Culinary Hotline - Kamini Pather

Kamini Pather is in the kitchen and she’s here to cook three delicious recipes from her new cookbook “All Dahl’d Up”!

All recipes by Kamini Pather

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 tsp olive oil to drizzle
  • ±3 tsp salt
  • ½ cup vegetable stock
  • ½ cm turmeric root or ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • A crack of black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp grated Gruberg cheese
  • Chilli oil
  • Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish

How To Make Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Turmeric & Gruberg Cauliflower Purée

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  3. Cut two steaks from the cauliflower head, about 1cm thick.
  4. Place them on the prepared baking tray, Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt on both sides.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for a further 15 minutes.
  6. Thinly slice the rest of the cauliflower.
  7. To a small pot over a high heat, add the sliced cauliflower and stock.
  8. The cauliflower will cook quickly.
  9. Check every 5 minutes by piercing it with the tip of a knife until it is soft.
  10. Remove from the heat, then add the turmeric, black pepper, olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.
  11. Blend with an immersion blender.
  12. Add the Gruberg and mix through.
  13. Taste for salt and adjust.
  14. To serve, divide the cauliflower purée between two plates.
  15. Top with a cauliflower steak, a drizzle of chilli oil and a flurry of chopped parsley.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 40g fresh mint, stalks removed
  • 1–2 green chillies
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 × 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
  • 1 zucchini, sliced on a mandoline
  • A handful of toasted, chopped almonds to garnish

To serve:

  • Naan, pita or wraps

How To Make Phudina Hummus with Griddled Zucchini

  1. In a small pot, heat the oil and add the mint, chillies, garlic and cumin seeds.
  2. Cook over a medium heat until the mint is wilted and cooked through.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a Nutribullet or high-speed blender, along with the chickpeas, tahini and olive oil.
  4. Blend until smooth.
  5. Season with salt and lemon juice to your liking.
  6. Heat the zucchini in a griddle pan until those sexy grill marks are visible, then arrange over the top of the hummus.
  7. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped almonds.

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole organic chicken
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 Tbsp garam masala
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 Tbsp fine salt
  • ½ lemon

How To Make Roast Chicken

  1. Rinse the whole chicken, then drain in a colander, cavity facing downwards.
  2. Once drained, place the chicken in a dish.
  3. Heat the coconut oil if it is solid (it shouldn’t be hot, just melted), then transfer to a bowl.
  4. Mix in the garam masala, garlic, ginger, turmeric and salt.
  5. Pour over the bird and massage into the skin.
  6. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour but preferably overnight.
  7. Transfer the chicken to an Instant Pot or air-fryer and insert the lemon in the cavity.
  8. Cook at 180°C for 45–55 minutes (the usual store-bought raw chicken is just over 1kg, which will cook in about 45 minutes).
  9. Start with the breast-side down and flip the bird over halfway through.
  10. This results in succulent breast meat.
  11. Allow to rest for 10–15 minutes before carving ad serving.