Cauliflower and Onions with Cumin and Curry

Spicing things up. Normally the spices/flavors in my parent’s pantry consist of soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, garlic, ginger, and star anise. While I will never complain when my mom cooks with these flavors, I did take advantage of these stray, alienated bottles of curry and cumin I found in the back of the pantry. They were begging to be used and I considered giving them a permanent home in San Diego, except I would be “curry and cumin-less” if I decided to cook again with these spices at my parents’ house. For now, they remain NorCal residents. This is a lovely way to cook cauliflower rather than the normal combination with garlic and parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely sliced
• a pinch of turmeric (optional)
• fine grain sea salt
• 1 medium / 12 oz cauliflower, thinly sliced
• 1 tbs curry
• 1 tbs cumin
• 4 dried red chiles, stemmed and halved
• 1-2 teaspoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1 garlic clove, grated
•  1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro / coriander

Directions

Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, along with the turmeric and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions caramelize a bit and turn lightly golden, roughly 7 – 10 minutes. Add the red chiles, sesame seeds, garlic, cumin, curry, and half of the ginger. Continue to cook for another minute. Add the cauliflower and stir well. Cover the pan and cook the cauliflower over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes, until just tender.

When the cauliflower is nearly cooked, remove the lid, increase the heat, and stir in the remaining ginger. Salt to taste, sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy.

Adapted from 101c0okbooks.com

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