Mughali Cauliflower

I associate Santa Claus with gifts and presents and Christmas – the birth of Christ.  Red robes and a long white beard, a sack full of gifts and reindeer that is what comes to mind when I think of Santa.  Jingle Bells and merry faces all around, children happy and some little ones terrified of sitting on Santa’s lap is what Santa Claus is all about for me.

I could never associate high powered guns and weapons with Santa Claus.  Moreover, I could never imagine parents wanting to take pictures of their children holding machine guns with Santa.  Believe it or not, this is happening.  And still worse, parents love it, are paying for it and are willing to let their children poise with firearms in one hand while sitting on Santa’s lap!  What is the world coming to?  What happened to the spirit of the jovial old man in the white beard coming from the North Pole on his sleigh? 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower

½ cups tomato puree

¼ cup cream

4 large red onions

1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 dried red chilies

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

6 cashew nuts

2 tablespoons butter

5 cardamoms

2” piece cinnamon

4 cloves

2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi)

Salt

1 tablespoon corn Oil

1 cup water

Method:

1. Cut cauliflower into florets and lightly brown in a pan with 1 tablespoon oil.  
2. Cut two onions into cubes and keep aside.  Grind the other two onions into a paste and keep aside.  
3. Lightly roast the poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cashew nuts and the red chilies and grind to a powder and keep aside.  
4. Heat the butter and when hot add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.  
5. Now add the cut onions and the ground spices and the turmeric powder.  Fry for a couple of minutes.  
6. Now add the dried fenugreek leaves and salt.  
7. Mix the tomato puree and the onion puree in 1 cup of water and add to the vessel.  Cook for a few more minutes.  
8. Add the cauliflower and cook for 10 minutes on low flame.  
9. Add the cream before turning off the flame and serve hot with chappatis.