The Perpetual Feast

When I first saw this recipe in Cooking Light, I was a bit skeptical.  Ketchup and cauliflower?  I don’t know…and although it supposedly hails from China, it uses Garam Masala, a decidedly Indian spice.  Still, there was something intriguing about it, and I had a cauliflower to use up in some interesting way.  It turns out to be a really tasty, sweet and salty dish, and it’s easy to make.  It could be part of a dinner with other curries, or a hearty side dish.

Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower

5 ½ cups cauliflower (about 1 large head) trimmed and broken into florets
2 Tablespoons of Garam Masala (see note)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
Cooking spray
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 cloves of garlic, minced
¾ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 425 F. Coat an 11 x 7 baking dish with cooking spray.  Combine cauliflower, Garam Masala, and salt with 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in a large bowl and toss well.  Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add black pepper and sauté 1 minute. Add garlic, sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in red pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until thick (be careful not to burn it.)

Remove cauliflower mixture from the oven. Stir in ketchup mixture.  Bake at 425 for an additional 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender, stirring after 10 minutes.  Makes 9 half cup servings at 1.5 grams of fat per serving (although I personally ate it in one cup servings.

A note on Garam Masala: Garam Masala is a spice mixture used in many Indian dishes. Garam means hot and Masala means spice mixture, so the spices used are those that give some heat to the dish. I use a good commercial mix, such as Spice Islands, or one from an Asian market. In India, many households have their own family Garam Masala recipe, handed down through generations.  You will find varied recipes for Garam Masala in Indian cookbooks and can try your hand at mixing your own family recipe, toasting the spices and grinding them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, but for most uses, I like the convenience of a prepared blend.