Almost Vegan Cauliflower Curry

India is a place that is on my bucket list for a place I need to go! I am fascinated by their culture and by their food. I usually do not cook Indian food, or attempt too because it is just very over whelming. When we crave some tandoori chicken and some curry we usually drive to Tasty’s Indian bistro in Surrey to grab a nice meal. Recently I was feeling creative, and I was also craving some curry so I raided my kitchen to see if I could pull off a simple Indian/ Indian inspired meal.

Some key flavors in my Indian dishes: Turmeric, curry, onion, ginger and garlic (I love garlic so much I put it in (almost) everything!) These flavors are powerful, and will fill your house with their aroma for a couple of days, but I don’t mind! It kept my creative senses going.

The recipe I created is full of flavor, is vegetarian and can easily be made vegan, can be cooked in less than 20 minutes and most importantly, it is healthy. If you are into the sounds of this here is what you need to gather up:

1 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter used in Indian cooking, or if you want to make it vegan you can use grape seed oil)

1 Sweet onion chopped

1 tbsp Mustard Seeds

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 Medium head of Cauliflower Roughly Chopped

1 red pepper chopped (any colour will work)

1 tbsp Turmeric

1 thumb sized fresh ginger minced

1 tbsp Medium Curry ( I add more depending on flavor, but hold out to the end it is easier to add than take away)

coconut milk

2 tomatoes diced

1 chick peas, drained and rinsed

Rice, cilantro and Na’an for serving

How to:

In a large skillet, or pot (I used a pot) heat up the ghee and once it is melted add your onion, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds, cook until it is almost translucent
Start your rice and toss your Na’an in some tin foil and throw it into the oven to warm up
Add all the veg, Cauliflower and peppers into the onion and ghee mixture, once all the vegetables have been stirred in, add the spices, turmeric, ginger and curry.
Cook until the veg is soft, than add in the tomatoes, chick peas and a splash of coconut milk until all warmed up
Don’t forget to taste test to see if you need to add more flavor (salt, pepper, more curry?)
Let simmer and reduce
Serve with rice and Na’an