Doi Fulkopi - Cauliflower Curry

Hey everyone.. I had been eying this curry for a while. Why did it take me so long to get down to it..?

Fig. 1 Doi Fulkopi - Cauliflower Curry

I love Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew and all those mystery novels. When I am really irritated and in a bad mood.. a juicy Agatha Christie is all I need! Tell an Agatha Christie fan that there was no murder! Tell a Nancy Drew fan that there is no secret behind the staircase.

But mundane real life mysteries are not about murder and vanishing staircases. They are more commonly about things like... Why did Suhasini not pick up my phone? Who does she think she is? Conversely who is it that picks up my Wall Street Journal? A big one.. where is our checked bag? And somewhat intriguingly.. why is my toothbrush still wet in the morning?

One mystery was in my kitchen...

I had seen this recipe at Bong Mom's Cook Book many many months ago and yet it took me this long to finally make it! Lahsuni Aloo Gobi is the only other dish I make with cauliflower as the main ingredient (will post in future). And it's not as if I have made that very much either. So.. the big mystery is..

Where is the cauliflower in my house going?

It is never entering the house! Mystery solved.

And the wet toothbrush?

.. aah.. that is because I am staying up too late and getting up too early!! :D Ain't gettin' time to dry.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets - about 2 cups. I used about 2/3 of a frozen bag.
Yogurt - 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 teaspoon
Red Chili powder - to taste
Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon (I used Tandoori masala this time)
Bay leaf - 1 medium
Cinnamon stick - 2 small pieces
Cardamoms - 4 pods
Cloves - 4
Fresh garlic - 1 large clove, peeled and crushed
Fresh ginger - 1 inch piece, finely chopped
Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
Peas + carrots (chopped) - about 1 cup
Turmeric powder (haldi) - 1/2 teaspoon

Procedure:
1) If your cauliflower is fresh, chop it into florets, wash by soaking in water with haldi and some salt while you chop it up. Then rinse. If it is frozen, either thaw it out or defrost in the microwave.
2) Mix yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, garam masala, salt. Add cauliflower and marinate for a few minutes.
3) Season in a pan with some hot oil - bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cloves, fresh garlic and ginger.
4) Add onion, some salt and saute well.
5) Now let this cool and then run it through your mixer for a tiny bit so the masala is a nice coarse paste and put it back into the pan.
6) At this point incorrigible me added peas and carrots from a frozen mix bag. Why.. I know not.. But it turned out to be a decent addition.
7) When the carrots and peas are well cooked, pull out cauliflower florets using a fork from the marinade and toss them into the pan. Do not add the marinade quite yet.
8) Also add some turmeric powder, mix. Let this cook for a bit.
9) When the cauliflower is well cooked, reduce heat, add yogurt marinade and some garam masala. Mix well and simmer.

My curry turned out to be semi-moist, not with too much liquidy gravy. And I liked it this way. I served this with plain hot rice. Should be good with roti too. It is very flavourful and completely different from my Aloo Gobi. So we will definitely make this again!! Thanks for the recipe, Sandeepa!

Cheers everyone and thanks for reading!