Mumu'r Phulkopir Malaikari -- Cauliflower in Coconut Curry

This recipe is our friend Mumu's. She is one half of that couple who makes roshogollas and dal gosht and tolerates us when we land up at their home on any random weekends. That is saying a lot. No good stuff that I say about her and K, can top the fact that they welcome us and feed us on "random" weekend. I mean anyone who does that must be close to a saint or something

So anyway this Phulkopir Malaikari is Mumu's signature dish. We have had it at her home many times and loved it every time. I don't know why I never made it at home though until recently. A few weeks back, I made it at home, roughly following her recipe. It turned out so good that I had to share it with you all.

Now if you are a Bengali, Chingri Malaikari is your anthem and needs no explaining. If however you are new to Bengali cuisine, let me tell you that Chingri Malaikari, is a Bong's national anthem. I mean, it is a dish where succulent prawns are cooked in a gravy of coconut milk and is so delicious that you need to eat it to believe it. There are many theories about roots of this curry. I don't know which one is true but once you taste the dish, it clearly shows the effect of  the cuisine of SouthEast asia, the Malay world,which now comprises of the modern nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and southern Thailand.

If you are a vegetarian and have never tasted the Chingri Malaikari, this Cauliflower Malaikari, is just the thing you need.It is pretty simple where fried cauliflower florets are cooked in a coconut gravy with almost the same spicing as a Malaikari. Since there is no prawn which adds the full bodied flavor to the chingri malaikari, here we add a bit more spices to compensate. But I must say, the result is phenomenal! Try it.

Phulkopir Malaikari -- Cauliflower in Coconut Curry

Prep

Chop 1 onion in large chunks

Heat vegetable oil in a pan and saute onion until soft and translucent

Cool and make a smooth paste of onions

Chop 1 cauliflower in medium sized florets.

Heat enough oil in a pan to shallow fry the cauliflower.

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder and fry the cauliflower florets to a golden with brown spots

Make Malaikari

If you have oil remaining from all that frying, save 2 tbsp of it for making the curry

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a kadhai/sauicer

Add whole Garam Masala
2 TejPata or BayLeaves
1 Cinnamon stick
Coarsely pounded 2 green Cardamom/Elaichi and 2 Clove/Laung

Add the onion paste and 2-3 green chillies when you see the whole garam masala crackling
Continue frying the onion with a little bit of sugar till it turns brown in color or the oil separates from the paste

Ad 1 tomato finely chopped
Add 1 tsp of garlic paste and 1 tsp of fresh grated ginger
Add 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri Mirch and a pinch of Turmeric powder
Cook the masala.

Stir and add the can of coconut milk
Add a little water (about 1/2 of the can) in the can, mix well and add it too.
Add salt and a pinch of sugar to taste.
Add 1/4th tsp of Bengali Garam masala powder

Mix well and cook the gravy for 10 minutes
Add the fried cauliflower florets. Add some golden raisins if you have them.
Simmer for around 15-20 minutes until you see the oil surfacing on the gravy.
Check if the cauliflower is cooked.
Cook on low for some more time till the gravy thickens and acquires a creamy consistency.
Add 1 tsp of ghee to the gravy

Serve with white Rice or yellow Pulao



If you like what you are reading, get Bong Mom's Cookbook in your mailbox

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner