Roast cauliflower and mushroom curry with toasted almonds

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 300g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 100ml vegetable stock
• 50g flaked almonds
• Juice of ½ lime
• Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

To serve
• Steamed basmati rice
• Lime wedges, optional

Method

1. Roast the cauliflower

Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Put the cauliflower florets onto a large baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Roast for 20–25 minutes until tender and deeply golden at the edges. Proper colour is doing a lot of the work here, so let the cauliflower get a little bronzed rather than rescuing it while it is still pale and polite.

2. Brown the mushrooms

Heat another tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6–8 minutes until their moisture has evaporated and they are golden in places.

Lift them onto a plate and set aside. If the pan is crowded, cook them in two batches. Mushrooms need room if they are going to brown rather than steam.

3. Start the curry base

Add the remaining oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion with a small pinch of salt and cook for 8–10 minutes until softened and beginning to colour.

Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.

4. Add the spices

Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and chilli flakes. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another minute. The spices should smell warm and rounded by now, not as though they have only just escaped the jar.

5. Build the sauce

Pour in the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk and vegetable stock, then stir everything together.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10–12 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and the flavours have settled together.

6. Bring everything together

Add the roasted cauliflower and browned mushrooms to the sauce and fold everything together gently.

Simmer for another 5–8 minutes until the vegetables are piping hot and properly coated. The cauliflower should remain intact rather than slowly surrendering into the sauce.

7. Toast the almonds

While the curry finishes, put the flaked almonds into a dry frying pan over a medium heat.

Toast for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until golden. Tip them onto a plate as soon as they are ready. Almonds can move from toasted to cremated with impressive efficiency.

8. Finish the curry

Stir the lime juice into the curry, then taste and adjust with salt, black pepper or a little extra chilli if needed.

Scatter over most of the coriander and half the toasted almonds.

9. Serve

Spoon the curry into warm bowls with steamed basmati rice and finish with the remaining almonds and coriander.

Serve with lime wedges alongside if you like. The citrus cuts neatly through the coconut and brings the roasted vegetables back into focus.

A couple of helpful notes
- Roasting the cauliflower separately gives it far more flavour and helps it keep its texture once it goes into the sauce.
- Full-fat coconut milk gives the richest finish, though a lighter version will still work if preferred.
- The curry can be made a day ahead and reheated gently. Keep the toasted almonds separate until serving so they retain their crunch.