Cauliflower works as a great alternative to couscous as it has a similar texture to carbohydrates like potatoes and rice, without the starch. It can also be turned into a flour. Cauliflower is a member of the brassica family and is popular in Indian cooking. In 2013, China and India alone grew 76 per cent of the world’s cauliflowers.
Ingredients
250g cauliflower (about half a medium cauliflower)
1 small brown onion
1 glove garlic
1 orange (juice of)
150g cooked beetroot (not pickled)
1 x 15ml vegetable oil
4 x 15ml spoons water
1 x 15ml spoon of ground cumin
1 x 15ml spoon pomegranate seeds (optional)
1 x 15ml spoon chopped fresh coriander
Black pepper (optional)
Equipment
Chopping board
Vegetable knife
Grater
Bowl or plate
Juice squeezer
Frying pan
Instructions
- On a clean, dry chopping board roughly chop the cauliflower using the bridge and claw method. Finely grate the chunks of cauliflower until you have a fine couscous. Set aside.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Set aside.
- Cut the orange in half and use the juice squeezer to extract all of the juice.
- Chop the cooked beetroot into small cubes – around 1cm in size. Set aside.
- In a pan heat the oil on a moderate heat.
- When hot, add the onions and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the finely chopped cauliflower to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes.
- Add the water and orange juice and simmer on a moderate heat for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the ground cumin and cooked beetroot and simmer for another 5–10 minutes until the cauliflower is soft but still has texture to it. Take off the heat.
- When ready to serve sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds, washed and chopped coriander and black pepper if using.
Skills used include:
Weighing, measuring, grating, chopping, juicing, frying and simmering.