[Indian Recipes] Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast

I must admit that I enjoyed every bit of ‘Indian summer’ in UK autumn! Since Lil dumpling was poorly, HD and I took turns to take day off from work and stay at home and we made most of the weather by staying cool at home during day time and playing in the garden and cooking some BBQ in the evening. Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast is the nice recipes for summer in Indian.

After drowning in gallons of cool drinks, ice creams and cold sandwiches, it came the time we craved for some good homely food. But slaving in the hot kitchen atmosphere was not very pleasant thought. However, I didn’t want to spend more than 15 minutes in the hot furnace aka my kitchen. And it was the biggest challenge for me, who usually spends at least an hour to cook some delicious home meals. In the end, two things came to my rescue, my ever faithful pressure cooker and my new friend (or foe, the debate goes on!) sleek, shiny and energy efficient electric oven! I just dumped lentils, roughly chopped tomatoes, green chilli and ginger in a pressure cooker with turmeric powder and salt to taste and delicious bowl of simple yet comforting bowl of Dal was ready in few minutes. While Dal was getting ready, I literally dumped big cauliflower florets in boiling water and let them sit for 5 minutes which gave me plenty of time to prepare the spice mix and pre-heat the oven. Strained and then dusted with aromatic Indian spices, the cauliflower florets were ready to be oven baked for delicious Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast. Just 20 minutes in the oven, these crispy and highly addictive Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast was ready to be served with a bowl of creamy Dal and store brought soft Garlic Naan and some plain Rice. A delicious meal cooked well under 30 minutes. And the best thing is it just takes under 15 minutes of your time to prepare this delicious spread!!!

Did I just hear unbelievable? Believe me, it is believable ;) Very much believable!

This Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast is indeed unbelievably simple, quick, delicious and highly addictive. But wait a minute, there is more! You can also make it guilt free indulgence by omitting the use of oil. Yes, you can make it absolutely oil-free and yet enjoy delicious food. I have made it many times, some times with oil and some times without any oil. And even when oil is used, it is just a table spoon which you can forgive and forget! I am just surprised as what stopped me from posting this gem of the recipe of Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast and sharing it with all the readers of Monsoon Spice. You can serve it with any plain of flavoured rice or with any Indian flat bread. I have used it in wraps with a spoonful of sour cream and salad leaves and it tastes absolutely delicious. So without much delay, let me share this wonderful recipe of Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast.

Cauliflower florets dusted with aromatic spices

Half a way roasted Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast

Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast (Cauliflower florets generously dusted with Indian spices and oven roasted)

Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Marinating Time: 10-15 mins (Optional)
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-6 people

Spice Level: Medium to High
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Shelf Life: 3 days when refrigerated and 2 weeks when frozen
Serving Suggestion: With flavoured or plain rice or with any Indian flat bread and Dal (read the notes below for other serving suggestions)

Ingredients:
1 large Cauliflower
1-2 tbsp Oil (Optional)
Fresh Lime Juice to taste
Salt to taste

Spices Used:

1 tbsp Dhania/Coriander Powder
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves, crushed

½ tsp Dried Ginger Powder (Optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 180 deg C and place the rack in the centre of the oven.
2. Cut cauliflowers into medium sized florets and transfer them to a large vessel of boiling water, with turmeric powder and about a teaspoon of salt, for about 5 minutes.

3. Drain all the water and transfer the cauliflower florets to large mixing bowl.
4. Now add all the spices listed along with oil and salt to taste and mix them well so that every individual floret is coated with spices.

5. If you have time, let it marinate for 10-15 minutes so that cauliflower florets absorbs all the flavours of spices. You can completely skip this step if you are short of time and proceed to next step.
6. Line the baking sheet/tray with aluminium foil and arrange the cauliflower florets in single layer. 

7. Place the baking sheet/tray in mid rack and set the timer for 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes, take out the tray and gently turn over the florets and bake them again for 7-10 minutes. The florets should be well cooked and tender when pricked with a sharp knife or fork.

9. Transfer to serving bowl and drizzle freshly squeezed lime juice to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves, if desired, and serve this Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast hot with any flavoured or plain rice or with any Indian flat breads and Dal, a lentil dish and enjoy. Read the notes below to see other serving suggestions.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Monsoonspice.com. Thanks so much!