Cauliflower can be such a tough vegetable to get right in a curry.  For so long it seemed like no matter how little or how long I cooked cauliflower, and no matter when I added salt to the dish, my cauliflower florets by the time the curry was done were small crumbly pieces of mush. The cauliflower curry tasted great, but didn’t always look great. I just couldn’t figure out how to get a dry cauliflower curry that looked good,

Then it occurred to me one day that roasting vegetables always cooked vegetables “al-dente” – firm outside yet tender inside. So I thought why not try roasting cauliflower florets first before making them into a curry. I roasted cauliflower and then added onions, garlic and all the spices. What I ended up with was a beautiful golden colored cauliflower curry that looked and tasted great. Here is the recipe.

Dry Roasted Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

• Head of 1 large cauliflower cut into medium sized florets.
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp asafetida powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• Chili powder to your taste (optional)
• Oil
• Salt
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet.  Drizzle 2 tbsp oil on the florets and mix together. Place in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, toss cauliflower around and put back in oven for 15 more minutes. By 30 minutes the cauliflower should be cooked al-dente. Take out of oven and set aside.

• In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds and toast for a few seconds. Add asafetida powder and fry in oil for 2 seconds. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté until onions are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Next add coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and chili powder and mix-in.

• Add roasted cauliflower, salt and toss together. You can also add 1 chopped fresh tomato if you like at this point. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.

• Turn the stove off. Add juice of 1 lemon and chopped fresh cilantro.  Cauliflower curry is ready.

• Serve cauliflower curry as a side dish or have with chapatis or tortillas.