Substantial, luxurious, tantalizing. This curried cauliflower is lovely placed on a bed of lightly-dressed greens, and/or next to fried chicken or fish.
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
Salt to taste for the cauliflower, plus ¼ tsp for the sauce
Pepper, to taste
5 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 Tbs lemon juice, divided
½ cup Greek-style yogurt
2 tsp yellow curry powder
1½ tsp ginger or maple syrup
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ cup sliced almonds
2 Tbs chopped cilantro
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Remove any leaves from the head, and cut the stem so that the head will sit evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 1½ Tbs olive oil over the head, and rub it around, so that the head is evenly covered with a thin veneer of oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake until the cauliflower is just soft enough that you’re able to temporarily pry the florets apart slightly, by inserting two opposing forks into the crevasses, about 45 minutes.
- Mix 1 Tbs lemon juice with 1½ Tbs of oil. Pry around the head with the forks, loosening the florets. Don’t worry if your work isn’t particularly effective and the crevasses snap right back. Pour the lemon juice mixture over the head, hoping that at least some of it seeps into the crevasses, and return the cauliflower to the oven until the head is nicely browned, and stabbing it with a fork gives you the sense that it’s al dente, about 15 minutes.
- Whisk the yogurt, remaining 2 Tbs oil, remaining 1 Tbs lemon juice, curry, syrup, ¼ tsp salt, cumin, and cayenne. Add pepper, to taste. Adjust seasonings.
- Use a pastry brush to give the head a moderate but thorough coating of the curry sauce. Return to the oven until the cauliflower is perfectly tender, about 15 minutes.
- Spoon remaining sauce over the head. Dust it with almonds and cilantro. You won’t need all of the almonds or cilantro; reserve the remainder for garnishing individual servings. Serve immediately.
- I suggest that you present the head whole, family style. Portion it at the table by slicing it into quarters and adding extra garnish to the individual servings.
Notes
- Once you have the lemon juice mixture on the head, and you’ve baked it for 15 minutes, if you feel that it needs more time to reach al dente, but it seems to be turning a darker brown than you’d like, covering it loosely with foil will allow you to continue baking it while slowing down the browning process. You can do the same thing once the head is coated with sauce.
- If you can find ginger syrup, it’s really worth your while. I’m not talking about simple syrup, but a pancake syrup thick as Aunt Jemima.
- A quarter-teaspoon of cayenne will produce a pronounced spiciness. Note that it might seem mild while you’re taste-testing, but it will ramp up as the sauce sits for a few minutes.
The Backstory
In the depths of winter, the lack of sunlight and the cold weather always kicks my seasonal affective disorder into its highest gear, and I’m clearly craving heat and sunlight.
This curried cauliflower gets me from both sides. It has the luminous, liquid yellow that my spirit wishes were coating my entire world these days. But it is also essentially a comfort food, which is what my subconscious hibernating bear wants more than anything else in the world right now, followed immediately by crawling back under warm, flannel sheets.
Social Learning
Cauliflower has an adjacent-to-creamy quality when cooked just so. Combined with the overt richness of a Greek yogurt sauce, this dish takes on a marked comfort-food umaminiess, especially when warm/hot.
This dish reheats well in the microwave, so it’s pretty good left over. I like to chop the leftovers to very small dice and wrap them in a whole-wheat tortilla.
Curried Cauliflower!
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thanks, Kesor. Thanks Prosper Circle.
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It has been a while since I last made a whole roasted cauliflower. It makes a really pretty and impressive center piece. Yours with curry sauce looks absolutely terrific, Jeff.
angiesrecipes recently posted…Honey, Blue Cheese and Walnut Soda Bread
Thank you, Angie!
Gawd, that first photo. Spectacular! I think I could eat just about anything topped with that sauce! A wonderful recipe.
Chef Mimi recently posted…Chinese Hot Pot
Thank you, Mimi. Pure luck on the photo!
I’m too lazy to attempt this. But it looks great. In fact, the final product looks like a form of modern sculpture. Have a good week!
Thank you!
This ray of winter sunshine is extremely impressive! GREG
Thanks, Greg!
This is delicious. The seasonings and especially the texture of the cauliflower. Are there different colors of curry powder?
You know what? I’m the last person in the world to ask about curry! I know that there are a million different kinds, but I also get the impression that “yellow curry” and “red curry” mean something. I’d love to be set straight by someone who knows! I was given the curry by a friend … I’m pretty sure it has turmeric and ginger in it, but I don’t know what else.
Hmmm, looks yummy. Just had cauliflower an hour ago!
Made a “soup” with minced beef and coconut-cream, the rest gets some cheese on top and´ll end in the oven tomorrow.
