5 recipes. Page 1 of 1
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Cumin, turmeric, and chili cling to the potatoes and cauliflower as a dry coating instead of a sauce. A lid traps steam to cook the centers, then it comes off and the pan dries out, leaving the cauliflower edges lightly charred and the potatoes whole and fluffy. It is an everyday North Indian side, cooked everywhere from roadside dhabas in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to home kitchens.
Instead of being stirred into liquid, the doenjang (Korean soybean paste) is fried at the edge of the pan in the fat from the pork, which cooks off its pasty smell, before the blanched cauliflower goes in. There is no broth at all, and the heat goes off while the cauliflower stems still have a little firmness.
Dense cauliflower takes up brine slowly and stays firm long after softer vegetables like cucumber would give way. Florets a little bigger than one bite, each with some stem left on, hold up best, while small pieces soften fast. Apple vinegar and sugar give a clean sweet-sour top note, with soy sauce underneath. Bay leaves and a dried chili spread through the jar add aroma, and flipping the jar once on the first day seasons the upper florets as evenly as the lower ones. It cuts nicely through fried or grilled food.
Roasted until the edges go deep golden, the florets pick up a toasty sweetness that stands up to heavy, nutty tahini, which would simply smother boiled cauliflower. Lemon juice and garlic lighten the sauce, and a generous handful of parsley cuts through the oil.
At Mumbai street stalls, potatoes, cauliflower, and green peas are mashed and cooked down with tomato and pav bhaji masala, then scooped up with soft rolls toasted in butter. It is less a curry than a spread, thick enough to pile onto bread. The rolls are toasted only on the cut sides, soft outside with a crisp, buttery face.