An Alluring lake & Dry Gobi/Cauliflower Stew Recipe

Flying from Delhi to Las Vegas via a harrowing 27 hour flight[including the airport breaks],the very first time I slid the aircraft window and looked down just before landing, the sight was not very pleasant.All I could see was dry brown landscape, black tipped hills,few snow-covered mountains,arid patches of vegetation and glaring sun light..So bright that I cudnt keep the window open for more than 2 minutes.

The very first time I saw that kinda topography, a wandering thought that thrashed my mind was something like “In this barren land, some men may die, some may live and some might just disappear“.I still feel this while moving around this valley city surrounded by naked mountains all around.Conditioned to Delhi’s extreme climates, the high temperatures during summers were not a big surprise..the surprise was the humidity level in the weather..as low as 7-8%.So much so that for first few months I got frequent nose bleeds.Thats when the doctor advised me to install  humidifiers in the house.

Things have drastically changed from those first glimpses and as I explored this city, this entertainment capital of the world grew on me…actually the life here is quite addictive Now the cacti & swaying palm trees around look gorgeous, I absolutely love walking to the patio and seeing distant snow-covered mountains and the best part being the Las Vegas Strip..the portion of the city which never sleeps.Me and P love driving at wee hours of the morning on the strip when the traffic is scanty.Okay,I don’t want to get carried away in talking about Vegas in this post.

Today the topic of attraction is Lake Mead, which is a man made lake at about an hour drive from the main city.We went there last halloween weekend and trust me, it was like an oasis in the desert.Breathtakingly beautiful, gorgeously serene, blue, mirror clean & glistening waters and totally a respite to the eyes amongst the aridity of the terrain.I just felt soo rejuvenated and peaceful looking at the blue colored placid waters. Again, looking at the nature’s bounty and beauty of kind the words flashes…some men may die,some may live and some may disappear.

The lake stretches 500 miles from Nevada to Arizona and is home to all kinds of fishes and ducks.Very frankly, I never saw such BIG bunches of hungry catfishes in my life…few of them had mouths as big as humans..actually quite repelling!!! The Lake recreational area offers excellent water sports facilities and cruise options.Unfortunately, we missed the popular lake cruises because they run twice on weekends and that too before 3 p.m…we got late.The lake also offers excellent brunch/dinner cruises which me and P plan to take next.I m including some pictures from the lake in this post coz it made me fell in love with this desert city all over again!

The recipe is a dry cauliflower stew, an unusual recipe from my mom which is basically a cauliflower preparation slowly cooked with dry spices and yogurt.Basically stewing is a liquid based preparation..this stew is slightly different because the medium-sized cauliflower florets are cooked on low heat for a long time in its own juices, no extra liquid is added.The spices are not ground, no powdery spices are used , lots of sliced onions and ginger are used and as my mom says that the sukhe/khade masale [dry spices] infuse the cauliflower with their fragrance and flavor during the process of slow cooking.She makes this quite frequently during winters , this is one of family favorites and this gobi [cauliflower] dish is best enjoyed with warm chapatis [flatbreads] and some green chutney.Totally yum!!!

Please please please do not use a pressure cooker for this recipe…it steals the whole taste & makes the cauliflower mushy.You can however use microwave or oven.The idea is to cook the cauliflower in its own juices without adding any water!My mum says that adding carrom seeds [ajwain] to cauliflower recipes helps in digestion coz its a heavy vegetable.The only point to note is that a little quantity of carrom seeds goes a looong way.Below goes the recipe of the utterly “North Indian ” recipe as I like to call it:

What I need:

1 medium head white cauliflower, cleaned, stems discarded and cut into medium florets
1  potato, peeled & cut into medium pieces
2 tbsp fresh ginger julians
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 large red onion , thinly sliced
1/4 cup beaten thick yogurt [Reduce quantity if your yogurt is very sour ]
Salt to taste
3 tbsp mustard oil [canola or olive oil can also be used]
Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish [optional]

Dry Spices:

6-7 dry red chillies [adjust to taste]
2 tbsp whole black pepper corns , slightly crushed
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
3-4 cloves
2 black cardamom [badi elaichi]
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp carrom seeds [ajwain]
1 ” stick cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

How I did it:

Thoroughly wash the cauliflower florets and potato in ample water and let the water drain away.
In a thick bottomed, wide-mouthed pan with a lid, heat the oil on medium heat till the raw smell of oil goes away.Once smoking, remove from heat and let the oil cool down slightly.The point is that the spices when added to oil,they should not crackle immediately.
On a very low heat, as low as your stove setting allows,transfer the pan again to the stove and add cumin seeds, carrom seeds, black cardamom,cloves, bay leaves and the cinnamon shoot.

Once you start smelling these spices, add the sliced onions to the pan.Cook the onions on low heat until translucent.
Next add the crushed garlic,dry chillies, coriander seeds and pepper corns to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the cauliflower florets, potatoes, ginger julians, grated nutmeg and salt to the pan and stir everything together for 2-3 minutes.
Now cover the pan with the lid and let cook on low heat till the cauliflower and potatoes are tender.This will take a while, around 20-30 minutes depending on the size of cauliflower & potatoes.Keep on checking in between to avoid over cooking.

Once about 80% cooked, add the beaten thick yogurt to the pan, stir gently and again cover and let cook till the cauliflower & potatoes are totally cooked but not mushy.
Remove from heat and let sit covered for about 10-15 minutes.Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve  with warm chapatis/parathas [flatbreads].

Enjoy!

Linking this to Hearth n Soul #22 and Laura’s Tasty Tuesdays