Barbecue cauliflower with Cape spices

Anyone who thinks of barbecue thinks of Jord Althuizen. In South Africa, he learned all about the braai, a local version of the barbecue on which you grill, roast, bake and braai over a wood fire. He tells you how to pull this off at home in the third part of his barbecue bible: Smokey Goodness. You have to try this Cape Malay cauliflower at least once. 

Jort says: ”In the Golden Age, the Cape of Good Hope was a crossroads of spice routes and cultures. Times have changed considerably since then; today, you simply get spices from the shelves of the local supermarket, but the flavor influences from that period can still be found everywhere. In this dish, you combine an icon of traditional Dutch cuisine with Cape curry spices to create a killer veggie roast. With a hint of smoke, of course.”

Method

Prepare a BBQ with a lid for indirect grilling and heat it until it reaches a temperature of 180 °C. Bring three liters of water to a boil in a large pan with the bay leaves, garlic, coriander seeds and salt, and simmer gently for ten minutes. Poach the cauliflower in the cooking liquid for about five minutes and drain it well. Mix the sunflower oil with the smoked paprika powder and coat the cauliflower all over with the oil. Add the wood chips to the glowing coals and place the cauliflower on the BBQ. Smoke and roast the cauliflower for 20–30 minutes, until it is tender but still has some bite and nicely colored. For the best color, brush the cauliflower with the oil a few more times during cooking.

For the Malay curry sauce, roast all the spices except the turmeric and chili powder in a dry frying pan over low heat for about five minutes, until their aromas have intensified. Let them cool, then put them in a mortar with the turmeric and chili powder and grind finely. Heat the sunflower oil in a pan over low heat, add the spice mixture and stir until it has dissolved well into the oil. Add the coconut milk and crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper. Remove the roasted cauliflower from the BBQ, spoon the curry sauce over it and garnish with the flat-leaf parsley and roasted almonds.

Title: Smokey Goodness
Author: Jord Althuizen
Publisher: Kosmos Uitgevers