Cooking in Iso, Volume 2: Spiced burnt cauliflower with warm basmati salad

It’s been a while between videos, as Chef Arnie has been busy with his latest entrepreneurial venture Lola Sally Bakery, a homage to his Filipino heritage. Fortunately for us he was kind enough to lend us some time to produce this one, his Spiced ‘Burnt’ Cauliflower with warm Basmati salad & tahini and yogurt dressing. Great for a prep, or a just a shared meal, I will be adding a side of protein to mine, but plenty of great nutritious ingredients right here:

Burnt cauliflower

• 1 small cauliflower
• 1 tbs tumeric
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch of salt

Warm basmati salad

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 toasted Almonds or nut/seed mix of your choice
• 1 tbs soaked raisins or saltanas
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• Hand full Parsley
• Handful coriander
• Handful mint
• 1 small Carrot
• 1/4 Red onion
• Hand full cherry tomato
• Olive oil

Tahini & Yogurt sauce

• 4 tbsp Coconut yoghurt or Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp Tahini paste
• Lemon (to taste)
• salt & pepper (to taste)

Method

Ideally you would boil your Cauliflower the day before but if not you can leave it to dry on paper towels/pat dry.

Cauliflower

1. Boil a large pot of water with your turmeric, bay leaves and salt.
2. Trim your cauliflower leaving some stem, and place it in the water once it is boiled.
3. Depending on the size of your pot/cauliflower it may take around 10-15 mins to cook.
4. Use a colander and knife or skewer to test the firmness if you think it may be ready. You want to feel firmness but not resistance. if you prefer your cauliflower softer you can leave for a little longer.
5. Once cooked, leave to dry (ideally overnight), for a better browning.
6. Crank your oven up to the highest setting in preparation to brown the cauliflower.
7. Halve your cauliflower and place on some parchment paper on a tray.
8. Brush your cauliflower with some olive oil.
9. Place in the hot oven until golden, keep an eye on this as cook times may vary.

Basmati Rice

Basmati Rice tends to go gloopy and sticky using conventional methods so try this cooking method.

1. Boil your water in a another large pot, and once boiled add your basmati rice and cook for 5 mins.
2. While this cooks heat some oil and add your onion, garlic and bay leaves, cooking until they begin to break down.
3. Once they have broken down add your Garam Masala and cook it off to release the flavours of the herbs and spices.
4. Check if your rice is done after 5 mins, it should be Al Dente, so soft on the outside and firm in the middle. If done, strain and leave to drain the water.
5. Once strained add your rice into the spice mix and stir, adding a couple of tsp of water and some salt to season.
6. Once the rice mix is cooked set aside to cool.

Basmati Salad

1. Remove your rice from the pan and lay out to cool
2. Combine your salad ingredients in a bowl.
3. With the herbs and nuts/seeds, only add them now if you intend to serve immediately. If not, save them to add upon serving to retain freshness, flavour and crunch.

Tahini & Yogurt dressing

1. Spoon your tahini into a bowl and blend to a smooth consistency.
2. Add your yogurt and some garlic if you like, and blend.
3. Add juice of half a lemon and salt to season.
4. Combine till smooth, if needed add a little water to get a smooth consistency.

Plating

1. Add a generous spoon of the dressing to your plate.
2. Top with a serving size of the rice.
3. Add your cauliflower.
4. Top with seeds and nuts, and a drizzle of lemon juice.
5. Eat and enjoy.

Thanks once again to Chef Arnie, if you are in the Western Suburbs and have a hankering for some baked goods with a difference, check out Lola Sally!