Cauliflower Chops

Feb 22nd 2010

My favorite cauliflower chops till date is the one made at Hotel Saravana Bhavan. I am yet to taste one that is better. The search for this recipe resulted from a casual conversation with Amms about the availability of  cauliflower in excess in Chennai and what to do with it.  This is a great side-dish and tastes very good with either pooris or chappatis. Of course you could eat it with rice too. 

Difficulty level: Easy - Medium

Preparation Time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• Onions - 1 1/2 to 2 large
• Tomatoes - 2-3 (medium sized)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp.
• Cauliflower - 1 large ( US size)
• Coconut extract - 1/4 cup
• Red chilli powder- 1 tsp.
• Salt - as required
• Oil - to fry
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
• Curry leaves- few
• Chopped coriander leaves - 1 Tbl sp
• Slit green chillies - 2

Grind Together

• Grated fresh coconut - 2 Tbl sps
• Poppy seeds - 1 tsp.
• Roasted gram - 1 Tbl sp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp.

Method de Preparation

1. Chop onions, tomatoes and cauliflower into fine pieces.
2.  Wash cauliflower well and microwave for  just a couple of minutes till soft.
3. Heat oil, add cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and then onions.
4. Fry till it turns transparent and add cauliflower pieces.
5. Stir till cauliflower is well cooked, add red chilli powder, mix well and then add chopped tomatoes.
6. Pour little water and keep closed till cauliflower becomes soft.
7. Add ground paste and salt.
8. Cook till gravy becomes thick.
9. Pour thick coconut extract. When it attains boiling point, remove from fire.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves.
11. Enjoy!

Source:  Malika Badrinath and the net :) , modified some from here

Chef's Tip: Use more onions than tomatoes. Try to use fresh tomatoes as the puree or canned ones don't do justice. I usually eyeball the ingredients and don't measure exactly, so modify stuff to suit your taste.