Aromatic Cauliflower with Mustard Seed Oil
If you don’t have cauliflower in the house substitute 1 inch diced peeled potatoes for the cauliflower. Nigella seeds can be found online wholespice.com, my favorite site to stock up on whole and ground spices. Serves 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pure mustard seed oil
- 2 teaspoons nigella seeds
- 2-4 dried 2-inch long red chilies, depending on spice level
- 3 pounds cauliflower, broken into small florets
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 green onions, root removed, white and greens thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and then the nigella seeds and chilies.
2. When the seeds began to pop, add the cauliflower and turmeric. Stir to coat the cauliflower evenly with turmeric and oil. Season to taste with salt.
3. Cook stirring occasionally until the cauliflower starts to brown. If the oil starts to smoke, reduce the heat.
4. Slowly and carefully add ¼ cup of water to the pan and cover tightly with a lid. Reduce heat to medium. Gently shake the pan to distribute the water.
5. Cook until the cauliflower is soft, about 6 minutes. If the pan dries out before the cauliflower is soft add a little more water 1 tablespoon at a time and cover with the lid after each addition.
6. When the cauliflower is tender remove the lid and add the coriander and green onion. Stir well and continue to cook until the water evaporates completely and pan is dry.
7. Transfer to a serving plate and grind black pepper over.
Mustard Seed Oil may be purchased from The Vineyard Kitchen Larder.