Cauliflower with Potatoes & Farewell to Madhur

We've had a wonderful six months at I Heart Cooking Clubs, cooking delicious Indian food with Madhur Jaffrey.  For me, this has been something of a trip down memory lane, remembering the food and flavours of my childhood.  The food of course has been wonderful, but one of the things I've found most exciting about our time with Madhur has been the way some members of our group, who had never even tasted Indian food before, have embraced this cuisine and loved it.

I didn't manage to make as many dishes as I would have liked to, but I've certainly loved every single one of Madhur's dishes that I did make ...

... and if I had to choose a favourite, it would probably be the Prawns in a Dark Sauce, only because that was the most nostalgic dish for me.  I've made it several times again since, and the Yoghurt Marinated Baked Lamb and the Black Pepper Potatoes with Lemon Turmeric Aioli are also dishes that I keep coming back to.  Interestingly, the black pepper potatoes has been the most visited one of my Madhur posts too (almost double its nearest rival), so I guess a lot of you like that one too.

And, now comes the time to say our farewells to Madhur - an occasion tinged with a little sadness (as accompanies any "goodbye"), but also with excitement about our forthcoming chef, Yotam Ottolenghi.

For my final dish with Madhur, I chose Cauliflower with Potatoes (Phool gobi aur aloo ki bhaji) from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, partly because this is the kind of simple, homely kind of dish that I think epitomises Indian home cooking for me, and partly because I had a head of cauliflower in the veggie crisper that need to be used up.  This dish doesn't have any sauce, and is fabulous just scooped up with some flatbread (I could happily make a meal of this on its own).  As it turned out I had this as an accompaniment to roast pork, and I think it would be a great addition to any other meal of roasted or grilled meats.

Cauliflower with Potatoes Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey from

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

Vegetarian

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

4x small or 2x medium potatoes

1x medium-sized cauliflower, cut into chunky florets

3-4 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1x fresh red chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if you want less heat)

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

generous pinch flaky sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Boil potatoes in their jackets until just fork tender.  Drain and allow to cool completely.  Peel off the skins and cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) dice.  Set aside.

Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds to the hot oil and, as soon as the seeds start to sizzle, add the cauliflower florets to the pan.  Toss the cauliflower in the pan until all the florets are coated in the oil and seeds.  Now, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and cook gently until the cauliflower is browned in places and just tender - stir from time to time.  About 6-10 minutes.

Once the cauliflower is tender, add the ground spices, chilli, potatoes, salt and pepper.  Stir gently to coat all of the cauliflower and potato with the spices, and continue to cook on low heat for a few more minutes until the potatoes have warmed through.

Serve hot, but is also good at room temperature.

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I'm also sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.