Roasted Cauliflower Curry

I'll admit it, produce junkies. I'm in a rut.

School and work and traveling to New York twice a week have caught me up in a giant whirlwind, sucking my time and depleting my energy. Don't get me wrong, this busyness is good. I'm learning. I'm doing. I'm stretching my mind and creating and making connections and writing down notebooks full of ideas. I'm just not sleeping very much.

All of this combined has made me a pretty terrible home cook lately. Isn't that embarrassing, the culinary school student turning out bad meals? But because I'm exhausted and because I'm cooking all day at work/school, suddenly I'm less inspired at home. I'm not really in the mood to make another pile of dishes and to be on my feet for any longer. And my meals reflect this attitude-- soggy lasagnas, insipid stir fries, boring soups.

So to shake off this losing streak, tonight I decided to make a simple and comforting meal, and to make it taste good. No spurts of creativity or excessive energy required. Curry is one of the first "exotic" (and by "exotic", I mean completely outside of the realm of my white-bread childhood) dishes I mastered myself, and I've turned to it again and again for it's savory warmth. This version pairs the comforting creaminess of coconut milk with the spicy Muchi curry. If you want a less spicy curry, simply substitute half (or all) of the Muchi curry powder for a more mellow Madras curry powder.



Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: about 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
SERVES: 5-6


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), chopped into bite-sized florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  
• 2 medium (about 1 pound) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes
  
• 8 cups vegetable stock, divided
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4" saute slice (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
• 2 cups brown basmati rice
• 1 13.5 fluid ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon Muchi curry powder
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari if you are gluten-free)
  
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower florets with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Arrange on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove, stir florets and roast for 15 minutes more or until golden brown and soft.
2. Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of veggie stock to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Add peeled & cubed potatoes to simmering stock and cook until just tender. Drain potatoes and set aside.
3. Cook the rice: bring remaining 4 cups of veggie stock to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Thoroughly rinse and drain rice in a fine mesh strainer. Place rice in an empty stock pot and toast over a medium flame for 2 minutes, or until rice begins to give off steam and smell a little toasty. Add the toasted rice to the stock, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and allow rice to sit, covered, for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender and fluffy.
4. While the rice is cooking, heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onion slices until soft and slightly browned. Add chopped garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Add the coconut milk, roasted cauliflower, cooked potatoes, curry powder and soy sauce; stir to thoroughly combine. Bring mixture to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in frozen peas and cook for 5 minutes more or until peas are warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice one teaspoon at a time until the curry tastes fresh and bright.
   
5. Serve the curry mixture over rice and put your feet up-- you've earned it!