Ginger Cauliflower

Lana Del Rey’s song “Video Games” has been stuck in my head for many days now. For once, that’s not a bad thing. I absolutely love that song. Being born melancholic, you can imagine why I like that song.

Melancholy is wonderful for creation. Makes you question all sorts of things that we take for granted. The existential…
Melancholy is not always a good thing though. As much as it is romanticized in music and movies. It kind of stops you from living in the moment. Not good!

I read a blog yesterday. A blog I just stumbled upon. The person talked about exactly this, why she couldn’t live in the moment. I think I’ve had that problem most of my life. Why can’t I live in this very beautiful moment? Why am I constantly rehashing the past or worrying about the future? I can sit for hours, day dreaming but am oblivious to the now. When I am conscious of it and make an effort, the results are always sweet and my life nothing to complain about.

This recipe is so simple and so incredibly delicious, that you, I assure you will not be able to help yourself from licking the bowl off!

Ginger Cauliflower

550 grams cauliflower (broken into medium size flowerets)
1 large onion (somewhat thinly sliced)
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
ginger (about an inch worth, thinly sliced)
cilantro (for garnish)
a few slices of tomato (optional and for garnish)
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pan, let it be hot enough that when you throw in the onions you hear a sizzle. Fry for about 3 minutes on high flame before adding the sliced ginger. (Save some ginger to roast later for the garnish).

I let onions and the ginger get only mildly brown before adding the dry ingredients. Mix well and add the cauliflower. Add just a little bit of water (about a tablespoon), to prevent the ingredients from catching at the bottom. Let the pan stand on high flame for about a minute before reducing it to its lowest. Close the lid and let the cauliflower slowly absorb all those beautiful spices. That’s what we want!

While the cauliflower is slowly marrying with the spices, roast the thinly sliced ginger, in a non stick pan. Should take about 5 minutes on medium flame. The juice of the ginger quickly dries up to crunchy delicious sticks.

Every now and then, open the lid of the cauliflower to make sure its not getting stuck to the bottom. If it feels like it is add just a touch of water and close the lid again. Check to see if the cauliflower is just a tad soft. I usually do this by testing with a knife. You might need to do this several times. You don’t want the cauliflower raw and you certainly do NOT want it to get mushy.

Once you think the cauliflower is just the little bit soft, take the lid off and raise the flame to high. If you’ve been adding water, you want that to dry up and get a little crunchy. Don’t worry if at this point it sticks to the bottom a little. The dark spots will look and taste amazing later.

Serve in a deep dish with the roasted ginger sprinkled on top. Some cilantro to make it look pretty and a as many slices of tomato on the top, as your heart desires. Eat by itself (I surely will as I contemplate life!) or serve with the Brown Lentil Soup and Basmati rice.