Dry cauliflower, cashew nut and potato curry
For a tasty vegetarian dish, try Sophie Grigson’s curry, flavoured with ginger, chillies and a home-made spice mix. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2.5cm fresh ginger root, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
100ml plus 2 tablespoons water
1-2 dried red chillies, seeded
and chopped
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
450g potatoes, peeled and cut
into 2.5cm cubes
Half a cauliflower,
cut or broken into small florets
1 tablespoon lemon juice
100g shelled cashew nuts
3 tablespoons roughly
chopped coriander leaves
For the garam masala:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 green cardamom pods
2 dried bay leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
METHOD
1) Put onion, ginger root, garlic, turmeric, cumin, chillies and one teaspoon of salt in a processor with two tablespoons of water, and process into paste. Alternatively, if you have no processor, grate onion and chop ginger root, garlic and chillies finely. Mix onion paste with turmeric, cumin and one teaspoon of salt.
2) Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wide, heavy-based saucepan. When hot, add spice paste and fry, stirring for three minutes. Next, add potato and cauliflower, stirring until well coated.
3) Pour in rest of water and add lemon juice, then bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook gently for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender, stirring still. Heat rest of oil, meanwhile, in small frying pan and fry cashew nuts until lightly browned.
4) Make the garam masala by dry-frying cumin, coriander, fennel, peppercorns and cardamom pods together in a heavy-based frying pan over a moderate heat until they smell aromatic. Cool slightly, mix with bay leaves and cinnamon, then grind to a powder using grinder or mortar and pestle. Reserve.
5) Check water level in saucepan when vegetables are nearly done. If there’s still a noticeable amount left, take off lid and let most of it boil away. Now stir in cashew nuts, and cook for a further minute or so. Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with teaspoon of garam masala and chopped coriander, and serve at once.