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).

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

This year I've managed to avoid the chocolate frenzy that usually happens this time of year. The toddler is still too small to realise that all the shiny things in the shops have chocolatey goodness inside. I suspect next year will be a different matter. He has, however, been devouring his own weight in hot cross buns, so I had to make some for him (and the rest of the family).

I made some fabulous ones either last year or the year before (I can't remember) but I couldn't find the recipe again. This current batch turned out very well and were very easy, so I'm recording it for next year! I think using the bread mix worked really well - I think I'll be using this approach again to make things like cinnamon buns or finger buns.

Hot Cross Buns (makes 16)

1 600g packet of Laucke Crusty White Bread Mix for Breadmakers (includes yeast sachet)

300mL milk

1 tablespoon treacle

⅓ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon mixed spice

1 egg

200g dried mixed fruit

100ml melted butter

For the crosses:

3 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp water

½ tsp sugar

For the glaze:

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp powdered gelatine

2 tbsp water

Heat the milk to warm (around 38°C) and mix in the yeast sachet and the treacle. Set aside for 10 minutes until the mix is frothy.

Mix the flour, fruit, spice and sugar in a large bowl. Add the milk mixture, the egg and melted butter and mix to form a slightly sticky dough. Sprinkle with flour as necessary and knead until the dough is smooth. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise either overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 2-3 hours until it has at least doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and knead it again, then divide into 16 balls and place into a baking tin lined with baking paper. Allow the buns to rise again for 30 minutes, then brush with some milk. Mix the flour, water and sugar for the crosses - it should be a thick paste. Use a piping bag to pipe on the crosses, then bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes until the buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped.

To make the glaze, mix the water, sugar and gelatine, then heat in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Brush the hot mix over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.

Best eaten while still warm and spread with butter.

Birthday Cake

It was my birthday last week, and my little brother bought me a cake from Adriano Zumbo. It's called a Red Velvet Cake. It's layers of raspberry cake and jelly with a cream cheese frosting and a red sprayed on coating. It's a cheesecake on steroids.