Creamy Pistachio and Cauliflower Curry

Sanjana — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:43:00 +0000

Whether you wanted to or not, yesterday, you all probably caught a glimpse of the Royal Wedding and that dress. It was on almost every single Sky channel imaginable and there’s no denying the amazing pageantry that was going on. For me, the real stars were those gorgeous fairytale horses pulling the carriage from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace – how cute were they?!

The past few blogging weeks have been spent exploring beautiful Mughlai cuisine for the main purpose of putting together a royal-inspired menu. Being entirely honest, after this recipe for Creamy Pistachio and Cauliflower Curry, there are one or two more important recipes I need to add before the menu is complete.

If there’s one thing the Mughals did beautifully, it was their impeccable sauces; and truthfully, the secret to a great curry is a great sauce. If you’re just as much into luscious sauces as I am, then this pistachio and almond dish is just for you. I’ve laced it with whole black peppercorns which soften in the simmered sauce and give the overall dish a very deep, gentle heat.

Adding blended nuts to a sauce is very traditional of North Indian and Central Asian cuisine. It was once symbolic of the wealth and social supremacy of the Mughal courts however, adding blended nuts to curries is now becoming increasingly popular in restaurants and in homes. Popular choices include cashews and almonds, with the use of pistachios being less common.

You know me – slightly odd and preoccupied with the need to make a break from the norm. The delicate flavour of sweet pistachios is in fact, a beautiful match for tender, textured cauliflower. It also stains the white cauliflower with the lightest hue of green imaginable.

Almond and Pistachio Cauliflower Curry

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

400g cauliflower, boiled until al dente50g pistachios, shelled
50g blanched almonds, skins removed
100g onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 small green chilli, minced
¼-½ tsp whole black peppercorns
1 inch stick cinnamon
1 star anise
1 tsp white pepper powder
3 cloves
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp coriander seed powder
½ tsp fennel powder
2-3 tiny drops almond extract (please don’t overdo this one!)
¼ tsp garam masala
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sour cream
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste
800ml water
3 tbsp oil

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan and add the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies. Cook on a gentle heat for 5 minutes. Place the onion mixture into a blender with the almonds, pistachios and 400ml water. Blend until very smooth and set aside.

2. Gently warm 1 tbsp oil in a large, non-stick pan and add the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and star anise. Allow to sauté until aromatic. Add the almond and pistachio mixture and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Note: Do not add any salt at this time as it will cause the nut mixture to curdle slightly. Having said this, the sauce will have specks of nut still visible – you’re sauce hasn’t curdled and this is completely normal. It will improve with cooking.

3. Add another 400ml water and boil the sauce for 1 hour, on a very low heat, stirring often. Remember to stir more towards the end of the cooking time as this is when the sauce is more prone to sticking and burning (burnt nut sauce – my worst nightmare!) The sauce needs to be reduced by half.

4. Add in the white pepper powder, cardamom powder, garam masala, fennel powder, almond extract, salt, sugar, lemon juice and sour cream. Whisk vigorously. Add the cauliflower, bring to the boil again and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, garnish with chopped coriander, ground pistachios and slivered almonds.

If you want a dish that will be the talking point of a meal, this is the one. It’s unique, original and really delicious as part of a Mughlai menu.

The post Creamy Pistachio and Cauliflower Curry appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Fruity Greengage Chutney

Sanjana — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:58:00 +0000

I love fruits with spice. Not just any spice, mind you. Some fruits are made for particular spices, some not so much. It’s a bit like a school playground for the tastebuds. Let’s ponder this a little more; oranges love cloves like apples love cinnamon… and star anise fancies a little apple and orange. It’s a love triangle. Lemon and cardamom have been lifelong chums and are always ready indulge in a spot of tag, but if anyone else tries to join in they get a little uneasy. Oh, and strawberries are fond of black pepper but black pepper doesn’t really enjoy playing with other summer berries.

Do you follow?

Experimenting with fruits and spices is like entering yourself into a lottery where the combinations are extensive, as are the possibilities of amazing as well as not so amazing results. You’ve just got to be prepared to take a gamble. Are you feeling lucky?

I won’t lie; I have a tooth as sweet as a diabetic’s craving for syrup, so I only have one remedy for sour fruits like Greengages.

Sugar.

Please don’t judge me.

Unripened greengages are super sour and hardly edible without being incorporated into some sort of sugar-fuelled dessert. Trust me. They are a part of the plum family and share the same tartness as their purple-hazed cousins, but have an enviable greenness that the Hulk would be proud of.

They are certainly not a traditional Indian ingredient for chutneys, for they are a proud French ingredient… But you know how I love to play with binary opposites. East meets West anyone?

This chutney combines sour greengages, mild onions, sweet sultanas, aromatic fennel, heat-filled black peppercorns and strips of green chilli.

Jackpot.

Fruity Greengage and Fennel Chutney

Ingredients

6 unripened greengages (about a cup), stoned and chopped into chunks
¾ cup onions, chopped finely
¼ cup golden sultanas
2 tbsp butter (or oil)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp fennel powder
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
1 hot green chilli, de-seeded and cut into thin strips

Method

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the onions until translucent.

2. Add the chopped greengages and combine. Add the sultanas, black peppercorns and sugar and cook until thick and syrupy. Try not to stir too much as this will break up the nice, chunky pieces of greengage and onion. I just swirled the chutney in the pan (carefully) to prevent it from sticking.

3. Add the fennel powder and chilli strips and mix. At this point you could also add an extra tsp of butter to get a nice glossy sheen. You know I did.

4. Pile into a sterilised jar and refrigerate once cool.

Serve with crusty bread, in hearty cheese sandwiches, as a dip for poppadoms and spicy starters or scoop it up with your fingers and pile it into your mouth (probably best to do this when nobody is around). If you can’t get away from people then try using Indian breads (e.g. puris, chapattis, parathas, bhaturas) as shovels for your chutney-craving tongues.

The post Fruity Greengage Chutney appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

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Creamy Pistachio and Cauliflower Curry

Fruity Greengage Chutney