I have no idea if this dish can truly be called "Australian food", but it came to me from a very nice lady named Ruth, who wrote in from Australia. So in the Aussie section it goes. If you have a problem with that, just make the dish, eat it and shut up!Ruth says, "Here's a nice spicy vegetable dish you might like to try out. Great with a curry consisting of a main dish - beef or fish, rice and have it as one of two vegetable dishes, the other one having a curry gravy as this one would be dry. Bon appetit!"
Toast the sesame seeds then the cumin seeds in a frypan, without any added oil. The sesame seeds are ready when they are golden brown, and the cumin seeds when they pop, smell good, and have all heated through, in 1-2 minutes if you start with a hot pan. Grind the toasted sesame and cumin seeds, separately or mixed.
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons toasted cumin seeds
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 medium-sized onions
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large cauliflower (about 2 pounds or os, cut into florets)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Mix the toasted seeds, garlic, ginger and peanuts, adding the turmeric, chilli powder, ground cloves and salt, and put aside. Chop the onions and put them in a large pot or pan to cook in the oil. Cook until transparent and lightly coloured, taking care not to let them burn. Stir the spice mixture through the onion, then add the cauliflower which has been broken and cut into florets, each the size of a walnut.
Add the lemon juice and about 1/4 cup of water, cover, and cook over a moderate heat , stirring and tossing the cauliflower occasionally, until it is tender-crisp. Add a little extra water during cooking if necessary. If you find that there is liquid left when the cauliflower is cooked, thicken it with a little cornflour paste and toss the cauliflower in it. Taste and add extra salt if necessary. Serve with dahl, rice, a tomato salad, cucumbers in yoghurt and toasted coconut.
Yield: 6 servings.
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