It may be cold outside but you can warm up with a cauliflower curry.

We all love a curry on a Friday night! They are so versatile and easy to cook and you can make it as spicy as you like it. Plus the children love that they can help themselves as it is a sharing dish. You can also experiment with different side dishes. Lentil Dhal with coconut and tomatoes is also easy to make and goes really well with this dish. You can also make Bombay potatoes or Sag Aloo. The shops also have great options with poppadum’s, nan breads, onion bhaji’s and pakora’s. Just check the ingredients as not all of them are vegan.

I usually look in the fridge first to see what ingredients we have before deciding which curry to make. Today I am cooking a delicious cauliflower curry which tastes really fresh with the addition of ginger, coriander and lime. This isn’t too spicy so suitable for all the family and you can add more spice using extra chilli’s or chilli flakes if you prefer a spicier curry.

Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1-2 chilli’s (you can use any fresh chilli)

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

Cauliflower head

10 small potatoes (or chop larger ones)

1 lime

50g cashew nuts

Fresh coriander

Method

Peel and cut the potatoes into bite sizes pieces if using larger ones.  Parboil the potatoes until they are almost cooked and set aside. Cook the cashew nuts in the oven on a baking tray for 5 minutes and then set aside.

Finely chop the onion and chilli and grate the piece of ginger.

Cut the whole cauliflower into smaller pieces.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and lightly fry the chopped onion and cumin seeds for 5 minutes. Add the grated ginger and chopped chilli and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree and turmeric and cook for another 5 minutes.

Next add the cauliflower florets and almost cooked potatoes mixing well in the fragrant sauce. Cover and leave on a low heat for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Check and stir occasionally.

Finally add the freshly squeezed lime juice, fresh coriander and toasted cashew nuts.

Enjoy with some plain rice and nan bread plus your favourite side dishes.

Adapt

There are so many variations of this curry. If you like it spicier, you can add chilli flakes or more chilli’s. Keep tasting as you can add more spice but it is much harder to take the spice away!

Other ingredients to try if you don’t have a cauliflower include chick peas and sweet potatoes, butternut squash and spinach. The curry recipe shown is for a tomato based curry but you can also use a coconut based curry if you prefer a Korma type sauce.

Remember to put the Dhal on first if you are having a side dish as the lentils take longer than you think to cook and soften! I keep my Dhal really simple cooking mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, onion and garlic in a large pan and then adding the red lentils with coconut milk, water and tomatoes for 30-40 minutes until cooked.

They are all packed with flavour and I promise you won’t even miss the meat!