Iris Flavia recently posted…What If??? Signs … Of Dumbness
That sounds delicious!
Oh, that looks particularly tasty, Jeff! I second your sentiments about seasonal affective disorder – this weather is killing me this year. Laura has been playing around with an Indian cauliflower dish lately, and we really enjoy it. Now I need to try roasting one whole – that top picture with the steam looks amazing!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Cheesy Baked Burritos
Thanks, David! That steam was just a freak stroke of luck. The head, though, does retain heat like crazy.
This is gorgeous! I always love the look of an entire head of cauliflower, roasted and presented at table. We sometimes make one with a vindaloo-style sauce. Gotta try this — good looking recipe. Thanks!
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…Smothered Cabbage with Bacon and Sweet Potatoes
Thank you, John!
Such an awesome way to prepare cauliflower, Jeff. And curry flavors are so great with it. Since one of my boys is now vegetarian, this is exactly the type of thing I want to be making for dinner. Looking forward to trying it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks, Valentina!
This looks so delicious to me! I love the combination of cauliflower and curry, and I’ve been wanting to try roasting a cauliflower whole. This looks like a great recipe to get me started!
Molly Pisula recently posted…Chicken Soup with Rice and Lemon
Thank you, Molly! It’s really tasty.
What a warm and comforting dish, not to mention beautiful. Thanks for this, Jeff – will be spooning that curry on top soon! And, I am about to hit the web for ginger syrup – something that I never knew existed!
Thanks, David.
Hello I love you have a great day! I Love cauliflower and curry, the two match perfectly!
Not parisienne recently posted…Grilled cheese pomme et noix
So sweet! Thank you!
Cauliflower is very nice food of February month. Thank you for sharing. We especially eat cauliflower base dishes or pickle in this month. Your recipe is great. We take it note to our recipes list.
Thank you very much!
It’s been awhile since I’ve roasted any cauliflower bigger than florets. I’ve just never enjoyed the result, I guess. But this looks and your description sounds amazing! The sauce, and ginger syrup? I’ve never heard of it, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout. Can’t wait to give this a try! i seem to get a cauliflower in my CSA box every other week, so I’m excited to give this a try!
Laura recently posted…Spicy Cocoa Pecans
I got the ginger syrup as a gift. It’s from a company called “The Ginger People,” and the product is called “Fiji Ginger Syrup.” Maple syrup would be a good substitute. So would ginger simple syrup, if you made it with a 2:1 sugar-to-water ratio, and it was really gingery. Maybe a little ginger powder and a pinch of sugar mixed in with the curry would also work.
I’m sure this is a cure for SAD. I just made a curry lentil soup and I had forgotten how much I love those spices. Great recipe!
Debra Eliotseats recently posted…Cherry-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Thank you, Debra. Nothing beats a happy lamp, but good comfort food seems like a close second.
Whilst I’ve made curries with cauliflower in Jeff, I confess to never having made one with a whole roasted cauliflower! Looks delicious, must try!
Neil recently posted…Vegan Sweet Potato And Butternut Squash Soup
I hope you do, Neil! It’s delicious.
Ottimo così cucinato il cavolfiore, molto invitante!
speedy70 recently posted…CORNETTI SALATI alle MANDORLE
Thank you so much!
This recipe for cauliflower looks and sounds delicious. We will give it a try! Thanks
Thank you!
Cauliflower is bland on its own, but the roasting and spices you have here surely make this a mouthwatering appetizer!
Thanks, Theresa!
I’ve always wanted to roast a whole cauliflower like this and adding the curry to it has really upped the anti. It’s beautiful too. You guys have really been belted with a lot of snow, a lot more than we have so I feel particularly bad for you. We have had crazy cold weather which, fortunately, brings out the blue skies and sunshine so my seasonal lows haven’t been as bad this year (we’re usually in Spain this time of year).
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I’m sorry about you’re not being able to go to Spain. Regarding the snow here in Chicago, though … it’s not been so bad. Don’t get me wrong; there’s been a lot of snow. I think it snowed every day for, like, three weeks straight. But on the bright side, I worked from home the entire time, so the snow was mainly just something beautiful I could watch out my windows and venture out into just for fun. I love walking in the snow – it’s fun when you have the right gear, and having spent a lot of time in Northern Michigan, I do have excellent snow gear. So I made daily treks to the grocery store on foot.
Your cauliflower looks really pretty. I’ve seen it roasted in a variety of different spices but I like the idea of the almonds not he outside. Personally, I’ve tried roasting a whole cauliflower but wasn’t happy with the results. I’ll try to follow your recipes since I really love cauliflower.
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The trick, I think, is that it takes forever!