Simple whole roasted curry cauliflower is the perfect easy side dish for any kind of meal.
The simplest way of cooking this vegetable is to rub it with oil and spices and make whole roasted curry cauliflower. And if you like this veggie combined with curry, try this Cauliflower and Potato Curry.
Gone are the days when eating cauliflower only meant struggling through a mushy plate of overcooked white something. Actually, I pretty much avoided eating it as a side dish for years; I loved it in the form of a Creamy Cauliflower Almond Soup or a typical Romanian Cauliflower Salad, but I never enjoyed it as a side dish.
It was always so soft and overcooked, and it smelled weird. I rarely cooked it myself as a side dish, it used to be a "treat" I was actually having in restaurants or at parties.
But then I discovered that it can actually be roasted instead of boiled to death. What a revelation!
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Recipe ingredients
Cauliflower:
- Either two mini ones, like those pictured, weighing about 300 g/ 10.6 oz or a regular-sized one.
- Usually, I would divide the head into smaller florets, spice them well, and roast them. But from time to time, as a special treat, I bake a whole cauliflower. And I do that mostly when I have the luck of finding such beautiful, colorful mini-ones.
- The small pieces need about 45 minutes of roasting time until they are cooked through but still retain a good bite.
- If you are using a regular-sized head (they weigh about 800 - 1000 g/ 1.7 - 2.2 lbs around here), increase the roasting time. Usually, I would need about 1 hour and 20 minutes or maybe a bit more for a large head of about 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs.
- Make sure to start checking after about one hour and 10 minutes of roasting time and keep checking until the vegetable is done to your liking.
Spices:
- I chose to spice the veggies with cumin and a rather spicy yellow curry powder, so Indian-style, so to say.
- But any spices or mixtures you like are absolutely fine.
- I often spice them with a mixture of oil, crushed garlic, and paprika (sweet and hot) or with other oil spice mixtures, including ground coriander and cumin, some cinnamon, different sorts of curry powder, za'atar, dried herbs, and so on.
- Really, the spice mixture can be different every time you cook the recipe, this way it will never get boring.
How to serve?
Serve the whole roasted curry cauliflower as a side dish for any kind of roast, for chicken, stews, or goulash, or even as a main meal with a dip on the side, some really good flatbread like this Afghan Naan Bread, olives, and maybe a good tomato and cucumber salad. Or serve it over couscous or bulgur, again with a nice yogurt dip on the side.
More cauliflower recipes
Recipe
Whole Roasted Curry Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 2 small heads cauliflower each about 300 g/ 10.6 oz (Note)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cumin
- ยฝ fine sea teaspoon salt
- lemon wedges and herbs to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash and thoroughly dry the cauliflower. I usually do that in advance, so that the cauliflower has the time to get really dry.
- In a small bowl mix together the oil and all the spices. Rub the cauliflower very well with this mixture.
- Place the cauliflower into a roasting pan and roast for about 40-45 minutes or until done to your liking. You should be able to easily insert a skewer into the cauliflower, but make sure it doesn't get mushy.
- If your cauliflower is larger, see note. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top and sprinkle with chopped herbs (parsley, mint, chives, etc). Serve immediately.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I need to give roasted cauliflower a try. It certainly looks and sounds delicious. I love all the seasoning you've used.
Adina says
You should definitely try roasted cauliflower, Kathy. I find it so much better than cooked, world's apart.
Sissi says
I bake whole cauliflower very often, simply brushed with chilli oil, and sometimes divided into florets, Indian style. My favourite ways to have cauliflower!
Adina says
Mine too, Sissi. I experiment a lot with the spices as well.
Anca says
Yum, looks delicious. I should bake a cauliflower, it's healthy and I love the taste too.
Adina says
Thank you, Anca.
Nammi says
That cauliflower looks delish. and you are right about the over cooked cauliflower smell, very unappetizing. have anice weekend
Adina says
Thank you, Nammi.
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
I have never actually roasted a whole cauliflower before!!! I will have to try this!
Adina says
It is lovely, Marvellina, you should try it!
Priya @priyascurrynation says
This recipe is very much similar to gobi mussalam we used to have.. This is indeed a wonderful version.
Adina says
Thank you, Priya, I will look for a recipe for gobi mussalam, I love Indian food. ๐