Roasted Cauliflower

I cook for yoga retreats during the summer. 

Among others, I cook for Annie Hoffman’s yoga retreats during the summer. 

I make a pretty similar menu for her groups every year. Sometimes I change up a thing or two, but one thing that stays the same is that we have kitchari and roasted cauliflower on Saturday night. 

There is never any cauliflower left over.

It doesn’t seem to matter how much I make.

It completely disappears.

People go crazy for it. Even self-proclaimed ‘cauliflower haters’ eat this cauliflower. 

The thing is, it is the simplest dish to make. So simple in fact that I never bothered to send it out because it’s not even really a recipe. 

But this last group of retreatants were a bit frustrated that they couldn’t find the recipe on my website, so I promised it would be this week’s submission, and here we are.

The trick?  Roast the hell out of it. Push it a little further than you feel comfortable with.  We want it deeply golden, well-caramelized, and delicious. 

Don’t skimp on the fat. Use ghee if you have it. Olive oil will work too. I’ve done bacon fat to the delight of my eaters. 

I tend to use kalonji which are onion seeds, but you can also use black mustard seeds.  Then salt and cracked pepper to taste.

It’s simple. It’s delicious. It’s totally worth the time it takes. It’ll disappear quickly, so maybe double the recipe if you have more than 2 people eating.

Why this Recipe is Good for Us:

Cauliflower

• Dosha Impact: Cauliflower is predominantly a Kapha-pacifying vegetable, but it can also aggravate Vata if consumed in large amounts due to its light and dry qualities.

• Rasa (Taste): It has a slightly bitter and astringent taste, which can help in balancing Kapha and Pitta.

• Gunas (Qualities): Cauliflower is light and dry, which makes it ideal for improving digestion and clearing excess mucus or congestion from the body.

• Effect: It is easy to digest when cooked properly and can help maintain a healthy balance of fluids in the body.

Ghee

• Dosha Impact: Ghee is tridoshic, meaning it balances all three doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) when used in moderation.

• Rasa (Taste): Sweet and slightly cooling.

• Gunas (Qualities): Ghee is unctuous, heavy, and cooling, which nourishes the tissues, promotes digestion, and enhances the absorption of nutrients.

• Effect: Ghee is considered a powerful rasayana (rejuvenative) in Ayurveda. It improves digestion, nourishes ojas (vitality), and supports mental clarity.

Kalonji (Nigella Seeds) or Black Mustard Seeds

• Dosha Impact: Both Kalonji and black mustard seeds are heating and pungent, which helps pacify Kapha and Vata doshas while potentially aggravating Pitta in excess.

• Rasa (Taste): Pungent and slightly bitter.

• Gunas (Qualities): These seeds are light and dry, with strong digestive and detoxifying properties.

• Effect: They stimulate Agni (digestive fire), aid in digestion, and help in eliminating toxins from the body. They are particularly beneficial in cold climates or seasons where Kapha is predominant.

These ingredients work together in this recipe to create a dish that is warming, grounding, and supportive of digestion, making it a great choice for balancing Kapha and Vata doshas, especially during cooler seasons.

Roasted Cauliflower 

Serves 2-4

1 head cauliflower
Ghee, or olive oil, or bacon fat
Kalonji or black mustard seeds
Salt
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break the cauliflower into small bite sized pieces. The smaller you break/cut it, the faster it will cook. Feel free to chop up and use the white stems. I tend to throw away the green parts. Toss the cauliflower into a bowl of suitable size. 

If using ghee or bacon fat, melt the fat. Drizzle a generous amount onto the cauliflower. 

Sprinkle a tablespoon or 2 of the seeds. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

Spread into an even layer on the baking sheet and place it into the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, stir, and then continue to roast (stirring occasionally) until the cauliflower becomes deeply brown and some of it starts to get crispy. 

Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if desired. I know it’s ready when I just keep picking the crispiest pieces off the sheet. Sometimes very little makes it to the table because of this. I regret nothing.