Cauliflower and Potato Subzi

There was a beautiful head of cauliflower in my vegie box this week, and after a couple of weeks of struggling for dinner inspiration, I'm all ready for a Tuesday Night Vego Challenge!

Some time ago, my husband bought me a wonderful cookbook simply called Curry, and it's a wonderful collection of curry (and curry-like) recipes from India (north and south), Pakistan, South East Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Britain and Japan. It's written by a range of authors, so each section is authentic, but the recipes have been written with a western home cook in mind - the ingredients are generally ones you can find with little effort. The book also includes a range of side dishes, breads and condiments. If you like curries, it's a great book to have in your collection.

A subzi generally refers to a vegetable curry from India or Pakistan. They're quick, fresh and use seasonal vegetables. This is a "dry" style curry - more like a plate of spiced vegetables, rather than the saucy versions you make with coconut milk. Very light and perfect for a Tuesday night.

Cauliflower and Potato Subzi

500g cauliflower, cut into florets

500g kipfler potatoes, sliced (I left the skin on)

1 onion

1 punnet grape tomatoes, halved

1 tsp crushed garlic (2-3 cloves)

1 tbsp chopped ginger root

½ tsp ground tumeric

1 pinch chilli flakes

1 tsp cumin seeds

salt  and pepper

1/2 cup water

1 handful fresh coriander

2 tablespoons coconut oil*

Heat the oil and gently fry the spices, onion until the onion has softened. Add the tomato, garlic, ginger, and season with salt and pepper. Fry until the tomatoes have started to soften. Add the cauliflower and potato, pour over the water and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender. Stir through some chopped coriander before serving immediately.

We ate this with some steamed brown rice and a mint raita.

*I havet a jar of virgin coconut oil and it works brilliantly in curries as a substitute for ghee. It does have a high quantity of saturated fat, but supposedly has high amounts of lauric acid, which has antioxidant properties. Not sure if it's a miracle food like some people claim, but it does taste amazing (and can be used as a dairy-free substitute for butter in baking).

Cauliflower and Eggplant Alfredo Sauce with Ravioli

½ small head cauliflower
½ medium eggplant, sliced and steamed for 15 minutes (until very soft), skin removed
1 clove garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 pack fresh ravioli (or any other pasta)
¼ cup cream
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper


This is based on a recipe from my new favourite video blog: FoodWishes with Chef John. It's one of those recipes where you sneak in lots of vegetables by pureeing them and hiding them in a tasty sauce. I'm adding the eggplant because I have some leftover from yesterday's dinner. The sauce is creamy, but has only a little bit of cheese and cream in it.


Boil a pot of water for the cauliflower and pasta. Chop the cauliflower into small even pieces. Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water and add the cauliflower and garlic. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until very tender. Blend the cauliflower, eggplant, garlic and oil to a smooth puree, adding some of the cooking water if too thick. (I use a stick blender). 

Cook the pasta in the same water until al dente, then drain. Put the same pot back onto the heat and add the puree, cream and cheese. Warm through and season. Add the pasta and mix well.  Serve the pasta with a sprinkle of cheese and black pepper. This will make 2 generous serves.


If you wanted to get fancy you could make some pangrattato (toasted breadcrumbs) to go on top, but who can be bothered on a Tuesday night? ;)