Cooking with Colm O'Gorman: How to cook a whole spiced Indian cauliflower in the air fryer 

This showstopper dish takes pride of place at any Indian feast 

A whole cauliflower smothered in aromatic spices

There is in no more maligned a vegetable than cauliflower. In recent years we have been told that it can be turned into rice, into chicken wings and all other manner of non-cauliflower things. Do not get me wrong, smother it in buffalo sauce and it is delicious, but it is not a chicken wing by any stretch of the imagination. It is a shame really because cauliflower is a beautiful vegetable when cooked properly. I remain a fan of cauliflower cheese, a staple from my childhood, a well-made cauliflower puree is a thing of beauty, and nothing beats a good Aloo Gobi, a wonderful Indian curry made with potatoes and cauliflower.

Let cauliflower be cauliflower I say, just do not overcook it. This lovely vegetable deserves better than being boiled within an inch of its life until it is limp and pallid. Cooked properly, cauliflower has a wonderful, sweet, creamy, nutty flavour, with just a hint of bitterness. It lends itself to other flavours brilliantly, which is why it makes such a fantastic curry ingredient. Aromatic spices really enhance the flavour of cauliflower.

This week’s recipe, another in my air fryer series, is for a whole roast spiced cauliflower served with whipped yogurt flavoured with ginger and lime. This is a lovely simple dish, perfect as part of a vegetarian meal, or as a side with roast chicken or spiced lamb chops. It will take about forty minutes in all to prepare and cook, depending upon the size of your head of cauliflower. I part cook it first in the microwave, and then finish it in my air fryer. This method gives you a sweet lovely creamy centre, with just a little bite, and a beautiful, roasted, buttery crust, fragrant with spice and deliciously savoury and salty.

 

Whole roast spiced cauliflower in the airfryer

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

A showstopping main for a vegetarian feast, cooked in your trusty air fryer

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• 1 whole cauliflower

• 40g butter

• 30ml extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt 

• 200g Greek yoghurt

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

• Juice of a lime

• 1 nugget stem ginger

• To serve:

• Some roasted flaked almonds

• Chopped flat leaf parsley

Method

1. Trim away all the leaves from your head of cauliflower and cut away the centre of the stalk. Do this carefully to avoid cutting off any of the florets. You want to end up with a concave shape about 2cm deep in the bottom of the stalk which will help ensure your cauliflower cooks through properly. Wash it under a running tap.

2. Melt the butter in your microwave and add the olive oil, all the spices and a teaspoon of flaky sea salt. Stir to combine. If you are using fine salt, use half that amount. I always flaky salt in this recipe though as it gives lovely bits of flaky salt in the crust of the roasted cauliflower which are just delicious.

3. Place the cauliflower on a microwave proof plate or dish and pour over the spices. Use a pastry brush to work all the butter mixture into the head of cauliflower, making sure none of the florets are left bare. Pop the plate into the microwave and cook on full power for twelve minutes for smaller head of cauliflower, or fourteen to fifteen for a larger head. It is done in the microwave when you can slide a sharp knife into the centre and feel just a bit of resistance. It should not be soft all the way through though, you want to retain a little bite as it has yet to roast in your air fryer.

4. Transfer the cauliflower to the basket of your air fryer or a metal roasting tray that can fit in the fryer. Pour over all the juices that will have collected on the plate from the microwave, basting the cauliflower well.

5. Pop the tray into the air fryer and cook for twenty minutes at 180°C.

6. Time now to make your whipped yogurt sauce. For the best flavour use full fat yoghurt for this sauce, you can use non-fat if you must, but it will lack the creaminess of full fat Greek yoghurt. Add half a teaspoon of flaky sea slat and the juice of a lime. Use a balloon whisk to beat the yoghurt until the lime juice is combined and you have a lovely smooth, creamy texture. Finely cop the stem ginger and add that to the yoghurt, just use a spoon to mix it through well. You could use fresh ginger in this if you wish but I find it a little harsh for this sauce, I much prefer the sweetness of stem ginger. Set aside the yoghurt sauce until you are ready to serve.

7. Toast about two tablespoons of flaked almonds in a dry pan until they are lightly golden. The almonds will add some crunch and texture to the dish and work beautiful with the flavour of the cauliflower. Chop a little flat leaf parsley for garnish. Remove the cauliflower from your air fryer when it is done. Transfer it to a large plate or serving platter and scatter the almonds and parsley on top. Serve a generous wedge of the cauliflower per person, with the yoghurt sauce on the side.