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Monday, October 4, 2010

Cheese Vali Gobi (Cauliflower w/ Cheese) and Garlic Naan

I have been completely enamored by Indian food for the last few months now.  At first it was just the thought of it...and the look of it...so warm and heavily laced with spices!  As I was introduced to more and more Indian bloggers, my desire to see that food materialize in front of me grew stronger.  Then our Cook the Books selection just happened to be Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey (Indian writer, cook, actress) and I was momentarily immersed in her aristocratic, diverse family that drew influences from British, Punjabi, Hindi, Muslim, Buddhist...and even a bit of Western gasp!...among other regions, both in the kitchen and in their daily routine.  Jaffrey has such a way of writing that it draws you in and plops you into the kitchens, markets, and homes of India more than 50 years ago. So, when I found out that I passed through to round 3 of the Project Food Blog competition...in which the challenge was to create a dinner party with exotic (to you) flavors...I knew that was the perfect time to to try out a bunch of the Indian recipes I'd been coveting!  My entry would be  A Taste of India!  Voting is now open for round 3...if you'd be so kind as to give me a vote, you can click HERE!  Without further ado...I'll share a couple of my new favorite Indian dishes with you right now...
Cheese Vali Gobi
(Cauliflower w/ Cheese)
from Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey
serves: 4-6

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1½ lbs. medium-sized cauliflower florets, cut so each has a stem
1¾ c. grated fresh tomatoes
One 1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated to a pulp
2 fresh hot green chiles, cut into slim rounds
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbs. ground coriander
¾ tsp. salt, or to taste
¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. heavy cream
¼ c. coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450° F.  Pour oil into a large, non-stick sautĂ© pan over med-high heat.  When hot, add cumin seeds and let sizzle for 10 seconds. Add cauliflower and stir around for 2 minutes. Add tomato, ginger, chile, cayenne, turmeric, coriander and salt. Stir to mix and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until tomatoes are almost absorbed and cauliflower is almost done. Add the cilantro and mix in.

Pour contents of pan into an oven proof dish.  Add cream and mix.  Sprinkle cheese over top.  Put in top third of oven and bake 10-12 mins., or until cheese has melted and developed light brown spots. Serve hot.
This was one of my favorite parts of the whole Indian meal!  Of course, I said that with each bite of a different dish, so... Ha!  It was amazing, though.

Next I'll move on to the Naan.  Garlic Naan to be precise.  My friend Aipi from US Masala is an amazing cook, photographer and blogger and she's been kind enough to "school me" a bit on Indian cuisine.  Everything she makes is mouthwatering and she helped me learn a few of the Indian "classics".  Naan is one of the types of breads that is eaten in India a great deal...with the Garlic Naan being a favorite variation of Aipi's...and I knew before even attempting that it would be a favorite of mine, as well.  I mean....GARLIC!...'nuff said. 
Garlic Naan
from Aipi of US Masala * (<----- click to go to original recipe...THANK YOU!!)
*adapted ever-so-slightly
yield: 8-10 pieces

for the naan:
3½ c. ap flour + a bit more if needed
1 tsp. yeast
1 c. warm water
¼ c. milk, room temp.
¼ c. yogurt, room temp.
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed (or smashed & minced)

for the garlic butter:
1/4 c. butter
~4 garlic cloves, pressed (or smashed & minced)
2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Dissolve yeast in water and add sugar, salt, oil, and milk.  Let sit for ~10 mins.  Stir in flour a bit at a time, with the yogurt, using a wooden spoon at first...then using your hands as it becomes firmer.  It will seem a bit sticky...that's good.  Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and knead for ~3-5 minutes, or until pliable.  Place in an oiled bowl cover with a damp towel.  Let sit ~1 hour, or until doubled in size.  Preheat oven to the highest setting, with a pizza stone on middle shelf when there is ~30 mins. left.

Punch it down, then divide it into 8-10 balls.  Keep the dough balls covered while you're working.  The dough is very soft...but that is what makes it so tender...so no worries.  Sprinkle work surface w/ a bit of flour and roll dough out into a long oval, ~1/8" thin.  Roll some of the garlic into the dough with the rolling pin.  Place one or two ovals of dough onto hot stone and cook for ~2 minutes per side, or until a bit bubbly and golden in spots.

While working with the dough, combine garlic and butter in small pan over low heat and cook until very fragrant.  Stir in cilantro.  Brush over warm naan as they come out of the oven.  SO STINKIN' DELICIOUS.
Watch for more recipes from my PFB Challenge #3 throughout the week!!  And remember to vote for your favorite bloggers to make it through another round...me included...hopefully...fingers crossed...best friends forever...

*This post is linked to:
Hey What's For Dinner MyMeatlessMondays BYOB YeastSpotting



Would you like to comment?

  1. Droolworthy. I'm off to vote for ya, Girlichef!

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  2. Hi,

    wow garlic naans...My all time favortie dear!!They have come out great too...Lovely clicks dear...

