Monday, February 1, 2016

Gobi Urval ~ Spicy and tangy Cauliflower

Urval is a spicy and tangy preparation usually made with chicken. My husband raves about a restaurant in Mangalore that serves amazing Chicken Urval. Ever since then I wanted to try it but being vegetarian never got a chance. So I googled it and also got the recipe from my friend. I made a lot of modifications in the recipes, like not deep frying the florets and also adding a little of spice. This is one of our favourite and also among my friends. The seasoning that goes in to this dish elevates its taste. This tastes amazing as starters or as a side dish with dal and rice. The cauliflower in the recipe can be easily replaced with chicken or mushrooms.


Here is what's needed:
To marinate
2 cups cauliflower florets - bite sized and cleaned
1 tsp fresh ginger and garlic paste
1 /4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

To Roast
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 green Cardamom
2 cloves
10 peppercorns
5-6 Kashmiri Chilies

5 cloves garlic
2" ginger
2 Onions sliced
2 tomatoes
2 tsp tomato ketchup
15 Cashew cut into pieces
10 curry leaves torn into two
Salt to taste
Oil

Procedure:
1) Dry roast the ingredients under "To Roast" until fragrant and lightly browned. Let it cool.  Grind it to smooth paste with little water. Keep aside.
2) Marinate the cauliflower with ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt and a tsp of the ground spice paste. Puree the tomatoes.
3) Heat oil in a pan, add the cashews and curry leaves. Fry until cashews turn golden and leaves crisp. Keep it aside. In the same pan add more oil if required and add the sliced onions. Saute until pink.
4) Add the ground paste followed by the tomato puree. Cook it until the raw smell goes away and it smells fragrant. Add the marinated cauliflower florets and ketchup to taste. Do not add any water and let it cook in the water that cauliflower releases.Add salt to taste.Make sure you don't add too much salt as the marinated florets already have some salt in it. Cook until the florets are cooked but still have a slight crunch in them. Over cooking them makes it mushy. Pour the roasted cashews and curry leaves seasoning and serve.

Variation:
The same recipe can be made Mushrooms  or Chicken. My friend made this with Chicken and loved it. If using Chicken make sure that you add a little curd while marinating and also add a tsp or  two of red chilli powder depending on the spice level.