Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Simmer
Cauliflower florets and chickpeas simmered in a thick, warm curry sauce, finished with cool yogurt. A comforting one-pan dinner that lets the curry powder toast first for real depth.
- Total
- 35 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 25
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Toasting spices · Simmering
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Cut 1 cauliflower into 2 cm florets. Drain the chickpeas in a colander and pat them dry. Measure 2 tsp curry powder, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper into a small bowl.
~10 min
-
Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the curry powder, salt and black pepper and stir constantly for 45 seconds, until the powder darkens slightly and smells toasted. Do not let it burn.
~3 min
Toasting spices in hot oil dissolves their fat-soluble flavor compounds and triggers browning, deepening the curry's aroma before liquid is added.
Toasting the curry powder in the oil for under a minute is what gives this sauce its depth; the moment it smells nutty and darkens, add the cauliflower so it cannot scorch.
Toasting spices Stir constantly over medium heat and pull the pan off the moment the powder smells nutty and darkens; a few extra seconds turns it bitter and burnt.
-
Add the cauliflower florets to the pan and toss to coat in the spiced oil. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges pick up golden brown spots.
~5 min
Cooking the cauliflower in the spiced oil first builds golden, flavorful browning on its surface before it starts steaming.
-
Stir in the chickpeas and 150 ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce that coats the chickpeas. If the pan looks dry before the cauliflower is tender, add 2 tbsp water.
~12 min
Covering traps steam to cook the cauliflower through while the uncovered sauce reduces and thickens enough to cling to the chickpeas.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a lazy bubble, not a rolling boil, and check that the sauce coats the chickpeas; add a splash of water if the pan dries out.
-
Take the pan off the heat and stir in 60 g yogurt until the sauce turns creamy and pale golden. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve hot.
~2 min
Adding yogurt off the heat prevents it from boiling and curdling, so the sauce stays smooth and creamy.
Stir the yogurt in off the heat. Boiling it after it goes in can make the sauce split and look grainy.