Monday, September 26, 2011

jeere wali gobi ...cauliflowers infused with cumin ...




This is how the simplest of flavors can make a vegetable worth on your table. Cauliflowers are great healing foods and if made in a low oil stir fry it can be a nice side dish or a meal in itself. I used to have a large bowl of this stir fry during navratri fasting as i wanted to have more and more vegetables for my meals. Vegetables and fruits are allowed and some grains like sama and kuttu or rajgeera too. So this jeere wali gobi makes a nice vrat ka khana (fasting food) during navratri or a stand alone dinner for you any time...

And if it comes together in 15 minutes flat, you would go for it without any second thoughts. I like it more with chapati , wrapped in a chapati or otherwise....i am one of those people who can eat dry stir fried well with chapatis too... And of course as a stand alone meal too i prefer such crunchy and slow roasted vegetables...I can't get enough of it...

ingredients....

cauliflower florets 3-4 cups
new potato one medium sized
finely chopped ginger 2 tbsp
chopped green chillies 2 tsp
whole cumin seeds 1 tbsp
cumin powder 1 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
chopped coriander leaves with stems1/2 cup
ghee 2 tbsp


procedure ....

Microwave the potato in the covered bowl without water , then cube the potato in 8 pieces or more...Or use the potato raw , you would fry it for some more time in that case...

Heat the ghee and tip in the cumin seeds , wait till they crackle.

Throw in the chopped green chillies and ginger , let them fry for some seconds and then add the cubed potatoes , salt and turmeric powder , stir to coat them all well.

Add the cauliflower florets too , along with the cumin and pepper powders , toss and stir to coat all the florets well . Flash fry for a few seconds and then lower the flame and cover the pan for about 5 minutes or so.

Open the lid , check if you want the florets to be more tender , they are a bit crunchy in my recipe....fry (bhuno) a bit more stirring frequently.

The florets are not browned but still have a well roasted flavor and you would notice a few reddish spots here n there...

Sprinkle chopped coriander , take the pan off heat and serve immediately. A total of 10 minutes cooking time is all this stir fry needs.


I use unpeeled potatoes for it and that makes any bhuni subzi (vegetables stir fried this way) much more flavorful...

Ginger , cumin and fresh green coriander make the flavoring really interesting  i like it a bit hot . Ginger , pepper and green chillies have enough heat to make it too hot for some people , so use these ingredients according to your taste and tolerance.


This stir fry can be a nice navratri fasting one pot meal when vegetables are allowed. Adding sendha namak (rock salt) instead of regular table salt will make this stir fry suitable for fasting days too.

Otherwise it makes a nice stuffing for grilled sandwiches or just with plain chapatis as i said earlier...

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