recipes

Roast Cauliflower Curry with Saffron Rice

October 27

This is a really solid veggie curry that’s easy to prepare. The genius tip of roasting the cauliflower first is from Susan Jane White’s wonderful book Clever Batch and adds even more flavour. It may look like an extensive ingredient list but many of the ingredients are kitchen staples that you may have hidden in your spice cupboard. The instant colour and mild floral fragrance you get from just a couple of strands of saffron makes the rice in this recipe particularly eye-catching alongside sharp red onion and plenty of fresh herbs.

35 mins
Serves 4

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°c/fan 180°c/400°f.
Toss the cauliflower with the coconut oil and curry powder on a roasting tray.
Arrange in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes until golden and crisp.
While the cauliflower is roasting, make the curry sauce. Heat the coconut oil in a large sauté pan over a low heat. Add the onion and let it sweat down in the pan until they become soft. Stir the garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander seeds and spices to this. Next pour in the coconut milk and stock, bringing to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste.
Stir through the peas and spinach along with the roast cauliflower simmer until the peas have cooked and the spinach is wilted.
For the saffron rice, place a pot over a medium-high heat, add the sunflower oil and fry the onion for 6-8 minutes until tender. Add the rice to the pan and stir through.
Top with the hot stock and add in the saffron and salt. Bring to a steady simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed. Remove from the heat, when ready to serve, fluff up with a fork.
To serve, scoop the rice into a wide bowl, spoon in the curry and top with fresh herbs and pickled red onions.

For the roast cauliflower:

1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp coconut oil

For the curry sauce:

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 inch piece ginger, finely grated

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed

2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp curry powder

1 x 13.5 fl oz can coconut milk

25 fl oz vegetable stock

10 0z frozen peas

6 0z baby spinach

For the saffron rice:

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tsp sea salt

10oz basmati rice

Pinch saffron fronds

17fl oz vegetable stock

To serve:

Small handful coriander

Small handful mint leaves

Pickled red onion