Alma Bax The song is sung in the Pakistani language Urdu and is written by Naseeb Shabbir. The song is a roller coaster of emotions, from happiness to anguish. It is a song all about the roller-coaster of life. The song talks of the need for a change in life, but the change has to be gradual.
When you’re planning an Arabic, Middle Eastern or North African themed dinner party, you need all sorts of useful and decorative touches to make your party feel like a home away from home. These include a variety of dishes which are then served on the table with all the elaborate cooking utensils that you need for making your guests feel at home. There are also various sides to consider when you are planning a dinner party; the main dish, for instance, and then the salads and side dishes which you serve with it, and the drinks that you serve with the main dish.
After the excitement of Eid, you might be anxious to get back to normal life, but before you do, why not take a few moments to blog on your favorite food? If you’re a Pakistani like me, you’re probably used to the traditional dishes of Ramadan, like raan, chappati, and gheera, with lots of rice and lentils. But, you can still enjoy a variety of new dishes to celebrate Eid. For example, try a beautiful gobi musallam, or a dish made of cauliflower and peas, known as ‘Gobi’.
Cauliflower roasted whole in a delectable sauce/gravy. This vegetarian meal is perfect for parties, banquets, and special occasions. Gobi musallam is a highly attractive north Indian dish. This dish’s sauce is mostly Mughlai in style, which means it’s thick and creamy. However, I made the gravy in a different way with nuts, but it was still creamy and wonderful to serve with cauliflower. I served it with Peshawar and garlic naan, but it’s also good with plain chapathis, phulkas, or puris. Cut the cauliflower into 4 or 5 pieces before serving to make it easier for the visitors.
Ingredients
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- 500–600 gms whole cauliflower
Marinade
-
- 3 tbsp. curd
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (roasted)
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder (roasted)
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/8 teaspoon mace and nutmeg powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon stick powder (optional)
- 2 tbsp tomato puri (thick, concentrated)
- a pinch of salt (to taste)
Gravy/curry
- 6 tbsp. oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 green cardamoms
- Cloves — 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick (1 inch)
- 2 onions (200gms)
- 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
- 2 tsp roasted coriander powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp tomato puree (thick concentrated)
- 8 to 10 cashew nuts
- 2 tbsp raisins (kish mish)
Method
- Bring the water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Clean the cauliflowers and soak them in boiling water for approximately 5 minutes on each side, for a total of 10 minutes. Remove it from the water and set it aside.
- In a mixing dish, combine all of the marinade ingredients and stir thoroughly. Apply the marinade equally to both sides of the cauliflower, and try to get the marinate within the florets as well. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight, covered with a cling film.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil until high, then add the cumin seeds, entire spices, and onion, and cook until soft and light brown, translucent.
- Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes with the ginger and garlic paste.
- Add all of the dry spices, saute for 1 minute, then rapidly add the liquid from the marinade that has been left over after marinating for a few hours or 1/3 cup or 50 ml water, mix well, and saute for another minute.
- Place the marinated cauliflower head (florets) down in the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cover.
- If necessary, a little amount of water may be added.
- After 10 minutes, open the cover and flip the cauliflower, then cook for another 10 minutes on a lower heat with the lid closed. Serve the cauliflower with some gravy onion mixture on top.
- The cauliflower is nearly done, and there is oil on the top from the sauce.
- Sprinkle salt to taste over the tomato puree, milk, cashew nuts, and raisins. Mix thoroughly. Reduce the heat and gently pour in the milk while stirring to get a thick gravy. While the cauliflower is cooking, carefully stuff a bit of this gravy in between the florets and stems, as well as on top of the cauliflower.
- If necessary, add more water to the gravy to get the required consistency.
- When the milk is added, bring to a boil for 3 minutes, then reduce to a low heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes with the lid closed.
- The gravy has thickened, turned creamy, and has a layer of oil on top.
- Place the cauliflower on a serving dish first, then pour the gravy over it.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and fresh cream (optional).
Notes
- In the meanwhile, swirl the gravy and flip the cauliflower up and down to ensure that it is uniformly cooked, then pour some liquid over it to absorb the sauce.
- Instead of milk, a desired quantity of fresh cream may be used to make this meal richer.
- At the end, add kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and cook for 5 minutes.
- My tomato puri is double concentrated, ready to eat from the shop; you may use tomato paste or tomato puri, depending on what you have on hand. If it isn’t concentrated enough, add more to the gravy to taste.
- I used 1 whole nutmeg, 10 to 12 mace, and 10 green cardamom to make mace and nutmeg powder, which I ground in a spice mixer and stored in an airtight container. Alternatively, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg powder and 1/8 teaspoon mace may be added to taste. If you add more, it will become bitter or overpowering.
- I created a thick gravy that is thoroughly covered with cauliflower; if you want more gravy, add additional ingredients and adjust the gravy to your liking.
It all started with a salad for lunch that I couldn’t finish, because it was just too darn good. And later, when my friend suggested we bring the salad home and have it for dinner, well, that little idea began to grow and grow. And then, when our family of four was asked to share our favorite meal, we decided to make our own version of the salad. And that’s the way it all started. That’s how we found ourselves making a Gobi Musallam Salad (that’s a salad with musallam in it, in case you’re wondering). It’s funny how a little idea can plant a seed in your mind, change your life, and then, inevitably, change the course of someones life. Read more about gobi manchurian and let us know what you think.
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