Cauliflower ani vatanyachi bhaji ( Cauliflower side with green peas)

I love cauliflower as a vegetable for its taste and sheer possibilities in the kitchen, my fav everyday vegetable to be eaten with chapatis is a mix of cauliflower and green peas in a spicy,semi dry sabzi form.I used biryani masala to add a twang to my usual taste and the result was worth sharing:)

Skill level beginner,basic

Serves :2 with rotis and curd to make a light meal

You will need :

1. I medium-sized cauliflower
2. A handful of fresh or frozen green peas
3. 1-2 red onions very finely sliced
4. Curry leaves – 3-4
5. Green chillies – 2 chopped in big pieces
6. Biryani Masala
7. 1/4th red juicy tomato chopped into tiny pieces
8. ginger paste
9. 2 cloves of garlic very finely sliced
10. Oil for tadka
11. Mustard seeds
12. Cumin seeds
13. salt to taste
14. Turmeric and red chilli paste as per taste and colour requirements
15. Coriander powder
16. Jeera Powder
17. 2 large spoon full of any packet biryani masala.
18. few sprigs of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped to garnish
19. a tiny squeeze of lime
20. A pinch of asafoetida/hing

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan – when it’s hot add the asafoetida and mustard seed, when the seeds start to pop add cumin seeds and the finely chopped garlic bits,as always I love the garlic skin, I let the beautiful aromas take over my olfactory senses ,my imagination ,my kitchen and umm well probably the building hallway as well ;)’
2. Ensure the cumin seeds turn a toasty brown and then swiftly move on to the next ingredients
3. Next go in the fresh green curry leaves and green chillies, chopped onion, I used the food processor this time so it was almost a puree and this onion takes up the flavours of the spices faster I imagine.
4. Add the coriander powder,ginger and garlic pastes and stir well and allow it to become a sticky sort of paste
5. Then add the biryani masala and feel the explosion in the aroma as it marries well with the paste we had ready
6. Then go into  cauliflower florets neatly chopped and the green peas
7. Turn off the heat for a bit,sprinkle turmeric powder,red chilli powder,cumin powder and salt to taste.
8. Turn on the heat on a low flame and sprinkle some water enough to wet the veggies and allow for some steam to happen to cook the cauliflower.
9. Stirring occasionally cook with a lid for about 10 minutes.
10. garnish with freshly coriander finely chopped and a tiny squeeze of lime to add an extra twang.
11. Eat with hot puffy rotis off the hob!

I am linking this favourite Maharashtrian vegetarian recipe for Cauliflower and Green Peas sabji with In My Veg Box for May2014 hosted by me for Nayna who Blogs at Simply.Food and Citrus Spice.

I just noticed how I wrote my blog posts earlier on and how greatly my food photography has changed for the better – no its not a case of a donkey praising his own tail just a mere observation 😉