An easy, vegetarian/vegan side dish. Make it as spicy as you like by adjusting the amount of pepper in it. Add a can or two of chickpeas to it to make it a full meal!
Heat vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add ½ of the onion and all the jalapeno. Saute for 5 minutes, until onion begins to brown.
Meanwhile, grind the coriander and cumin seeds in a food processor or blender. Add the remaining onion and ¼ cup water. Blend until combined.
Once the onion in the skillet is beginning to brown, add in the onion puree. Use another ¼ cup water to rinse your blender, and add oniony water to the skillet. Cook until onion sauce begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, about 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, you can chop the cauliflower if you haven't already.)
Deglaze the pot with the remaining ½ cup water. Add the cauliflower and some salt, and toss with onion sauce to combine. Cover and reduce heat to medium low.
Cook 25-30 minutes, until cauliflower is tender. (I tend to cut mine a little smaller than 1 inch, so I check mine early. Remove from heat immediately - you don't want mushy cauliflower!)
Add tomato and cilantro (if using) and toss gently to combine. Heat briefly to combine if necessary. Serve as a side dish, or over rice as a main course.
Don't like spicy? Omit the jalapeno entirely.
Want to make it a meal? Add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to the curry during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Or do what I usually do: saute drained, rinsed, and dried chickpeas in a skillet with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over medium heat for a few minutes. They will begin to roast and pop, and be a nice counterpart for the curry.
Calorie counts are based solely on ingredients for cauliflower curry, and do not include rice or chickpeas.
adapted from Food and Wine magazine
Recipe text updated 7/13/2019