Pan-Roasted Spiced Cauliflower With Peas
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons ghee, clarified butter or vegetable oil
- 1small cauliflower about 1½ pounds, cored, in ½-inch slices
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 2teaspoons grated fresh turmeric or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 to 3makrut lime leaves (optional)
- 1(1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and slivered or finely grated
- 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2serrano chiles, finely chopped, or to taste
- 1pound fresh English peas, shucked about 1 cup or frozen peas, or ½ pound snow peas or sugar snap peas, trimmed
- 2 to 3scallions, slivered
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
120 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 348 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a large sauté pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the ghee or oil, and when it is hot, add the cauliflower. Stir until the cauliflower begins to color, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring until the cauliflower is half-cooked, about 5 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary to keep it from browning too quickly.
- Step 2
Add the cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric and makrut lime leaves, if using. When they begin to sizzle, add the ginger, garlic and chilies. Stir well and add the peas, along with a sprinkle of salt. Cover to let the peas steam until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the slivered scallions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
A standard technique in South Indian kitchens is to bring out the flavor of the cumin and mustard seeds by adding them first to heated oil or ghee. Cover the pan and the mustard seeds should make a splattering sound. You may need to lower the heat so that the seeds pop but do not burn. After the popping subsides, you add the ginger,chilies, garlic , then turmeric and then the cauliflower and lastly the peas. You can substitute curry leaves for the kaffir lime leaves.
Very happy to see that the Indian "sabzi"...or traditionally cooked vegetable dish....are getting mainstream. But this recipe takes a misstep.
The mustard and cumin seeds need very high temperatures....mustard more than cumin....so that is the first step to get started.....in ANY Indian cooking. The cauliflower will the next. Personally as a purist, I never mix my mustard seasoning with cumin when making dishes. In this recipe, I would stick with only cumin.
You must do the cumin and mustard seed first with high heat to bring out the flavor!
Many thanks to the contributors below for their guidance on roasting the mustard and cumin seeds earlier in the cooking sequence! Very much appreciated, everyone! :) Lovely dish... vibrant flavors, healthy components, and easy to prepare! A complete win!
Delicious! To make it simpler, we just roasted everything in the oven at 400f. Put the cauliflower in with salt, pepper and oil for 5min first. Then, mixed everything else up (minus cilantro) in a bowl with a bit of oil and spread I out on the cookie sheets with the cauliflower for another 25 minutes or so. Worked great!
Cooked as directed even though it went against everything I know about how to cook with mustard and cumin seeds. Was still actually pretty good and I didn’t worry about burning spices while cauliflower was getting brown in places. I definitely wouldn’t want to add the garlic before the cauliflower. Next time I may add the spices first. I threw in the entire bag of peas because why not. Wasn’t too spicy as written.