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 cup of fresh peas, or frozen ones thawed
2 Yukon gold potatoes
1  red bell pepper finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbs  coriander
1  tsp  cumin
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp amchur powder (dried mango)
1/4 tsp garam masala
3 Tbs water


Here's What To Do:
Shell your peas (if using fresh ones).

Chop the serrano chilies and set aside.

Peel and chop the ginger/

Add the cumin seeds to the chopped ginger and set them aside.

Mix the ground cumin, coriander and turmeric together in a small bowl and set them aside.

Wash and dry the cauliflower. Trim it and cut it into florets.

Place the cauliflower pieces into the bowl with the peas.
Wash and quarter the potatoes.

Place them in the bowl with the peas and cauliflower.

Chop the red bell pepper into small pieces  mix it with the cilantro and set it aside.

Heat your pan or kadhai over a medium/hot heat.
Add in the vegetable oil.

When the oil is hot toss in the chopped serrano chilies.

Stir them around for about 30 seconds or so until they sizzle, then add the cumin seeds and ginger. When that starts to sizzle, add in the coriander, cumin, and turmeric.

Stir everything around so the oil and spices are well mixed, then add in your cauliflower, potato, and pea mixture...

...along with 2 Tbs of water.

Cover the pan and stir fry everything over a high heat for about 3 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and let everything cook for about 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft. Check on things and stir once in a while so nothing burns or sticks. If you need to add another Tbs or so of water go ahead and do so.
When the potatoes have softened, add in the red bell pepper and cilantro...

...and the amchur powder.

Put the lid back on and cook for about 5 minutes.
After that time, take the lid off, give everything a good stir and place it in a serving dish.
Add the 1/4 tsp of garam masala, then stir everything again.

And serve it up!

  Spicy, delicious, and made with the freshest stuff one can get this time of year, Aloo Gobi is a great dish served just with rice and chapatti, or as the vegetable accompaniment to any Western style meat and veg dinner.
 For a how to kit to cook these and other delicious easy Indian dishes visit The Chaunk
Coming up next, taking advantage of Springtime produce bargains, follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Cauliflower With 2 Kinds of Mustard Seed! An Easy Tasty Vegetarian Treat

One of the things I love best about cooking is experimenting with new foods and new products. I love new stuff, stuff I've never seen before, stuff I might not have tried had someone not suggested it to me. that's how I got turned on to Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil. It started when a little birdie told me..ok, I got tweeted.
  I'd been reading tweets from Tropical Traditions and I decided to swing by their website and check it out. I took advantage of their offer to try out their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil and within a couple of days it had arrived and I was eager to give it a road test.

  
   I'm always looking for great cauliflower dishes. Cauliflower functions like the stock market in my life. Sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. The other day it was down, and I mean waaaaaaay down. Like 89 cents apiece down, for a large organic local cauliflower. Of course I had to have it.

 
  I was also intrigued by the idea that the recipe I'd found used 2 kinds of mustard seed, yellow and brown! The yellow in particular because  I bought yellow mustard seed by accident (hey it happens) a while back and was eager to find some use for it. Waste not want not!
   The first thing I noticed when I started opening the jar of coconut oil was the texture. When I gave it a real good twist and got the top off, it sloshed on me. I was expecting the usual hard coconut oil I'd been used to, but this stuff was fresh! It also smelled great! Eat it? Wear it? That was the dilemma. I decided I'd better get cooking. Here's what to do.
   Wash and divide 1 head of cauliflower into florets. Set it aside.
  Grind together
2 tsp of yellow mustard seeds
2 tsp of brown mustard seeds

Mix the ground seeds together with:
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of tamarind puree *NOTE: if you don't have tamarind puree I 've  found that lemon juice can be a substitute. Tamarind puree is easily found at most Asian or Hispanic markets.
 1/2 cup of water
Blend all of this together into a nice liquid paste.

   Meanwhile in a deep skillet or kadhai heat :
2 Tbs of coconut oil

When the oil is hot toss in:
1/2 finely chopped onion
3 shallots finely chopped

Stir fry the onions and shallot until they're slightly golden, then start adding the cauliflower. Stir it around until it starts to brown.

Then toss in 1 seeded green chili cook it until it browns.

Add in the ground mustard seed mixture and
2 tsp of nigella seed also known as kalonji seed, black onion seed aka black cumin seed. This seed has more aliases than Dillinger.

 Stir it well, turn up the heat a bit to medium. When the  liquid in the pan comes to a boil, turn it back down all the way to low and cover the pan until the cauliflower is nice and tender and the sauce is dry.

If you need to add some more water during the cooking process, that's fine. Anything to prevent burning or sticking. When the cauliflower is done, if  it's too "wet, just turn the heat up a bit and boil it off. Add salt to taste and you're done.

  The dish turned out great, and another side benefit was the kalonji, (nigella, black onion seed aka black cumin seed) which was in the news last week as the subject of some interesting Medical Research.
   As to the coconut oil. I loved it. I love coconut anyway, but what impressed me was comparing the coconut oil I'd been using from a bottle I'd just bought, with the coconut oil that Tropical Traditions had sent me. The Tropical Traditions product smelled and tasted like coconut and added a wonderful flavor benefit to the dish. I've been using it in everything I've been cooking since receiving it, and now I remember to stand back a bit when I open the jar; even though I'm tempted to rub a little bit on myself. I fight it. Because I've got discipline, and let's not go there.