Slow Cooker Cauliflower with Curry Almond Sauce

I would admit to being addicted to vegan dishes with thick spicy sauces.  I have posted recipes of this nature in the past (here, here, here, here and here) using vegetable combinations and sauces.

I decided to try adapting a red curry paste almond chicken dish from this recipe and came up with a plant based version without the use of red curry paste that was in this original recipe.  It called for three tbsp of this spice mix and is the major flavoring component aside from the curry powder.  After looking up the homemade recipe of this paste, I incorporated some of the ingredients that were closed to them.  I added the juice and zest of one lemon for example to approximate the lemon grass component plus the spices cumin, cinnamon, coriander powder and cardamon. At the end when the taste was not quite there, I decided not to increase the salt but instead used Sriracha to intensify the flavor of the coconut almond combination.  Wow it worked.

For me success means I would want the dish morning, noon and night and I did.  The almond gives only a very subtle taste of itself to the dish but it does thicken the sauce. I like eating the dish with quinoa or rice with the suggested sides of fresh vegetables like grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber and fresh spinach.  I used the slow cooker method for convenience but the stove top one pot method will also work.


Slow Cooker Cauliflower with Curry Almond Sauce

(Adapted from this recipe)

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 onion, sliced

• 2 tbsp ginger, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp coriander powder

• 1/4 tsp cardamon powder

• 2 tbsp curry powder

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 can full fat coconut milk

• 1/4 cup almond butter

• 2 cauliflower, cut into florets

• 1 green pepper, sliced

• 1 yellow or red pepper, sliced

• 1 cup baby carrots

• 1 tbsp sriracha or to taste

• 1 tsp salt or to taste

• grape tomatoes, cucumber and fresh spinach as sides

1. Heat the coconut oil at medium heat in a saute pan or in the slow cooker bowl itself if the slow cooker has a saute mode.  Add the onion, ginger and garlic till they are cooked.  
2. Add the cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cardamon, curry powder and red pepper flakes and heat them through.  
3. Add the sauteed mixture if using a saute pan and the rest of the ingredients except the sides to the slow cooker. 
4. Cook for 3 hours at high setting or 6 hours a low setting.  I used Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker and cooked the dish for 2 hours at slow cooker setting.
5. Serve over rice with sides of grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and fresh spinach.  

Cauliflower Vegetable Curry

I bought several boxes of ready to eat Indian vegetarian dishes in microwaveable packets during a shopping trip at the Patel Indian Store in Monroeville PA.  Since the past week had been very hectic due to babysitting chores these ready made Indian delicacies had been my go to food for lunch, dinner and even breakfast. The curry sauce in these dishes were really tantalizing and haunting. They just made me crave them.  However, a couple of the packets had green peas and/or beans as their ingredients and I noticed that the arthritis or gout in my finger joints flared up after I ate these dishes.  I have a sensitivity to these two vegetables.

I decided to make my own plant based curry dish using cauliflower, eggplant and peppers.  I opted for cauliflower as one of the ingredients to add that crunch factor into the dish.  I originally wanted to use red curry paste but I could not find it in my loaded freezer.  I decided to use mostly curry powder and the other spices to mimic that rich sauce in the store bought Indian vegetarian dishes.

This dish got the thumbs up from my daughter Wendy who had it for lunch when she visited me.  She also gladly took some home. As for me, I had this morning, noon and night. that day and the next.

This is a healthy, easy and delicious alternative to store bought Indian dishes or the ones you eat at Indian buffets.  Do try it and you will be hooked.

Cauliflower Vegetable Curry

• 1 tbsp olive oil or 2 tbsp water
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp salt or according to taste
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 yellow or green pepper, cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips 
• 1 can coconut milk, full fat
• 1/2 cups vegetable broth (optional for thinning the sauce)
• Cilantro

Heat the olive oil or water (if you are strictly plant based) in a large saute pan at medium heat.   Add the onion, ginger and garlic. Saute these spices till the onion is translucent.  Add the curry powder, garlic powder, cumin, turmeric, tomato paste and salt and continue to saute till the spices are heated through. Add the cauliflower, eggplant, peppers, coconut milk and vegetable broth (if using) and allow the mixture to simmer till the vegetables are cooked but still crispy.  Season with more salt if needed.  Garnish with cilantro. Serve with naan bread or rice.