Spiced Chickpea and Cauliflower Simmer with Naan
Chickpeas and cauliflower simmered in a thick, warmly spiced tomato sauce, scooped up with toasted naan. A hearty, high-protein vegetarian dinner from one pan.
- Total
- 45 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 30
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Blooming spices · Simmering
- Savory
- Indian
- Spicy
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Finely chop the onion. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Cut the cauliflower into 3 cm florets. Drain the chickpeas in a colander.
~10 min
-
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large deep pan over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
~8 min
Salting onions early draws out moisture, helping them soften and brown evenly without steaming.
-
Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds. Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, curry powder, cinnamon and paprika and stir constantly for 45 seconds until fragrant and darkened, taking care not to burn them.
~2 min
Blooming spices in hot oil dissolves their fat-soluble flavors and toasts them, deepening the dish's aroma.
Bloom the ground spices only until they smell toasty, about 45 seconds; any longer over medium heat and the cinnamon and cumin turn bitter.
Blooming spices Add ground spices to hot oil and stir constantly for 30-45 seconds until fragrant; pull off heat if they darken too fast, as they burn easily.
-
Pour in the canned tomatoes and 150 ml water. Add the remaining salt and the black pepper. Stir, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes.
~8 min
Simmering reduces the tomatoes and water, thickening the sauce so it will cling to the chickpeas.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally; this reduces the sauce evenly without scorching the bottom.
-
Stir in the chickpeas and cauliflower. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring once or twice, until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife and the sauce coats the chickpeas, 12 to 15 minutes.
~15 min
Covered simmering traps steam, cooking the cauliflower through while the sauce reduces and flavors meld.
If the sauce looks thin after the cauliflower is tender, simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken it so it clings to the chickpeas.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally; this reduces the sauce evenly without scorching the bottom.
-
While step 5 cooks
While the simmer finishes, warm the naan in a dry pan over medium heat, about 1 minute per side, until pliable and lightly charred in spots.
~2 min
Dry-pan warming rehydrates and lightly chars the naan, making it pliable and adding toasty flavor.
-
Taste the simmer and adjust the salt. Spoon into bowls and serve hot with the toasted naan for scooping.
~1 min