Cauliflower Season: One Vegetable, Five Dinners
November in an Indian market has one clear winner: the cauliflower. It is at its best, it is inexpensive, and it turns up in nearly every kitchen. A week of dinners can be built around it without anyone getting bored.
Why one vegetable, many dishes
Planning a week does not mean planning twenty-one new meals. A good plan buys what is at its best and cooks it in more than one way. The shopping is simpler, less is wasted, and each dinner still tastes different.
Five ways to cook cauliflower
1. Aloo gobi, for the days with no time. Dry, quick and familiar. Potato and cauliflower with cumin, turmeric and a little chilli, ready while the rice cooks.
2. Fulkopir dalna, for the rice days. A Bengali favourite with potatoes and ginger in a light gravy. It is gentle, warming and suits the first cool evenings.
3. Gobi paratha, for the lunch box. Grated cauliflower, spices and atta. It travels well and still tastes good at two o'clock.
4. Roasted florets, for a side that needs no recipe. Salt, pepper, a little oil and a squeeze of lemon. Hot oven, twenty minutes.
5. Singara filling, for guests. Cauliflower and peas cooked dry with spices, ready for pastry. Make extra filling and keep some aside for parathas.
A simple shopping and prep plan
- Buy two medium heads at the start of the week.
- On the first evening, cut one head into florets and grate half of the other.
- Cook the dry preparations early in the week and the gravy dishes later, when you want something warm.
- Keep the stalks and leaves: they go well in a dal or a stir-fry.
Write down your version
Every family has its own proportions, its own pinch of this or that. Note down the version your family asks for. That is how a good dish stays.
RiteFood helps you plan balanced meals around the food you already eat, in your own regional style. Which cauliflower dish does your family ask for every year?
