Cauliflower salad. (JG Photo/Petty Elliott)
Cauliflower is an inexpensive and ordinary-looking vegetable, but I adore it.
It is a cruciferous vegetable — in the same plant family as broccoli, cabbage and kale — and has a creamy white compact head, composed of undeveloped flower buds.
The flowers are attached to a central stalk that when broken apart into separate buds of cauliflower floret looks like a small tree.
When it is raw it has a creamy, nutty and slightly bitter taste, with a crunchy texture. Cooked, it tastes less bitter and takes on a soft texture. It is important to cook and season it properly.
Cauliflower has many health benefits. It is rich in vitamin C and fiber, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and is an excellent source of vitamin K.
In Indonesian cuisine, cauliflower is often stir-fried with carrots, Chinese cabbage, garlic, spring onion and seafood or chicken to make cap cay.
However, there are many other ways to enjoy this vegetable. It is good pickled or mashed, or in tempura or soup. It can be eaten raw or blanched (boil in boiling water for 45 to 60 seconds, strain and put in ice water to stop the cooking process completely).
Be sure to buy cauliflower without open flowers, bruising or black spots.
This week’s recipe is for cauliflower salad with radishes, carrots, fresh seaweed and black sesame served with soya, ginger and vinegar dressing.
I like to serve the cauliflower in large slices, each with a slightly different shape. I steam the sliced cauliflower briefly, then to I pan-fry it to caramelize it and lend it more nutty flavor.
Enjoy!
Cauliflower salad with radish and fresh seaweed
This has an oriental flavor with soy sauce and ginger dressing. I also added sliced chilies to give it an extra kick. It is good to mix the warm cauliflower with cold seaweed.
You will have plenty of left-over cauliflower that you can use for a stir-fry. Don’t worry about making too much of anything — you can add it all together for a great vegetarian meal later on.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 whole cauliflowers with weight around 300gr each; 50gr butter: 8 radishes, sliced thinly; 30-40gr fresh seaweed; 2 medium carrots, peeled with a vegetable peeler to give them a ribbon shape; 3 tablespoons of black sesame seeds, roasted
For the ginger and soya dressing:
25gr fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 50ml sugar syrup (see below); 90ml apple vinegar or any white wine vinegar; 4 shallots, peeled and chopped finely; 2-3 long red chilies for less spicy or use 1-2 red bird eye chilies, sliced finely; 1 tablespoon Kikkoman soy sauce
For the sugar syrup: 100gr sugar, 50ml water
Directions:
1. To make the sugar syrup, mix the sugar and water in a pan, bring to the boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the mixture until all sugar is melted. Set aside to cool.
2. To make the dressing, mixed all of the listed ingredients, making sure they are mixed well. Set aside.
3.To roast the black sesame seeds, put the black sesame on a dry frying pan and cook on medium heat for around 5-7 minutes, stirring all the time. Set aside to cool, then transfer onto a large plate.
4. Slice the cauliflower in the middle and slice again with 1cm thickness. You can have four slices with slightly varying sizes and shapes, as mentioned before.
5. Steam the cauliflower for 3-4 minutes.
6. Heat a frying pan and add butter. Let it melt and add the cauliflower slices. Cooked until each side has turned to a golden brown. It will take 1-2 minutes either side on a high heat.
7. Place each slice of the cauliflower on a serving plate. Sprinkle the black sesame on the top of the vegetables and the rest of the plate for effect.
8. Add a quarter portion of seaweed for each plate and add some sliced radish and rolled carrot. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.
The post Food for Thought: Cauliflower Comes to Life With A Soy and Ginger Oriental Twist appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.