I have been very attached to Middle Eastern Cuisine for a very long time. I am not sure what exactly attracts me towards this cuisine. Its Rustic style... from the ground cooking... closeness to Fire...earthy feel.. no.. not sure.. may be all of these... may be because I see my country's kitchens in these kitchens... Ladies cooking tens and hundreds of flatbreads... and cooking on the floor.... and many more cooking styles.
Whatever it may be.. I am quiet biased towards Middle Eastern Cuisine... So much so that whenever I cook it.. it makes me feel like I have been there done that though I have never been to middle east and there is no question of cooking in their kitchens...
Couscous is one of my favorite dish.. Its easy, its fragrant with herbs... it has pure authentic Middle Eastern ingredients. Of lately I have been reading a lot about replacing Cauliflower with the Couscous.. I though to myself why.. its anyways healthy and that is main reason I had been reluctant to try it. Until on e fine day when Hubby dear bought an overload of Cauliflower. With extra on hand.. I thought to try it and to my surprise.. It came out amazingly light and delicious.. I didn't miss the Couscous.. Basically loved it... and the best part.. Its Vegan!
So here is the recipe :
Ingredients :
Cauliflower Florets : 2 Cups
Turmeric : 1 tsp
Salt : 1 tsp
Black Pepper : 1/2 tsp
Red Wine Vinegar : 2 tsp
Agave Nectar : 2 tsp
Pomegranate Seeds : 2 tbsp
Cashews : 2 tbsp
Almonds : 2 tbsp
Dry Coconut Chips : 2 tbsp
Mint (roughly torn): 2 tbsp
Coriander (roughly torn): 2 tbsp
Coconut Oil : 1 tbsp
Method :
Blanch the florets and let dry. Then in a food processor, roughly pulse them, it should hardly take 10 seconds. Now in a frying pan, roast the cauliflower couscous with turmeric for about 3-4 min. and let cool. We added turmeric just to give cauliflower that yellowish color of couscous.
Now in a pan heat coconut oil and light roast Cashews, Almonds and Coconut Chips for about 2-3 min. We just want to activate the oils on the nut an make them nuttier.
Now in a serving bowl casually dump in everything and mix well. I cut the step of making the dressing of agave, vinegar etc etc because i see no difference in taste if I separately mix it. You can mix if you wish to..
Let it sit and let the flavors develop for around 15 min. and eat, enjoy.. relish the goodness... of guilt free flavors...
P.S. : Adjust seasoning as per your taste.
