Thai Cauliflower

Decided to try out some recipes from a cookbook gifted to me last Christmas. I haven't been using cookbooks a lot lately; rather, I've been ‘googling’ recipes as I feel the urge to use a particular ingredient (e.g. eggplant). Yesterday I was in the mood for experimentation, and despite having misgivings about the authenticity of any cookbook published outside of Thailand, decided to give it a crack.

I almost never eat cauliflower or fish, so those were the recipes I chose. One, “Cauliflower and beans with cashew nuts” looked simple and tasty, the other, “Fish curry” used similar flavourings (red curry paste) and neither used too many ingredients that I didn’t already have.

Fish Curry.
I won’t go into the details of this one. Suffice to say, it was a salty disaster. I don’t know why I trust recipes at all, especially ones that ask for 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, plus 4 tablespoons of soy sauce. I should have known. But I wasn’t thinking. Next time (if there is a next time), I will be leaving out the soy sauce altogether. Yuck! On to happier topics…

Cauliflower and Beans with Cashew Nuts.
This was much better! But even then, I cut down on the spices and flavourings. Where it asked for 2 tablespoons of red curry paste, I added one. Where it asked for 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, I added only one. It turned out great! Flavoursome without being overpowering, and the vegetables still crunchy! I don’t mind that the fish is inedible if the vegetables are this good!

Serves 4
1 tbsp vegetable or groundnut oil
1tbsp chili oil (I used sesame oil instead)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped (or minced garlic)
1 tbsp Red Curry Paste
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
175g long beans, cut into 3-inch lengths
150ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp Thai soy sauce (light soy sauce)
50g (1/3 cup) toasted cashew nuts, to garnish

1.Heat both the oils in a wok and stir-fry the onion and garlic until softened. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
2.Add the cauliflower and beans and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Pour in the stock and soy sauce and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with the cashews.