Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

I love the flavors of India - - cumin, tumeric, curry. I love it all. I don't care that the smell of the strong spices will linger on your skin and in your hair for days. Nathan and I usually hit our favorite Indian restaurant on the weekend for their lunch buffet and leave totally satisfied and full for the rest of the day. Luckily, making Indian food at home is relatively easy, and equally satisfying.


I've never been a huge fan of the cauliflower. I mostly like it raw, but if given an option I would always choose broccoli or peppers or any other kind of veggie platter vegetable. However, I adore cauliflower in it's roasted state. It turns slightly brown and takes on an almost nutty flavor, yet still retains a tender crispness that I like. So, instead of following the original recipe, and boiling my cauliflower and potatoes, I decided to roast them. (Which also saved my kitchen from that terrible cauliflower stench!)

INDIAN SPICED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATOES

1 head of Cauliflower, cut into 3/4 inch florets
1 pound of Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium red pepper, cubed
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp paprika
1 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Toss cauliflower and potatoes together on a large baking sheet with about 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, cumin seeds and season with salt. Roast on the top rack in your oven for about 20 minutes, turning once, or until the cauliflower begins to brown, and the potatoes are tender.

While the cauliflower and potatoes are roasting, cook the onion, garlic and ginger in a large skillet with the remaining 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent. Add your spices: cumin, coriander, tumeric, cayenne and paprika and cook for approximately 2 minutes. Stir in water and bring to a boil. Add roast cauliflower and potatoes and cubed peppers. Cook covered for about 5 additional minutes. Turn off heat and add the sour cream, stirring gently to combine.

Serve over steamed white or brown rice.


I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor and texture of the entire dish. The peppers - added at the very end - give a nice raw pepper crispness and provide such a vibrant color to the entire dish. Next time I will add more of the spices as the sour cream seemed to "cool" then down a little.