Spiced Indian Cauliflower Soup

Spiced Indian Cauliflower Soup

I really love cauliflower but Jake isn’t a huge fan of it. Granted, if I insist he’ll eat it, but I know that he prefers to avoid it if he can. So I decided to try this soup from the “Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking” while he is gone. He’ll be home in a little over a week thank goodness (I miss him) so this is one of my last chances to try this soup. The actual recipe called for black mustard seeds instead of ground mustard, but I have already been to the grocery store this evening and I didn’t feel like leaving the house again as I had a paper to finish and more food to cook for the Garden Party/Clothes Swap that Kari and I are throwing here tomorrow. Not only did I add the yogurt to the soup after I let it cool a bit, but I also added a dollop of the yogurt to my individual bowl. It was nice to be able to control the amount of creaminess that went into my individual bowl.

Spiced Indian Cauliflower Soup
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 small cauliflower, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cumin (or cumin seeds)
2 teaspoons ground mustard
2 teaspoons ground coriander
4 cups vegetable stock
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
salt and black pepper
cilantro or parsley to garnish

1. Put the potato, cauliflower and onion in a large saucepan with oil and 3 tablespoons water.
2. Heat until hot and bubbling, then cover and turn the heat down. Continue cooking the mixture for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and spices.
4. Stir well and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Pour in the stock and season well. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
6. Take the soup off the heat and, using a potato masher, mash the vegetables into a thicker soup consistency. Let it cool 7 minutes.
7. Stir in the yogurt, season well and garnish with cilantro or parsley.