Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Medley

There’s been a whole lot of Thanksgivukkah in the air.  We are on the verge of eight nights of lights, liberty and latkes and culinary minds of North America have been dreaming of food and drink combinations for well over a year.  This month’s Kosher Connection link up brings some of the best of the recipes to you, and my Thanksgivukkah posts are far from over, I have something planned for next week.

My post today comes from Rinku and originally I was going to share this later in the week, but I looked through the ingredients and felt it perfect for a Thanksgivukkah roundup.  The potatoes and olive oil are reminiscent of Channukah, the ginger and sweet potato are perfect for Thanksgiving.  

If you’re looking for a vegetarian side dish this Thanksgiving, or a just something a little different that can speak to the convergence of these two holidays, then look no further.  Here’s Rinku’s Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Medley. 

Hi all, I am Rinku from Cooking in Westchester, and I am glad to be back again on this space (Note: Rinku previously shared her recipe for Kolkata Spicy Jewish Chicken Roast with Potatoes). A few month ago, I was here telling you about a recipe that did not make it into my cookbook, The Bengali Five Spice Chonicles. A few months later, life is less about the cookbook, not that I do not want you to keep it in your holiday giving list, but is more about all things practical, delicious, seasonal.

The recipe that I am about to share here is an accidental fall riff, on a household staple and actually not surprisingly a riff on a recipe that is common in a lot of Indian households – a recipe combining potato and cauliflower of Alu Kopi. In Indian, cuisine, the potato is much like a buffer of binder used for a lot of combinations to make them stick and work together. Just that in my household recipe, I use a Bengali touch, a touch of panch phoron or the Bengali Five Spice Blend. As for the fall touch, I swapped the potatoes for sweet potatoes.

In this case, I actually picked up organic purple sweet potatoes! Now, here is the deal, there purple beauties looked lovely during the chopping and sautéing phase, but cooked up to a murky darkish color, the good news however is that they added a lovely touch of sweetness to the recipe and all things considered a chockfull of nutrients as well. Next time round, depending on how you feel you can use regular sweet potatoes, potatoes of any other kind of starchy vegetable to cobble together this homey comforting dish.

Yes, cauliflower, peas and potatoes, sweet or otherwise is quite a tested combination in most Indian home kitchens and is difficult to go wrong with. Here is the recipe, try it and see.

Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Medley

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized head of cauliflower
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon Bengali 5 spice blend (panch phoron)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup of peas (fresh or frozen)
• ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoon cilantro to garnish

Method of Preparation

1. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces. Peel and dice the sweet potato.
2. Heat the oil on medium low heat for about a minute and add in the Bengali 5 spice blend and wait until it crackles.
3. Add in the fresh ginger and stir lightly and add in the sweet potato and stir will for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add in the cauliflower and mix well.
5. Stir in the turmeric, cayenne pepper and mix well.
6. Add in the water and green peas and the salt and bring to a simmer and cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
7. Remove the cover, the mixture should be fairly dry and the vegetables should be soft.
8. Stir in the cilantro and serve.