Cauliflower makes a fantastic curry ingredient, as its gentle flavour allows for all the spices to infuse through it, so every bite is as delicious as the next. This dish has a delicate blend of spices, which you can adjust to your own preferences.
You can find cooked Puy lentils in ready-to-use packs available from most supermarkets, making them a super-speedy addition to this flavoursome curry.
Kerala cauliflower curry
Serves 2 generously
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 red fresh chilli, finely chopped
- 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
- 150ml hot water
- 1 small cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
- 2 large flatbreads (optional)
- 200g cooked Puy lentils
- handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- generous pinch of sea salt
- 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, chilli, and ginger to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften but do not brown. Add the garlic, then stir through the turmeric, garam masala, ground cumin, and cumin seeds, cooking for a further minute.
- Pour in the coconut milk and hot water and allow to simmer. Add the cauliflower to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, then increase the heat to medium-high until the cauliflower is al dente.
- Grill the flatbreads, if using, for one minute on each side in a griddle plan. Tip the lentils into the pan and stir through. Remove the pan from the heat and scatter with the coriander, sea salt and extra chilli just before serving.
Extracted from 15 Minute Vegan by Katy Beskow (Quadrille). Photography by Dan Jones.