I’ve gone a bit curry mad lately. A recent rerun of Floyd’s India
A quick aside: I can’t find a gospel on how Indian food should be named. Sometimes it’s named by method (balti), sometimes by ingredient (dhansak = double onion). I don’t know what the formula is. So I’ve decided to make my own rules too, smashing the Indian terms for coriander and cauliflower together, to reach dhania gobi. I could’ve gone with vegetable masala, or courgette bargar, or carrot jeera. So pardon me for slapping almost any old name on it, but I like the exotic sound. (If anybody knows the real ‘rules’, let me know).
I had courgette, cauliflower and carrot on hand, so they were a lock. Then it was a case of picking and choosing my spices. Coriander ended up going in twice and was the main flavour, so it packed quite a citrussy punch. A little yoghurt at the end helped both thicken and sour the dish, and was pretty pleased with the result. This won’t be the last curry I cook this season, I’m sure!
Dhania gobi:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, cracked
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, cracked
2 inch cassia bark
1 onion, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon tomato puree
2 carrots, diced
2 courgettes, diced
½ head cauliflower, diced
1 litre vegetable stock
2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon ground almonds
Chopped coriander leaves
- Fry the coriander seeds, cumin and cassia in a little oil for a minute. Add the onion and soften.
- Add the paste, turmeric, garam masala, puree and a pinch of salt and stir for another minute. Add the vegetables and coat well with the onion masala.
- Add the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until the veg is tender.
- Take off the heat and stir in the yoghurt and almonds. Serve topped with coriander leaves.
