Week 6: Cauliflower - Cauliflower and Eggplant Coconut Curry, Cauliflower with Potatoes and Fenugreek Leaves, and Tomato and Mung Bean Dal

A couple weeks ago I got an email from a friend at a job I recently left letting me know that the Bhut Jolokia/Ghost Pepper plant we had been grown from seed was now producing fruit and I should take a few peppers to sample. The Bhut Jolokia has a scoville rating around 850,000 - 1,000,000 and was the hottest chilli in the world until the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion took its title in 2012. Almost a year to the day from the seedling showing itself for the first time we had pods for eating, and calling me a little bit excited by this would be an understatement! Because I'm sure you all love pictures of plants, here's a gallery showing what happened before the chilli pods below arrived http://imgur.com/a/t6Eam#0

The pods arrival pretty much settled that this week's Cauliflower challenge was going to be something Indian and spicy. As one of the guests had a bike race the next day, and didn't like the idea of riding the day after a meal full of very spicy food, I made three dishes ranging from very mild, to medium to fairly hot. The recipe order below reflects the order, with the medium and fairly hot dishes being the ones that include cauliflower.

If you don't have any Bhut Jolokia pods, or aren't that big a fan of heat, you can substitute mild green or red chillies. The Aloo Gobi would look good with some yellow chilli powder for provide some colour as well.

There are some ingredients used that are less than common in many western kitchens, including amchoor/dried green mango powder, asafetida powder, curry leaves, fenugreek leaves and three dals (moong/mung bean, chana/chickpea and urad/black dal). This is a perfect excuse to hunt out an Indian supermarket if you live in a city that has one... here in Wellington, New Zealand we have Moshim's in Newtown which has an amazing range of products, smells completely amazing and don't appear to be interested in making a profit if their low prices are anything to go by. I can't recommend the store enough, and also highly recommend buying random things you don't recognise and googling them when you get home as a sure way to find a crazy culinary adventure.

Tomato and Mung Bean Dal
Moong Dahl, centre of picture above

• 3/4 Cup Mung Beans
• 7 Cups Water
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/8 Tsp Asafetida Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin Sseeds
• 1 Medium Oonion, Finely Chopped
• 2 Cups Tomatoes, Chopped
• 1 Tbsp Ginger, Peeled and Grated
• 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala
• 1 Tsp Lime Juice

1. Wash and then soak beans for four hours.
2. Combine drained beans, 7 cups water, salt and turmeric in a large pot. Bring beans to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 60 minutes.
3. While the beans cook, heat oil in pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds and cook for a few seconds, until cumin seeds are golden brown.
5. Add onion and fry 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Add tomatoes, ginger and cayenne pepper and cook for two to three minues, until tomatoes are soft.
7. Add ingredients from pan to the beans and add more water if dal is too thick.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer dal for five to ten minutes.
9. Stir through garam masala and lime juice.

Cauliflower with Potatoes and Fenugreek Leaves
Aloo Gobi Methi ka Tuk, bottom of picture above

• 2 Medium Potatoes, Cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 Medium Head Cauliflower, Separated into florets
• 6 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Ttsp Mustard Seeds
• 20-25 Curry Leaves
• 3 1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
• 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Paste
• 3 Cups Fenugreek Leaves, Chopped
• 1 Bhut Jolokia Pod, Chopped finely
• 1 tsp Amchoor / Dried Green Mango Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
• Generous Pinch of Dried Fenugreek Leaves, Crumbled
• Salt

1. Cook the potato cubes in boiling water for about 5 minutes, until still quite firm. Drain and set aside.
2. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling water for a few minutes to par-cook. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and stir-fry for about a minute until they start sputtering.
4. Add the curry leaves and stir-fry for a few seconds before adding the ginger and garlic pastes and bhut jolokia. Stir-fry for a couple minutes until the moisture has evaporated.
5. Add the fenugreek leaves and cauliflower then season with salt.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about five minutes.
7. Uncover, increase the heat, add the potatoes and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
8. Sprinkle over the amchoor, cumin, black pepper and crumbled fenugreek leaves.

Cauliflower and Eggplant Coconut Curry
Adapted from potato dish Uralaikizhan Sagu, right of picture above

• 2 Medium Eggplants, Cut into 1 inch cubes
• Half Medium Head of Cauliflower, Separated into florets
• 3 Onions, Chopped
• 2 Bhut Jolokia Pods, Chopped
• 1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, Grated
• 4 Tomatoes, Chopped
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
• 1 1/2 Cups Coconut Cream
• Salt

Spice Paste:

• 1 Tsp Poppy Seeds
• 2 Dried Habanero Pods
• 1 Tbsp Chana Dal, Roasted
• 1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds, Roasted
• 1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds, Roasted
• 1 Cinnamon Stick, About 1cm long

Tempering:

• 6 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tsp Urad Dal, Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Tsp Chana Dal, Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Sprig Curry Leaves

1. Put all ingredients for spice paste in food processor with a little water and process to a paste. Set aside.
2. Add all spices for tempering to vegetable oil over a medium heat and stir-fry for a minute. Add the onions and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until golden.
3. Mix in bhut jolokia chillies, ginger, tomatoes, turmeric and salt and fry for two to three minutes.
4. Pour in 1 cup water and add the eggplant and cauliflower.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Mix in the spice paste and coconut milk and simmer until sauce thickens and eggplant and cauliflower is cooked.