Curried avocado and cauliflower

Photographer: Sara

I’ve been on a sabbatical from contributing recipes to our blog.  Unlike Richie’s 2013 rugby sabbatical mine has been unintended…and with less effect on both the team and the nation.  With Richie giving the country a massive shoulder-ride at the moment, I shouldn’t really compare my situation to that of this great human, but I thought timely to include a rugby reference.

So with all this time to experience life and food I hope to have many recipes to share.  My current eating craze I will call the “all-consuming condiment consumption”.  I get fixated (boarder-line obsessive) about a particular condiment or accompaniment and make a mega batch.  I then eat it with every meal for a week, or two weeks, or until I lose interest.  This has been true with my green goddess dressing, jalepeno mustard, kimchi, seedy sprinkles and this curry powder.

Here are two of my favourite recipes to make with this curry powder.  I also love it in eggs, mixed into Greek yoghurt for an easy salad dressing, in fritters, as a coating for chicken, in guacamole…

INGREDIENTS

Master curry powder
½ cup coriander seeds
15 dried chillis
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 ½ t mustard seeds
1 ½ tsp black peppercorns
15 curry leaves
3 tbsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp fenugreek seeds

Curried avocado
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp black mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion
5 kaffir lime leaves, sliced finely
2 tsp curry powder


3 firm avocados, chopped
4 limes, juiced
1 fresh chilli
1 cup fresh coriander, stalks and leaves
Sea salt to season


Serve with seedy crackers, poppadums or flatbread

Curried cauliflower fritters
1 head cauliflower
4 tbsp curry powder
Salt and pepper to season
Oil to coat

Batter
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup soda water, ice cold
Salt and pepper to season

Dressing
1 cup Greek yoghurt
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
Salt and pepper to season


Canola or rice bran oil for deep frying
Lime wedges to serve

METHOD

Curry powder
1. Heat all spices in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Grind together in a mortar and pestle or electric spice grinder.

Curried avocado
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
2. When hot add the mustard seeds. When the splattering stops, add the garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add the finely sliced kaffir lime leaves and curry powder and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
4. Lastly add the avocado and lemon off the heat. Stir lightly to combine and serve at room temperature.

Curried cauliflower fritters
1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC on fan bake.
2. In a roasting dish combine the cauliflower florets, curry powder, salt, pepper and oil.
3. Roast the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes.


4. To make the batter combine the chickpea flour, soda water and seasoning and whisk until smooth.


5. Heat the canola or rice bran oil and when hot, dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and then gently into the oil. Fry for approximately 3 minutes, turning in the oil if necessary.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto blotting paper/paper towels to drain excess oil.


6. To make the dressing combine the yoghurt with the lime, coriander and seasoning.
7. Serve the cauliflower with the dressing and extra lime wedges.