Cauliflower Tikka Masala

Every good bowl of Tikka should be served with an equally good story and this dish is full of them, especially when it comes to its history. Its rumored that Tikka was a happy accident involving a chef named Ali and a slightly disgruntled bus driver. Looking for a hot meal on a late night in Glasgow this bus driver popped into a restaurant for dinner. He ordered chicken which was a little too dry. Thinking on his feet Chef Ali made a quick sauce out of tomatoes and cream–boom Chicken Tikka was born. It's also debated that the dish was first made 5,000 years ago when Babur the first emperor of the Mughal empire was so concerned with choking on chicken bones that he ordered his chefs to cut the chicken into bite sized pieces–which they called tikka and served it with a sauce.

Regardless of how chicken tikka first made its way to the dinner table, these flavors are authentic, delicious and bold. The only change we're making is swapping chicken for cauliflower. This fragrant tikka sauce will quickly summon your friends and family from every room in the house to the dinner table, which is just where they should be to share stories of their own with you. Enjoy and have a colorful day!

• Ingredients

  For the Roasted Cauliflower:

  1-2 heads cauliflower

  (*Two heads of cauliflower will yield 4-5 servings. 1 head will yield 2-3 servings. )

  2 tsp ground garlic

  2 tsp salt

  drizzle olive oil

  For the Curry Sauce:

  1 ½ cups peas

  1 onion (finely chopped)

  3 garlic cloves (crushed)

  2 tsp ginger (grated crushed)

  2 ½ tsp garam masala

  2 tsp paprika

  2 tsp ground coriander

  2 tsp ground cumin

  2 tsp turmeric

  1 tsp ground cardamom

  28 oz crushed tomatoes (organic)

  2 Tbsp tomato paste

  6.5 oz coconut milk (organic)

  Salt to taste

  Side:

  1 ½ cups Jasmine Rice or Basmati

  Garnish:

  Pine nuts or pistachios

• Time and Serving Size

  Time:

  Prep: 5min

  Cook: 20min

  Serving Size: 4

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Step 2

Dice onion and slice the cauliflower florets off the head of cauliflower and chop into smaller bite sized pieces.

Step 3

Spread the cauliflower over a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season generously with garlic and salt. Roast for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 4

Meanwhile prepare jasmine or basmati rice in a rice pot or a rice cooker.

Step 5

Begin preparing the curry sauce. In a dutch oven or a large pot sauté onions in a drizzle of oil until soft, layer in garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant–about 30 seconds.

Step 6

Pour tomato sauce, coconut milk, and tomato paste into the dutch oven or large pot. Layer in seasonings and simmer for about 8 minutes. Then season with salt to taste.

Step 7

Once the cauliflower is done roasting toss the cauliflower into the pot (or portion directly onto a plate and ladle sauce over the cauliflower to serve). Portion rice and cauliflower tikka on a plate and serve. Sprinkle with pine nuts, or pistachios for extra flavor.

Step 8

Store extra sauce in an airtight container. This will be perfect for a delicious twist on shakshuka in the morning.