Curried Cauliflower with Couscous and Chickpeas

 With 3 heads of cauliflowers in my refrigerator, I was searching the internet for interesting recipes. I did not want to make same old Gobi subji or paratha. I came upon a one pot dish on epicurious.com that looked simple and nutritious. It has the goodness of cauliflower, chickpeas and red lentils for proteins and pearled couscous for carbohydrate, topped with a lemony yogurt sauce. I made it for lunch yesterday, and was an instant hit. Such a filling dish, made 45 minutes!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 large head cauliflower, coarsely chopped (2 pounds)

1 medium red onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1-2 teaspoons red chili powder (adjust to taste)

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 1/4 teaspoons cumin powder

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 can chickpeas, drained, and rinsed (15.5-ounce)

1 Cup pearled couscous

1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal)

2 limes or lemons, divided

1/2 Cup Greek-style plain yogurt

3 Tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish

5 ounces baby spinach

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown and soften, 5-8 minutes.

                                 

2. Add onion, garlic, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook, until onion and cauliflower are cooked, 5 -7 minutes.

                                 

3. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Cook, stirring, until spices are toasted, 1 minute.

                                

4. Add broth and bring to boil. Add chickpeas, couscous, and lentils.

                      

5. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally to avoid couscous from sticking, until couscous and lentils are cooked through and liquid is almost completely reduced to a thick sauce, 10 minutes.

                                                      

6. While this is cooking, juice 1 lemon or lime to yield 3 tablespoons juice. Whisk the juice, yogurt, and 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro in a medium bowl until smooth. Add few teaspoons of water (as necessary) until sauce is thin enough to drizzle. Cut remaining lime to wedges. Keep aside.

                                        

7. Fold spinach into chickpea mixture. 

                                          

8. Top with cilantro leaves. Serve with yogurt sauce and lime wedges. 

                                     

Note:

Curry powder can be substituted for turmeric, chili powder, and cilantro powder. I used them because I did not have curry powder in my kitchen.

This dish serves 4.