Whole cauliflower curry recipe

Words by Martyn Odell aka The Lagom Chef

Championing a no-waste food philosophy, Martyn Odell – aka The Lagom Chef – gives home cooks the knowledge and confidence to make delicious food from what you have in.

I have been cooking this very British curry for years and it’s always a winner. It’s a super easy one-pan wonder with no fuss and no frills, just a well-balanced, mild curry. 

And 90% of the ingredients are from the dry store, so I can normally whip this up with minimal fuss. It’s a great gateway recipe for eating the whole cauliflower if you still find it weird.

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Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger

Veg oil (or any neutral oil)

1 x 400ml tin of full-fat coconut milk

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 stick of lemongrass (optional)

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

Pinch of caster sugar

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

To garnish:

Fresh coriander leaves

To serve:

Boiled basmati rice

Lime juice

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WHY IT WORKS

Coconut milk is rich and creamy, and weirdly the onion–garlic– ginger combo can be a little sweet but have a bitter aftertaste if it’s not cooked out properly. So, when you start to balance the flavours, the salt ramps up the taste levels, the lemon knocks out the bitter notes and lifts the flabby notes of the coconut milk, and the sugar just makes everything feel rounder in your mouth. It’s a fine balance but a lovely one!

Method

Break your cauliflower into florets, cut the stem into rough small shapes (rangiri cut is the best way to do this – see page 81) and shred the leaves.

To start your sauce, wazz your chopped onion, garlic and ginger in a blender. Heat a little oil in a deep pan on a medium heat, then add the onion paste and gently fry for 2–3 minutes, until the rawness has cooked out.

Stir in the coconut milk, curry powder and peanut butter.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add your lemongrass if you’re using it.

Now TASTE. It will taste rank – watery, bitter and naff. But that’s cool!

I want you to taste the change. Add a pinch of salt – TASTE. Stir in half of the lemon juice – TASTE. Add a pinch of sugar – TASTE. Things are happening! Slowly tweak the balance by adding a touch more salt, more lemon and/or more sugar. You will taste the change and like me again!

Now that the sauce is banging, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas and the cauliflower florets and stem. Simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

Heat a splash of oil in a separate frying pan on a high heat. Add the leaves that you shredded and sauté for 1–2 minutes, until they are just starting to wilt.

Now all you need to do is cook yourself some rice, then remove the lemongrass, load your curry and the sautéed leaves into a bowl and top it with everyone’s favourite, coriander! 

Finish with a squeeze of lime.