Cauliflower and Avocado Sabzi

This is a dish inspired by South Indian chutneys that are called thogayals. Here, I have made an avocado thogayal and used it as a marinade on steamed cauliflower. The end result is a sabzi with a vibrant, pickled flavor.

Assembling the Ingredients:

3 cups cauliflower (small to medium florets)

2 tbsp. ginger, cut into long strips

2 shallots or 1/2 cup onion, diced

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

—For the Thogayal/Chutney/ Marinade:

1 ripe avocado, chopped into rough chunks

1/2 tbsp. ural dal

1/2 tsp. asafoetida

12-16 curry leaves

1 tbsp. red Kashmiri chili

2-3 dried red chilis

1/2 tsp. tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

Firing up the Stove:

1. Make the avocado marinade first. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan over medium heat for 2 mins.
2. Add ural dal and saute for 4-6 mins. until the dal starts turning reddish-brown.
3. Add asafoetida, curry leaves, dried red chilis and saute for another min.
4. Turn off the stove.
5. Put the ural dal mixture, avocado, 1/2 tsp. salt, tamarind water and red Kashmiri chilli powder in a blender and puree to a smooth consistency. Your marinade is ready.
6. Steam the cauliflower in boiling water for 13-15 mins until it is soft but still has some bite to it.
7. Add 4-5 tbsps. of the marinade/chutney/thogayal all over the cauliflower until it is completely covered.
8. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.
9. Once the cauliflower has rested in the marinade, turn the stove on high and heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a pan for a min.
10. Add marinated cauliflower, shallots and ginger to the pan simultaneously and fry on high for 5 mins.
11. Freeze the leftover thogayal. It freezes very well and can be used at a later date.
12. Sabzi ready! Enjoy.

Eating with your Eyes:

Changes on the Fly:

1. You can substitute cilantro for curry leaves or even use both.
2. In place of Kashmiri red chili, any other chili can be used. Kashmiri chili is pretty mild and used more for its red coloring than its heat, so if using a stronger chili, use a significantly smaller amount.
3. Although using a different chili will not significantly affect taste, I strongly prefer using Kashmiri red chili for this recipe because the red color masks the color change in the oxidized avocado.
4. I love the fresh taste that the onions and ginger retain when you cook them simultaneously with the cauliflower on high heat. But if onions and ginger on the slightly rawer side are not your thing, first saute them on medium heat for a few minutes before cranking up the knob and cooking the cauliflower.