Baked Cauliflower with cheese

Course: Mains

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serve: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size cauliflower, broken into two inch florets
• ½ broccoli, broken into two inch florets

Masala/Tadka:

• 2 to 3 tbsp of sunflower oil or ghee, as required
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp of black mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, 4 cloves of garlic and 1 and ½ inch ginger, chopped in a food processor or cut in small pieces
• 1 green chili, chopped or cut into small pieces (optional)
• Few small pieces of unwaxed lemon rind
•  2 tsp tomato puree
• ½  a can of 400 g chopped tomatoes or 2 medium size tomatoes cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1  tsp of coriander powder
• 1 and ¼ tsp rock salt. More can be added after tasting,
• 150 g grated cheddar mature cheese. Any other hard cheese can be used
• Few stigs of fresh coriander cut into small pieces, coarsely
• ½ tsp of garam masala (optional)
• 1 tbsp corn flour, optional only to be used if onion mixture seems watery

Method:

1. Place the steamer with water on high heat. As soon as the water starts boiling, add cauliflower and broccoli pieces on the top pan and let it boil for 7 to 8 minutes. Check one piece and if it has become tender, take these from the heat and spread the pieces in a tray to dry. Keep the water aside.
2. Take a large heavy bottom pan and keep on medium heat and add oil. When the oil gets a little hot, add cumin and mustard seeds. As soon as it starts bubbling, add the mixture of onion, ginger and garlic. As soon as it changes it to light pink, add turmeric, salt and coriander powder. After two to three minutes, add chopped tomato, tomato puree and chilli and mix these nicely. At this point reduce the heat to low and cover the pan so that the tomatoes are combined properly and it turns into a smooth paste. This takes 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Check in between so that it does not get burned. At this point, add the water to the paste.. Boil it for 5 minutes more or until the mixture becomes like yogurt so that it can stick to cauliflower pieces. If the liquid seems thick, add more water. Boil it for a couple of minutes.
4. In case this paste looks watery, corn flour mixture can be made. The process is to mix 1 tbsp of corn flour to three to four teaspoon of water. Add this to the paste. This will make this less watery but if the liquid is not watery, there is no need to add corn flour. If corn flour is added, the mixture should be brought to boiling point and boiled for a couple of minutes and kept aside. Lemon juice and garam masala should be added.
5. Add cauliflower pieces in a large oven dish and pour masala paste over these. Florets and paste should be nicely combined so that each piece is covered with the masala but special care should be taken, so that these do not break.Grated cheese should be spread over these. Mow the dish should be moved to the preheated grill for 8 to 10 minutes at 220℃ or until the cheese melts and begins to brown.

6. Fresh twigs of coriander can be sprinkled over the dish before serving.

SPECIAL NOTE: 

• The onion paste should be tasted before this is mixed with cauliflower to check if salt is fine. If required some more can be added.