Sunday, October 16, 2011

vegan mofo :: curry-roasted cauliflower

This easy side showcases bold flavors and only takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time. 

Roasting cauliflower is not only super easy and flexible; it also gives the cauliflower a firmer, more toothsome texture. If you want a Caribbean-Style dish, add curry powder, which usually hails from the islands. For a Thai-centric dish, use curry paste. If you want to make an Indian style side, substitute garam masala. You can also substitute broccoli or romanesco for the cauliflower.

Curry-Roasted Cauliflower

  • 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into 1- or 1 1/2-inch florets
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk. If you want a creamier, wetter dish, you can use up to 1 cup [light is fine]
  • 2 tsp curry powder, curry paste or garam masala [or to taste]
  • Salt, to taste

Serves 2-3

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and curry paste or powder. Place cauliflower florets in a roasting pan [I used a 9' x 13' Pryex dish]. Pour 1/2 the coconut milk mixture over them and stir well to coat, making sure they are in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt.

Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, coat with remaining coconut milk mixture, stir, scarping up any browned bits, and roast for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, Cool 5 minutes before enjoying.

Pan cleaning tip: Any recipe that requires you to roast veggies inevitably results in a messy pan. Soak the cooled pan in soapy water, then clean it the way your great-grandma would have--make a paste with salt and baking soda, then apply elbow grease.


10 comments:

Vegiegail said...

My heart be still...I love roasted cauliflower, curry, and coconut. Would I have thought of putting them all together? No! So, thank you!

Chef Amber Shea said...

Curry and cauliflower are one of my favorite culinary marriages...add coconut, and that's like the sexiest food polyamory ever.

I usually line my roasting pan with greased foil and then only have to do minimal cleanup!

mamapasta said...

not only you give us yummy recipes, but also the pan cleaning tip...you're such a nice one!

Suburban Snow White said...

Funny! I'm making curried cauliflower soup this week. I'll have to try this too!

Irene @ H.V.R. said...

Roasted cauliflower?? Now that is what I need to try. I haven’t seen a roasted cauliflower and I am very curious what would it tasle like. I’ll be makig this as part of our dinner menu later. I bet it taste great.

Hannah said...

It's bizzare how much I love plain roasted cauliflower, so this curry version sounds like cauliflower crack to me. I even have vadouvan curry powder, which is my latest amazing ingredient discovery, so I think this has to happen asap.

foodfeud said...

Cauliflower is so under-appreciated! I think I have to buy new curry powder, though; I've had the same bag for probably 5 years.

VeggieLow said...

yay for getting posted on mofo - the adorable bowl and the great curry-cauliflower idea combine into perfection. So i accidentally made (pretty much) this dish a few weeks ago while throwing together ingredients... i had carrot mixed in w/ mine. was awesome. thanks for perfecting the ratios for me!

Just Us said...

This sounds amazing. I must try this!

Kier said...

This dish sounds amazing! I've made roasted cauliflower before, even with curry - but I've never used the coconut milk as well. Wonderful idea!