This dish is a celebrated centerpiece from Jaipur, India. It’s designed to be an impressive visual dish, perfect for bringing to the table whole and then carving into wedges for serving.
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 30–50 minutes
- Serves: 5 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower (approx. 48 oz / 1.5 kg) OR 2 small cauliflowers (approx. 16 oz / 455 g each)
- ~3 cups (710 ml) salted water, for boiling
- 5 medium tomatoes (approx. 20 oz / 570 g), peeled and quartered
- 0.25 cup (60 ml) water
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) water
- 1 bay leaf
- 6–8 whole peppercorns
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) ghee or unsalted butter, divided
- 0.5 tsp (2 ml) ground cumin
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
- 0.25 tsp (1 ml) cayenne pepper or paprika
- 0.25 tsp (1 ml) ground fennel
- 0.25 tsp (1 ml) ground yellow mustard
- 0.25 tsp (1 ml) turmeric
- 0.5 tsp (2 ml) salt
- 0.5 tsp (2 ml) brown sugar
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) slivered toasted almonds or pistachios
Instructions
- Prepare the Cauliflower: Trim the base and tough outer green leaves from the cauliflower, leaving only the tender, light green leaves close to the flowerets. Using a small knife angled toward the center, hollow out the main stem about 1.5 inches (4 cm) deep. Submerge the cauliflower head-down in a bowl of cold salted water.
- Cook the Cauliflower: Pour the 3 cups (710 ml) of salted water into a saucepan just slightly larger than the cauliflower and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Place the cauliflower in the pot, stem-end down. When the water returns to a boil, cover the pan, reduce the heat to moderate, and boil for 15–25 minutes. (Alternatively, you can steam the cauliflower for 40–50 minutes).
- Make the Tomato Base: While the cauliflower is cooking, combine the peeled tomatoes, 0.25 cup (60 ml) water, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a separate small saucepan. Boil gently over moderate heat for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing the tomato pulp to extract all the juice. Discard the seeds and spices left in the sieve.
- Warm the Cauliflower: When the cauliflower is almost tender (a knife inserts easily into the core), carefully lift it out of the water and drain it well in a colander. Transfer it to a heated, oven-safe serving dish. Rub the surface with 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the ghee or butter and set it in a warm oven to hold.
- Make the Spiced Sauce: In a small dish, combine all the ground spices (cumin, coriander, cayenne, fennel, mustard, and turmeric) with the 2 tbsp (30 ml) of water to form a paste.
- Heat the remaining 3 tbsp (45 ml) of ghee or butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add the spice paste and fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly until fragrant.
- Pour the strained tomato juice, salt, and brown sugar into the spice mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Assemble and Serve: To serve, spoon the hot tomato sauce over the top of the warm cauliflower crown. Drizzle the room-temperature yogurt or sour cream over the sauce. Finally, sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Serve immediately, cutting the cauliflower into wedges at the table.
