Serves: 4

Hidden away in Bradford is Prashad restaurant which has something of a cult following amongst curry lovers. When we visited chef Kaushy Patel plied us with dish after dish of sublime Gujarati cuisine and I became completely hooked on this great vegetarian combination. At home I serve it with rice or roti and Kaushy's new book is giving me plenty more inspiration for Friday night, which is of course curry night. Do you have a favourite Indian restaurant...do tell us about it.

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This recipe is adapted from Prashad: Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Kaushy Patel.

Pea and cauliflower curry

This dish appeared on the first restaurant menu at Prashad, and seven years on is still remembered fondly by customers. The combination of cauliflower and peas is characteristic of traditional Gujarati cooking – good textures and a little sweetness. If you are using frozen peas, Kaushy recommends using petits pois, as they are smaller and sweeter than ordinary garden peas.

Ingredients

• 100ml sunflower oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• Half tsp asafoetida, see below
• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sugar
• 400g fresh or frozen peas
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1 large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• For the masala: 1-2 green chillies, seeds left in
• 2.5cm piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• pinch of salt

Method

1. To make the masala paste, crush the chillies and ginger together with a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar (or a blender).
2. Heat the oil in a large thick-based frying pan over a medium heat for 30 seconds, then add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, reduce the heat to low and stir in the asafoetida - heating the spices in this order is essential
3. Add the cauliflower, then return the heat to medium and stir in the masala paste, turmeric, ground coriander, the sugar and 11/2 tsp of salt, plus 75ml of boiling water (if using fresh peas – I find that frozen peas don’t need it). Cover the pan and leave
4. Stir in the peas and tomato, cover the pan again and cook for a further 3–5 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the chopped coriander, then leave to rest, covered, for 5 minutes or so, to let the flavours develop.

Tip

If you can't find asafoetida, don't panic. It imparts an onion-garlic flavor but you can omit it from the recipe or use garlic powder or onion powder instead. You will go to the curry party after all...