As some of you know, I am working with their deli section at Harvest Market in Springfield, IL to launch scratch-cooked Indian cuisine using Indian As Apple Pie recipes and ingredients. The project is close to my heart - and provide access to healthy and deliciously-authentic homestyle Indian food in towns across the country. When I showed the team how to make Aloo Gobi on the stovetop they asked if I could translate it to the oven, where they do most of their cooking. And a seed of an idea was immediately planted. I know that we've talked about roasting veggies with Indian spices before, but I'm on a mission to perfect these recipes. I started by using our Garam Masala, but honestly felt that the Chaat was so much more addictive. I've given you the recipe with the Chaat below, but feel free to substitute it out for the same amount of any of our spice blends from Garam, Tandoori, Sambhar, Rasam, and Pav Bhaji. Use this recipe as a template for so many other variations ... swap out the cauliflower for other vegetables and/or the chaat masala for other spices for a quick and simple sabzi any night of the week.
Oven: Roasted Chaat Masala Cauliflower
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into medium-sized florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoon Indian As Apple Pie chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with parchment paper. This temperature was perfect for me every time - try it and if it's too high just pull it back to 400 or 375.
2. Place the cauliflower in a roomy bowl. It is important after washing to dry the cauliflower completely. I put all the florets on a large dishcloth and use it to dry all the pieces. It is important to have medium-sized florets. Too big, and they don't cook through, too small and they will crisp and burn. You can also cut the cauliflower into large and thin slices like a cauliflower 'steak'. If you do that, place it on a tray instead of a bowl to add the seasonings with a pastry brush.
3. In a separate and small bowl, add the remaining ingredients: the oil, chaat masala, turmeric, black pepper, and salt. Stir. Pour this mixture over the cauliflower and stir the pieces until they are all fully coated. If making cauliflower 'steaks' use a pastry brush to coat the pieces on both sides. It's helpful to use a silicone spatula to get all the marinade out of the bowl.
4. Place the cauliflower pieces on the parchment paper-lined tray and bake for 30 minutes. No need to turn. Pull out of the oven and enjoy on its own, with an Indian meal, or cool off in the fridge and enjoy as a tasty addition to a salad. I love bringing it hot to the table by simply picking up the parchment paper from all four corners and placing it in a shallow serving bowl.
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