Indian-Inspired Roasted Cauliflower and Potatoes

Copyright ©ShulieMadnick
Since I came back from my hiatus to posting here again, I am sharing what I read, what inspired me recently, and anecdotes from life in quarantine. 

Today,  I wish to shine the spotlight on Al Arz Tahini, a family-owned, 100% pure sesame tahini, company from Nazareth, Israel. Contrary to widespread anti-LGBTQ sentiments in the Arab sector, Al Arz Tahini made a donation and showed support for the local Arab LGBTQ community. It's no easy feat to be the first Arab owned company, in a predominantly conservative society, to take such a public stand in support of LGBTQ rights. The backlash was swift. Many Arab supermarkets, grocers, and restaurants cleared their shelves of Al Arz tahini. Calls for a boycott also came from local clergy. Many in Israel and globally came to the rescue. I ordered mine, and you can show your support as well by ordering here.

I am leaving you with an Indian-inspired recipei, but check out this hummus with tahini recipe, the tahini sauce in the sabich, an eggplant sandwich, and this tahini, yogurt herb dipping sauce. Stay tuned for more tahini recipes soon. 

Although I grew up on Aloo Gobi, Indian cauliflower and potatoes in sauce cooked on the stove, over the years, I developed a riff on aloo gobi, roasted on high heat in the oven. This version adds a crunch to the creaminess inside the vegetables. The roasted version, I make often and the authentic recipe,  I am reluctant to admit, I rarely cook. But something in the texture and taste of the oven-baked version, flooded with curry leaves, is addictive.

Author's Notes: 

1. I like to add the curry leaves into the cauliflower and potatoes and roast the dish together, but if your oven is too hot, they might char. Use additional 2 tablespoons of oil to fry and crisp the curry leaves on medium/high heat for several seconds in a frying pan. Be careful the oil splatters when you fry curry leaves. Garnish with fried curry leaves once the cauliflower and potatoes are done roasting. 
2. At times I make this dish without the curry leaves if I can't find them, but there's no substitute to the curry leaves. This dish is better with them.
3. I use parchment paper to line the cookie sheet, but some ovens are too hot, and the parchment paper burns at 425F/220C. Mine doesn't. Use foil instead if necessary.

This is one of my go-to recipes. 

Indian-Inspired Roasted Cauliflower and Potatoes
recipe by Shulie Madnick

Ingredients:

1 small/medium cauliflower, cut into small florets
3 medium potatoes (1 lb/1/2 kg), cubed medium
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4  - 1/3 teaspoon turmeric
1/4  - 1/3 teaspoon cayenne
Leaves off of 2-3 fresh curry leaf sprigs
3 - 4 tablespoons oil plus extra 2 tablespoons oil if necessary (see author's notes)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil (see author's notes above). 

In a large bowl, add the cauliflower, potatoes, onions, jalapeño, and salt, and mix. Add 3 -4 tablespoons oil, turmeric, and cayenne into a small bowl mix and pour over the cauliflower and potatoes and mix. Mix into the cauliflower and potatoes the curry leaves or fry them in additional 2 tablespoon oil at the end, as instructed in the author's notes above as a garnish. Spread the cauliflower and potatoes evenly on the cookie sheet. Roast for 20-30 minutes in a preheated 425F/220C oven.  Gently mix with a heat resistant spatula and roast for 10 minutes longer or until the potatoes are fork-tender. 


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