    Dr.Sameena@

    www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

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  3. looks good but I dont see any cardamon seeds...

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  4. Keep these coming! Love naan...voted!

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  5. both cheese vali gobi n garlic naan looks awesome ...

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

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  6. ohhh looks so great!! your link DID show up but only once, I'm assuming it was just taking a while to show :) Thanks for linking up to Just Another Meatless Monday!

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  7. Un plato muy interesante, se ve muy rico.

    Saludos

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  8. This looks fantastic! I made Indian food yesterday, I was not even back in the country a whole 24 hours yet!

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  9. Great photos and amazing sounding recipes! I must try this way of making cauliflower! I'm also enamored with Indian food, but it's been at least 6 months since I made my last Indian dish. I need to fix that, and fast. =)

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  10. Love naan. Stuff it with seasoned ground beef and mashed potatoes so shall try this garlicky one (mmm). You may convince to like cauliflower... and yes, voted.

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  11. Those Indians do have a way with veggies, don't they? Looks terrific!

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  12. They both look really good-the cheese gobi looks like mac n cheese:) off to vote;)

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  13. Wonderful recipes, they both look absolutely delicious. I buy naan all the time, I have to start making it! Voted - good luck!!

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  14. Just for the record. When I come to visit you, we are recreating this feast. Notice that I said "when". And not "if". Things of such importance just can't be left up to conditionals.

    Voted!

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  15. One of my favorite califower curries. In our home we used just milk or coconut+milk to make the sauce. But the cheese would surely add a level of flavor to it :)
    Glad you like it and the nan looks out of this world :)

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  16. Garlic said it all! It looks and sounds delicious! The cauliflower sounds delicious also! Way to go!

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  17. I want a bowl of that, like RIGHT NOW! Looks beyond delicious, Heather! Going to vote...

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  18. I just wanna grab a bit of the naan with the gobi.. looks so delicious.. am drooling out here.. woowww

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  19. I love naan. The cauliflower looks so good. Mouthwatering. Thx.

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  20. The last time I roasted the Indian-spiced cauliflower, I think I did not add enough cheese. This time I should! :)

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  21. I'm always interested in learning more about cooking Indian. This looks like an amazing meal! I want the cauliflower for dinner.

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  22. Oh my GOD heather you made me cry and you didnt even know it! My this is one of my absolutely FAVORITE dishes ever since I was a small girl! My auntie suko would come from india and make it at my uncles house, it is the ULTIMATE comfort food for me, even as a tiny girl, the smells of Indian spices in the air and a fresh chapati were heaven! What a lovely recipe, and of course you are enamored with these wonderful recipes, you have so many amazing Indian foodie blogger buddies visiting your blog! Will pop over to foodbuzz now and vote for you! :) alex@amoderatelife

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  23. Quality... poetry in photos and descriptions.

    Could this be the perfect fodd post?

    well done, continued good luck in teh contest

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  24. Heather, let me first tell you what a wonderful job you have done here... Honestly, I have seen self-proclaimed cooks that have eaten naans all their lives not even come close to what you have been able to make here. Making all that food from a relatively new cuisine is a miracle by itself.
    Thank you for all the kind words. It is really an honor to hear such compliments from a talented person like yourself.
    Have voted for you.

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  25. I really don't know if anything could look better to me. I adore cauliflower (I just ate a bowl tonight) and the sauce you made to accompany it looks down-right heavenly. Thank you for sharing it! And then of course I love bread. Naan is one of my international favorites. This post is making me drool! You have my vote!

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  26. The picture of the cauliflower looks amazing.. Thanks for such an interesting recipe. I can't wait to try it.

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  27. Oh yum!!! I love the way that you've presented this! I love Indian food and have never had success making naan - will have to try both pieces!

    Erin

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  28. Can't get hubby to eat cauliflower, but I'm definitely trying that naan- my favorite!

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  29. This looks amazing! I am a huge fan of Madhur Jaffrey and your dinner looks wonderful!

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  30. I seriously disliked cauliflower when I was a child but thankfully, my tastebuds have matured because I want a lot of this dish! And it goes without saying that I can live on naan - yours looks absolutely perfect. 8-)

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  31. That cauliflower dish looks amazing! I had a dish similar to this once at an Indian restaurant. Although I think it was more spicy and no cheese.

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  32. Oh yes....I'm totally all over both of those dishes. First of all, I'd love to try that cauliflower dish. Cheese + cauliflower is always a good thing! Second of all, I love naan bread, seriously love it and I know that I would love a garlic version.

    Looks great! I voted for ya!

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  33. Thanks for this great topic.
    I have one question please.

    You wrote in the ingredients:
    1¾ c. grated fresh tomatoes

    What is the meaning of letter C. !!

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  34. Hi UNIXman...sorry about that... 'c' stands for cup (8 ounces). =)

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