Today we have Sara from
FillMyRecipe guest posting for the blog.
Curried Cauliflower and Carrots Spice Mix (single use)
Contributed by Sara Parthasarathy, co-founder,
FillMyRecipe LLC
Fresh cauliflower and carrots are a delicacy flavored with genuine Indian spices. This popular recipe of North India is relished as a side dish with rice or Indian bread.
I learned to cook from my mother, who treated cooking as an art. Married to a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, my mother was used to throwing elaborate parties at our house and would labor lovingly over the hot stove in 90 degree weather, whipping up exotic dishes, and relishing every moment of her cooking experience! No wonder I grew up appreciating the Indian cooking process wherein one introduces each spice at specific stages during the cooking process, releasing the aroma of each spice individually…. Ummmm….heavenly!
Here is the recipe for one such dish – Curried Cauliflower and Carrots – an all time favorite of many Indians! You can acquire pre-measured, individually packed spices for this recipe and others from my growing list of recipe mixes from www.fillmyrecipe.com – a web store that sells Ethnic Spicery spice mixes for pre-determined or custom Indian recipes. (You send in your recipe, the web store ‘fills’ it for you – get it?)
So here is a simple recipe for Curried Cauliflower and Carrots. Enjoy your cooking experience!
Recipe pack contains:
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafetida
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp rice flour
What else you'll need:
½ medium size onion cut into small pieces
½ lb (2 cups) cauliflower broken into small florets
1 medium carrot cut into 1” long and 1” wide pieces
1 tbsp cooking oil
¼ tsp salt
10” non-stick skillet
Serves 2
Cooking Directions: (Remember to stop and savor the flavors!)
1. Heat oil in skillet on medium heat, sputter mustard seeds
2. Lower heat, add cumin seeds and asafetida
3. Add onions, stir fry 1 minute on medium heat until brown
4. Add cauliflower, carrots, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt
5. Stir and cook covered on low heat for 5-6 min, stirring every 1-2 min so the vegetables absorb the flavors of spices
6. Uncover, stir-fry on medium heat for 5-6 min until moisture evaporates
7. Sprinkle rice flour and stir fry for 3-4 min on medium heat till brown
Serve hot with rice or Indian bread (naan)
I received a sample of this dish from
FillMyRecipe this week and tested it out in the Mix It Up kitchen.
I pre-chopped and assembled all my ingredients in advance, a must for Indian cooking:
My mouth watered as I smelled it cooking...
The finished product looked, smelled and tasted amazing:
This dish was VERY spicy (my husband's exact words were 'It's burning a hole in my brain'). Authentic Indian food is generally very hot, and as we are a family with wimpy taste buds and small children we need to cook milder foods. The fact that the spices are separated makes this possible because you can choose to omit (or use less of) the red chili powder packet to make it a milder dish.
I have many Indian friends who have taught me how to cook authentic Indian foods, but I could never get them to turn out as well in mix form. I know now because the spices need to be added in at different times. Making a 'mix' package with separated spices can allow you do save time without sacrificing taste.
FillMyRecipe is a great company because it allows you to try out new recipes once without the commitment of buying several large packets of spices before you know you like the recipe. I plan to try out many more of her products in the future.
