I’m not a vegetable addict. In the sense I do eat them all right but not with the same passion and zeal that I would eat seafood, meat or say even chicken! Potatoes and mushrooms are a different story altogether. I can kill for both. But of late I seem to have developed some kind of a love-hate relationship with mushrooms. The last two times I cooked mushrooms, I was immediately attacked by severe diarrhoea. Now this is a very sad state of affairs because asking me to live off mushrooms is like asking Virat Kohli to live off Anushka Sharma. Okay, sorry for the PJ. I just sincerely hope that those were stray instances and I can happily go back to eating mushrooms again.
In the meantime what I’m eating is cauliflowers. A lot of it. I completely swear by Alu Phulkopi Bhaja (Fried potatoes and cauliflower) but the waistline is always a perennial concern when your staple diet includes food like this. Coupled with luchi (Bengali pooris) if I may add. So once a while I make it a point to cook cauliflowers in a healthy way. And healthy to me means lots of fresh greens. So in this dish you’ll find the happy amalgamation of various fresh leaves like coriander, mint (you can also add some spinach) and green chillies of course! A dry and spicy side dish that can be devoured with rice and dal or rotis/parathas or even on its own, this is one of the most versatile ways by which you can have both your veggies and your greens!
Ingredients:
Cauliflower head, cut into florets: 1
Onion, sliced: 1
Coriander leaves: 1 cup
Mint leaves: 3/4 cup
Garlic, chopped finely: 1 tbsp
Ginger, grated: 31 tsp
Green chillies: 4
Salt: to taste
Sugar: to taste
Oil: 2 tbsp (or more if required)
Lime juice: of 1 lime
Method:
1. In a blender, make a smooth paste of coriander, mint, garlic, ginger and green chillies.
2. In a non-stick kadhai/pan, heat the oil and lightly fry the cauliflower with a little bit of salt. Take out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel.
3. In remaining oil, add onions and a little bit of sugar and sauté till translucent, say 3 minutes.
4. Add the green paste and fry over high heat for 4-5 minutes. Make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the fried cauliflower and season with salt. Add more sugar if required. Mix well and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes. In between add the lime juice.
6. Turn off flame and serve as a starter or with rice and dal.
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