Rice and Cauliflower Pilaf

The only drawback to making this dish is the effort it takes to resist eating the curried cauliflower before it mingles with the rice. Honestly, you could stop after the first step, but for a satisfying grain and vegetable component to your meal, keep going and serve with a legume dish, such as Tender Chickpeas in Golden Karhi Sauce.

I have found this is a very good choice to serve to dinner guests. Here you have some more inspired goodness from Yamuna Devi.

Rice and Cauliflower Pilaf (Gobhi Pulau)

Cauliflower:

1/3 cup of fresh or dried grated coconut
small handful of minced and seeded hot green chillies
1 tablespoon of finely shredded or minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley or coriander
1/2 cup of yogurt
1 teaspooon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of ghee or a mixture of butter and oil
1 small cauliflower, cut into roughly 1 1/2 inch pieces

Rice:

1 cup of basmati rice
3 tablespoons of ghee or a mixture of butter and oil
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
2 large black cardamom pods, slightly crushed
1 3/4 - 2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of sugar
lemon or lime wedges for garnishing if desired

To make the cauliflower:

Combine the coconut, green chilies, ginger, parsley or coriander and yogurt in a blender. Process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the turmeric, salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large pot over moderately high heat. When hot, add the cauliflower and stir and fry for about 5 minutes or until the cauliflower begins to brown slightly. Pour in the yogurt mixture and stir well. Reduce the heat somewhat and continue to cook until the cauliflower is just tender. Transfer to a small bowl.

To make the rice:

Rinse the rice well and soak the water for 20 - 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid and air dry the rice for 10 minutes or so.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over moderate heat. When hot, add the bay leaf, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and cardamom pods until the mustard seeds turn gray and begin to pop. Immediately add the rice to the pot and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Next add the water and sweetener, raise the heat and bring to a full boil. Stir in the cauliflower, reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer gently, undisturbed, for 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ghee or butter and oil, and fluff with a fork. Serve with lemon or lime wedges if desired.

Serves 6 - 8.