Roasted cauliflower with flaked almonds

I'm a big fan of Dan Toombs aka The Curry Guy. He is well known for perfecting the art of a homecooked curry. His books, blog and Youtube channel are a true inspiration.

Last week I was browsing The Book People, looking for Emma Carroll's books to read with Eddie, but of course, I got diverted into the cook books section and just had to buy The Curry Guy Easy - at £4.99 it's a steal.
I've been bookmarking lots of delicious-looking recipes.

The first one I fancied trying was a recipe for Stir-Fried Cauliflower with Almonds and Coconut (<--- click on the link for the full recipe).

I have adapted the recipe, as I didn't have some of the ingredients, and slightly changed the method, as I first quickly pan-fried it and then finished by roasting in the oven.
All my supposedly non-stick frying pans get sticky despite me being careful with them, using only wooden spoons inside, not scratching, not using the dishwasher etc, so frying cauliflower with lots of bits and bobs until it's cooked through wouldn't work on my pans.
I also added a natural yogurt and swapped some of the spices, but otherwise, it is Dan's recipe, and I'm thankful for the inspiration.

In fact I liked it so much that I cooked it twice in just a matter of days. The second time I have pre-blanched the cauli, so it would take less time to cook. And the 2nd time I added a fresh chilli rather than paprika which I used in the first batch.

Roasted cauliflower with flaked almonds
Ingredients:
3tbsp coconut oil with turmeric
1tsp black mustard seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1/2 big red onion, sliced finely
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1tsp chilli infused oil (leftover from Domino's takeaway)
1/2 tsp paprika or finely chopped fresh chilli
2tsp garam masala spice mix
4tbsp flaked almonds
3tbps dessicated coconut
1tsp turmeric
1 cauliflower, broken into florets, with the green parts chopped into chunks)
125g coconut yogurt (or natural yogurt)
sea salt

I never throw cauliflower's leaves, and in this recipe I used both florets and leaves. Just chop off the most ungainly-looking bruised bits, and chop the rest.
I was surprised to read in one of the Guardian Feast issues back in summer that "it's only now, with the alarm around food waste, that we are discovering how remarkably tasty its [cauliflower's] leaves are". Who says, we are only just discovering it now? I've been doing it for as long as I remember.

Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan, when hot, add the mustard seeds and fry till they start to pop. Lower the heat, add the cumin seeds and finely chopped red onion. Fry for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and all the spices.
Add the almond flakes and dessicated coconut, stir together and add the cauliflower, cut into florets (and leaves, if using). Stir fry for about 3 minutes, add the yogurt, then transfer the contents of the pan to the roasting ceramic dish and put it in the oven preheated to 180C.

Cook for about half and hour. You might want to cover the cauli with a foil, so that coconut and flakes don't get burnt. If you pre-cook cauliflower in the steamer, then roasting time will reduce a lot.
I like the cauliflower soft and melty, not mushy, when it still holds shape, but not crunchy either, so it's up to your personal taste how long you will want to cook it.

This dish will make a tasty side dish, or just have it on its own, with a good chunk of bread.
I used a coconut yogurt, so this dish is an accidental vegan meal.

I love cauliflower in most dishes, and Dan's idea of cooking it with almond flakes and coconut is a great one. When I say "most dishes", I mean savoury. I tried a cake once at the food fair, it was made with mashed cauliflower, and believe me, it was very unpleasant. It might make the cake moist, but surely you can achieve that with a variety of other, more suitable ingredients.

Adding this post to #KitchenClearout linky hosted by Cheryl at Madhouse Family Reviews, as I used the leftover oil from Domino's as well as some of the dessicated coconut which needs using (still have some left).