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9/1/10

Cauliflower and Edamame with Indian Spices

Does this ever happen to you? You aimlessly walk through the grocery store, not really knowing what to buy. Then you see a head of cauliflower and think: "why not get it?" only to get home wondering "what will I make with this now?" That's exactly what happened to me over the weekend.

I thought I might roast the cauliflower, or parboil it and then pan fry it in panko crumbs, or maybe make a cauliflower soup. Then, I saw even a better idea tweeted by Monica Bhide. Monica tweeted that she was having an Indian cauliflower and pea dish for dinner: I messaged her right away to ask for details. It seems that Monica cooks in a similar way as I do: by taste, touch and feel: without exact recipes. She tweeted this back to me: I saute them with ginger, dried coriander seeds (crushed), turmeric, salt, red chiles and then cover and cook till done.

Since I did not have peas, fresh ginger or red chiles, I made a  few changes to her "recipe." But you must have known that if you've been following me for a while :)

Cauliflower and Edamame with Indian Spices

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (I used black mustard seeds  my friend Radha gave me!)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1 head of cauliflower, cut into medium sized florettes
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounces frozen edamame
toppings: thinly sliced red onion, cilantro leaves


Directions
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and crushed coriander seeds. Wait till the seeds pop, then add cauliflower, the rest of the spices, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Let the cauliflower cook for about 5 minutes. You might have to add a bit of water to get the process going.


3. Add edamame, stir. Cover the pan with a lid and let the vegetables cook until they reach the level of tenderness you prefer.


4. Serve this dish hot or at room temperature with thinly sliced red onion and leaves of cilantro. You can also add a heaping tablespoon of yogurt.


See!? Who said vegetables are boring? This is a really filling and healthy side dish. Last night I had it topped with shrimp.


What's your favorite way to cook cauliflower?

13 comments:

Sasha said...

Ooh. This is fabulous. What a great way to excite some vegetables.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic flavors with the spices!

nicole said...

looks great! i would probably grill the onions too and definitely minus the cilantro (yucky!). maybe drizzle some chutney on top and add peanuts? this would be good with lentils or tofu too!

momgateway said...

..this is the best cauliflower dish I know !

Mary @ stylefyles said...

Yum! This looks fantastic!

FOODalogue said...

I just came home from the market with a head of cauliflower. My favorite ways to eat cauliflower is chopped and roasted with garlic, breadcrumbs + parmesan or raw/blanched in a salad with anchovies, olives, etc. in a citrus vinaigrette.

But I think I'm going to try this with the head I just bought. I'm thinking it might be interesting to add a little mango/raisins or nuts as Nicole mentioned.

Esi said...

Mm, I bet this would be amazing if you roasted the cauliflower too.

Tales from the Fruit Cellar said...

This dish has stunning colors! I'm a pea-aholic, so I'd probably swap the edamame for peas but am really looking forward to trying this. Perhaps smothere with a little raita? Thanks for sharing :)

Kulsum@JourneyKitchen said...

Edamame sounds like a great idea.

Keri said...

Oh wait, this is the one I want to try. I love indian spices and I love the way this looks and sounds. You do nice work, lady.

Thanks, Keri

by the way. come and enter one of your sandwiches in my contest. you could win.

Joudie's Mood Food said...

Im loving this Indian style to the vegetables. I am totally goin theough a very spicy phase in my life! Yummy!

Susan C said...

Side dish? I think this sounds like a wonderful main dish (especially with the shrimp you added).

Can't wait to try this.

Cara said...

What a great combination, as I love both cauliflower and edamame. My favorite ways to cook cauliflower are roasted with balsamic vinegar and blue cheese, or braised in a Greek-style tomato sauce (that recipe is on my blog!)