Cauliflower Pot Roast

I tend to trust scientists with caution. They summersault in their recommendations every couple of decades. One of our physicians used to tell us to never eat cauliflower because apparently it has zero nutritional value. Now I hear the exact opposite and they are touted to be a super food with cancer fighting abilities.

Whatever confusion science has, I am not in the least bit confused in calling out that cauliflower pot-roast is indeed yummy just as it was a decade back.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower cut into big florets
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tomato
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2” ginger
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1/2tsp. Bengali garam masala
• 1tsp. ghee (Clarified butter)
• 5 – 6 tbsp. oil
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. whole garam masala (Cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves)

Procedure

Make a fine paste of onion, ginger and garlic. Add turmeric and chili powder to it and mix well. Rub this paste on cauliflower florets so that they are well coated. Sprinkle salt over it and keep it marinated for 3-4 hours.

In a pan heat oil on medium heat and temper it with bay leaves and whole garam masala. Wait till it stops sizzling. If you want a vibrant red color you can add sugar at this point. The caramelized sugar will give it a gorgeous red color.

Add marinated cauliflower to it and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Cook it covered on medium heat for about ten minutes. The marinated cauliflower and the wet spices will release enough water for cooking so you really don’t have to add any.

Remove the lid and do the rest of cooking uncovered. This will help to retain the shape of the cauliflower florets. Once the cooking is done you will see the oil gets separated from the rest.

Add a spoonful of ghee and a pinch of Bengali garam masala over it and keep it covered till you serve.

It goes well with any kind of Indian bread.