Gobhi (Cauliflower) mussallam

We had a good day at work this past Friday! Ever since I started at my new job, my new friends have been asking me to bring them some homemade Indian food. Today seemed to be a good day for it! I was working at a location with my favorite team of people and decided that I would bring some Biryani and cauliflower curry to go with it. I did also bring some naan and raita (what Indian meal is complete without those two right?) My sweet friend R made a delicious almond cake with whole wheat and honey...DROOL! I'm still dreaming of that treat! Its a German cake and hopefully someday I will get the recipe and be able to share it with you. I took a big slice home and ate a little at a time for 3 days! Shhhh don't tell anyone..I did not share with my family.

Anyway the end result is that some of the girls were ready to tackle each other to take some of the leftovers home. The point is that they enjoyed everything thoroughly and it made me feel really good :) My doctor even shared my blog address with some friends!! That is a really big deal people!! Hopefully some day I will have more people making comments :)

Do a search for vegetable Biryani on my blog for that recipe.
One thing to keep in mind is to make sure the cauliflower is definitely 3/4 cooked before adding to the gravy. The first time I made this dish the cauliflower stayed a little crunch :(
 
This recipe is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana! I'm a HUGE fan! That man is genius!

Cauliflower 1 medium 
Onion 2 medium

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Melon seeds 1/2 cup + 1 tsp

Ginger 1" piece

Garlic 5-6 cloves

Fresh coriander leaves for garnish.

Oil 2 tbsp

Cumin powder 1 tsp

Red chili powder 1 tbsp

Coriander powder 1 tbsp

Garam masala powder 1 tsp.

Tomato purée 1/2 cup

Khoya or mawa grated 1/2 cup or 1/2 cup of half and half.

Fresh cream 1/2 cup (optional)

Break cauliflower in to florets. Boil the pieces in 4 cups of salted water with half tsp of turmeric until 3/4 cooked. Grate onions. Soak melon seeds for an hour and grind to a paste. Grind ginger and garlic to a paste. 

Heat oil in a pan, add onion and sauté till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, remaining turmeric, garam masala powder and salt and stir for a minute. Add tomato purée and cook till oil leaves the masala. Add the melon seed paste dissolved in 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Add khoya, if using or half and half. Mix well. add the half cooked cauliflower. At this point I transferred this to the slow cooker and cooked on low for 4 hours. You could also cover and cook on low heat in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 mins. Top with fresh cream (if using) and simmer for five mins. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and remaining melon seeds.

I guarantee you will love this recipe! Its a keeper.

Enjoy my dears! Until next time..XOXO.