I am always looking for new and delicious (and easy to make) side dishes. We love diverse ethnic seasonings from around the world, so I am also always looking for ways to include those favorite flavors in our everyday meals. Here is a perfect example of that attempt being very successful.
I saw a picture in a magazine in the last few months that inspired me. It had cauliflower and peas, and the cauliflower had a gorgeous yellow hue. Its flavor profile was close to one I had in my mind, but it had a whole bunch of ingredients I don't typically have on hand. I knew the flavor I wanted, but I wasn't quite sure how to get there (I had tried a similar dish with much less success once before). I wandered through a handful of cookbooks without really getting any closer to where I wanted to be. Suddenly, it dawned on me that the flavor I was thinking of (I suppose because of the peas and the obvious Indian spice inspiration) was the filling one finds in many samosas! I was off! I have a recipe for potato and pea samosa filling that I love and I simply adapted that here. The result was fantastic! What a delightful change of pace, and so tasty and beautiful, too.
Samosa Inspired Cauliflower
Yield: 4 servings
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
1 head cauliflower, cut up
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp spice mix (see below)
3 TBS water
1 cup frozen peas
salt, to taste
Spice Mix:
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne (or more, if you like spice)
Mix the spices together and set aside. Prepare the onion and cauliflower and then heat a medium skillet or Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the oil, let it heat, and then cook the onion until soft and gently browned. Add the cauliflower, the ginger, 2 teaspoons of the spice mix, and the water and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is just tender (5-10 minutes). Remove the cover and add the frozen peas. Let heat through. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.