Cauliflower Caldinha (Cauliflower in Coconut Gravy)

Cauliflower Caldinha is florets of cauliflower cooked in a gravy of coconut milk along with a ground paste of onions, tomatoes, cumin seeds, peppercorns, turmeric powder, ginger garlic, coriander seeds, tamarind along with some green chilies added to the gravy.

The gravy has a nice thick flavor of coconut. addition of prawns to this gravy dish would further enhance its taste. This is one of the best ways of cooking cauliflower in gravy. Even if a person does not like this vegetable, he or she would like the preparation of the cauliflower in this gravy. This is a Goan style of cooking cauliflower. Since coconut is available in plenty most of our Goan cuisine use coconut in the main course dishes such as curries as well as sweets. Our ancestors have mostly past on these culinary ideas to us. Thanks to their form of art.

Ingredients

1 Small Cauliflower
3 - 4 Tbsps Oil
2 Medium Sized Onions, Sliced
2 Medium Sized Green Chillies, Slit
1 Medium Sized Tomato, Sliced
1/4 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 Tsp Cumin Seeds or Jeera
1/4 Tsp Peppercorn
1/4 Tsp Turmeric or Haldi Powder
1/2 Tsp Coriander Seeds
1 Cup of Thick Coconut Milk
A Small Piece of Tamarind
Salt as per taste
Water as per requirement

Servings / Time

5 Persons / 45 minutes

Preparation

1. Wash the Cauliflower well and cut the cauliflower into small florets. Cut the central stalk too. Slice onions into semi-circles, chop tomato into pieces and slit the green chilies, take off the seeds.

2. To make the coconut milk, take around 1/2 cup of scrapped coconut, add to the blender along with one-fourth cup of water. Blend to form a thick paste, now squeeze of the coconut juice from this paste till you get 1 cup of coconut milk. In case 1 cup of coconut milk is still not obtained from the paste, You can repeat the addition of the dry coconut scrapped left over after squeezing of the coconut milk back into the blender along with another 1/4 cup of water until you get 1 cup of coconut milk.

3. Take a vessel, heat 2 tbsps of oil, add the onions cook until soft, now add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric or haldi powder, cumin seeds or jeera, peppercorn, coriander seeds, a small piece of tamarind and tomatoes chopped. Cook till tomatoes are soft. Once soft switch off the flame and allow cooling.

4. Now add the above mixture in the vessel into a blender to form a nice fine paste. No need to add water here.

5. Now take the same vessel, heat 2 tbsps of oil, once hot add the slit green chilies, then add the ground paste. Add the cauliflower florets and stir-fry for a while so that the cauliflower blends well into the paste.

6. Finally, add the coconut milk and 1/2 cup water along with some salt to taste and allow the cauliflower to cook until tender. Cook on a medium flame with the lid closing the vessel.

7. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

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