Roast cauliflower and celeriac curry with dal recipe

Roast cauliflower and celeriac curry with black dal and peshwari naan

Prepare: over 2 hours
Cook: 1 to 2 hours
Serve: Serves 4
Dietary: Egg-free Pregnancy-friendly Vegetarian

This vegetarian curry would make a great meal for a dinner party or celebration meal.

By Matt Tebbutt

From Saturday Kitchen Best Bites

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Ingredients

For the black dal

200g/7oz whole black lentils
50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chilli powder
2 green chillies, split
400g tin plum tomatoes
bunch fresh coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves separated
300–400ml/10–14fl oz vegetable stock or water
3 tbsp fried crispy shallots, to serve
50ml/2fl oz double cream, to serve
1 tsp garam masala, to serve

For the naan

300g/10½oz strong bread flour
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
10g dried fast-action yeast
25g/1oz unsalted butter, melted
150ml/5fl oz plain yoghurt

For the peshwari filling and topping

100g/3½oz ground almonds
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 tbsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp double cream
25g/1oz butter
2 tbsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp flaked almonds

For the roast cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp vegetable oil, for roasting

For the vegetable curry

2 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
10 curry leaves
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 green chillies, split
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger
500g/1lb 2oz celeriac, diced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
300ml/10fl oz vegetable stock

Method

To make the dal, soak the black lentils for a few hours until swollen then drain. Heat the butter in a saucepan and sweat the onion, garlic, ginger and spices. Add the green chillies, tomatoes, coriander stalks and soaked lentils. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for 1½ hours or until soft.
To make the naan, mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Mix the yeast with 120ml/4fl oz water in a bowl and stir into the flour mixture. Stir in the melted butter and yoghurt. Mix for 10 minutes until a dough is formed. Prove for 1 hour.
To make the peshwari filling, mix the ground almonds, coconut, light brown sugar and double cream in a bowl to make a paste. Set aside.
To make the cauliflower, preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9. Toss the cauliflower in the spices and oil in a roasting tin and roast for 20–25 minutes until blackened a little. Set aside.
To make the curry, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the curry leaves. Remove and discard the curry leaves and add the spices to the pan. Crackle for 10 seconds then add the onions, garlic and ginger and sweat for 10 minutes. Add the celeriac then add the tomatoes and stock. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the celeriac has softened.
To finish the naan, divide the dough into 6 balls. Roll out each naan ball into a rectangle. Spread the paste over half of the rectangle and fold the dough over. Pinch together and form into an oval or tear-shaped bread. Dry fry in a large frying pan for a few minutes on each side until charred and blistered. Heat the butter, sesame seeds and flaked almonds in a small saucepan. Brush the naan with this melted butter mixture.
To serve, add the roast cauliflower to the curry and season with salt and pepper. Garnish the dal with the shallots, cream, garam masala and coriander leaves. Serve the curry, dal and naan on large plates.